Great value for a basic easy-to-use point-and-shoot camera
924639
I brought this Olympus FE-20 digital camera for my children who start to get interested in taking pictures/movies during field trips and family vacations. The price is unbeatable, less $100 I paid. After I tried it for about a week, it met all my expectations.

Pros:
+ good price for a slim easy-to-use point-and-shoot digital camera
+ takes clear pictures and decent quality movies (640x480)
+ has all the basic features - auto, program, and 12 scene to select
+ small size and very slim, fit easily in a shirt pocket
+ battery life is good

Cons:
- feels cheap with plastic body, and very light (good or bad)
- lense won't retract while reviewing pictures
  (my children's fingers have touched the lense few times while grabing to review each other's pictures)
- no sound during movie review, has to download onto computer to hear the sound
- noticable shuttle lack, especially in indoor lighting
- no optical image stabilizer (only digital)
1591276
This may not be the greatest camera available, but for an advanced amatuer it's nearly perfect. Both stills and video come out clear and crisp. It's a point-and-shoot when that's all you need yet has advanced settings and functions for when you feel more creative. The focal length allows for well-focused close shots as well as distant images. It's light and easy to hold. Downloading images to Picasa or another application is as easy as connecting a USB cable or inserting the memory card in your reader. It takes standard AA batteries.
In summery, it's an easy to use camera that doesn't require an advanced degree in photography. But if you have one you'll likely enjoy using it, too.
2775618
We bought this camcorder after our brand-new, much-pricier Panasonic's sound quit working right after the second use.  (Our saga with Panasonic and their unresponsive customer service is detailed in one of my other reviews.)  This camcorder is extremely easy to use, and it makes good, clear, consistent videos for the price.  The image and sound quality are very good.  My husband loves to study every feature and trick of an electronic gadget, but the zi6 was simple enough that I could take it out of the box and shoot some nice, clear video with sound, zooming, and a few other basic videographic elements, all without reading the manual.  I love that I can just pick it up and start shooting when my daughter's doing something cute or funny -- it's that easy.  The large-ish LCD display made it very easy to see exactly what I was shooting.  If you need really steady shots, a tripod would be in order -- the image can shake if I don't pan carefully and my hand wobbles.  The still photography is not high-quality; the results are similar to photos from a basic cell phone camera, but I didn't buy it as a still camera, and for great still photos, I use a digital camera created for the purpose.  The zi6 is not a fancy, high-end, "serious" camcorder, but if you're looking for a camcorder that shoots great, basic video on the fly with little to no learning curve involved, this is a wonderful choice for the money.
716506
Those who want a camera with the ease of a point-and-shoot, but with enough creative tools available to satisfy an advanced amateur or budding professional photographer, this could be the camera for you.

I bought this camera for myself for Christmas having done extensive research first.  I wanted something that was affordable, but more than just a point-and-shoot.  I checked out Nikons, HPs, and Sonys just to name a few, but none had the range of features available.  What I find particularly good in Canon products is the accessibility of features.

While my Sony PowerShot of several years ago was good, the menu navigation was clunky and hard to use.  Compare this with the A540, and all of the features are literally at your fingertips.  And while I did like the looks of the Digital Elph models, this model not only was slightly less expensive, but also had more manual controls.

As a bonus, with the right addition of a sizable memory card, you can take several minutes of video footage which was a first for me, since I've never owned a video camera.

All in all, one of the wisest purchases I've made.
2718316
I've had the camera for a month and still need to use it in more varied conditions.  So far I've mostly done inside snapshots, which came out great.  I like the size and feel of the camera.  The controls are easy to use and there are more manual setting options than the casual photographer needs most of the time.  However, I'm looking forward to taking some landscapes and variable light shots to see how the camera works under those conditions.  My last camera was a 5-yr old Canon Powershot SD 45.  This camera is much better than that one.  I think it is a good value for the price. Also, the black body looks really good!
424911
I've purchased several digital Fuji cameras over the years and have been very happy with them. I purchased this one because of its very small size (and low cost). After comparing this one to similar cameras by other manufacturers, I decided to stick with Fuji. Like all others in this size and price range, it lacks a viewfinder (which I sorely miss), but that's just the way they are making them nowadays.

I found a couple of the controls to be slightly funky, but nothing I couldn't easily adjust to. Most other aspects of the camera functioned pretty much as I expected -- time between pictures, light adjustments, etc. The one critisism I have is that the colors are not as vibrant as in photos I've taken with my other Fuji digital cameras (which used the super CCD technology). On the other hand, I paid between $350 and $550 for my previous cameras, so the comparison really isn't valid.

All in all, a nice, small camera that will comfortably fit in a shirt pocket. Great for taking on an outing where you don't want to lug around a heavy camera and just want to take some casual snapshots.
468862
I got this camera for my Mom when Fry's had it on a One Day sale for a ridiculously low price.

If you are a point and shoot person - give this model serious consideration and not the ones with more megapixel counts. More megapixels don't equate to a better camera. 4 MP is ample resolution for an 11X17 inch print. Plus the images are not as big (in terms of bytes) so the pictures are easier to manipulate and store, you don't need as big a memory card, and the simple fact that the pixels on the CCD are bigger leads to greater light sensitivity and less noise compared to the same size CCD with a higher pixel count.

The five stars that I give it, takes into account certain factors -

1) Its low price -

2) Small size

If the camera was priced twice as high, I would not buy it. But for its current price, it can't be beat.

What I like -

1) Very easy to figure out the menu's. But my mom might still need help.

2) Small size (little like an egg). Easily fits in a purse or pocket.

3) Exposure and color balance is better than a Kodak EasyShare C330 that I was able to compare it with.

4) Uses two AA batteries and the battery compartment/lid is well designed (attention to detail).

5) Has optical zoom with the coverage required in 80% of cases -for additional 10% walk to your subject for 90% coverage.

6) 28MB of camera memory is built in - so you can use it in addition to the external one.

Some shortcomings -

1) I intially had lot of low battery errors which went away after I switched to higher quality NiMH and used the camera for a while (the batteries were broken in before being used on the camera - so this is not a battery issue)

2) The lens opens and retracts rather noisily with a grating sound that is unpleasant to hear.

3) Uses XD memory card is proprietary to Olympus and Fuji cameras only. XD cost's a bit more - and you should factor that into the price when you purchase something. I hate it when manufacturers adopt proprietary formats.

4) The camera did not always figure out white balance correctly under artificial lighting and flash switched off. Not really a factor if you use the camera in the automatic mode only.

5) The mode selector dial on the side would move when taking in and out of a case - so it is possible to take pictures in the wrong mode accidentally.

4) Colors were a little on the yellow side.

Other comments -

The lack of viewfinder is not really a problem I think. The built in LCD works quite well and is somewhat visible even in the sun. The LCD is a bit small, but is quite sharp and works well for framing your subject. Hopefully the smaller LCD will be less prone to breaking.

Its picture quality is not quite what my Olympus C-4000 is capable of, but it still takes pretty good images that represent the scene well. But then, the C-4000 is much bigger, and even now, an equivalent replacement would cost 2 - 3 times as much. Not quite a fair comparison.

For its price the FE-100 is very good value and won't dissapoint you. I think it is the best in its size and price class. Much better pictures than a Kodak C-330 I have compared it with.

In my experience, only Canon and Olympus really have what it takes to make digital camera's that take great pictures. But with a Canon, you'll spend almost twice as much.
2208666
I bought this camera for my 6 year old granddaughter.  She had the plastic toy camera that she enjoyed, but I felt it was time to get a real camera.  I really didn't expect much for $69, but it certainly turned out to be a good value.
The feel is quite cheap and plasticky, even though it looks good.  I hope it holds up to a little abuse.  I like that there are not a lot of dials and choices.  It is very basic.
I was very pleasantly surprised by the photo quality.  I downloaded and printed several pictures, and they were passable.  Even the video was pretty good.  I personally use a Nikon D90 and a Lumix LX5, so I am used to exceptional picture quality.  While I would not use the S1 for my personal use, I think that it will be a perfect choice for my granddaughter.
I gave it 4 stars compared to other inexpensive P and S cameras.
139877
This Sony DSC-W710/B Digital Camera is very compact, takes good quality photos, has a lot of features, and is a very good overall value for what you get. We are a photography hobbyist family and have quite a few digital cameras, ranging from point and shoot to dSLRs, and use them almost daily for fun and in our business taking product pictures. We also teach a photography class for small business owners and this camera is easy to recommend to our students on a budget. Here are my observations:

Pros -
+ Size; this is a very small camera but controls remain easy to use
+ Features; this has a lot of advanced features that are easy to use (SteadyShot, Face Detection, Smile Shutter, Panorama, and Video), and even more buried in the menus (see "Cons" below")
+ Picture Quality; quite good in just about every shooting situation
+ Memory Card; uses standard SD cards (I tested it with a 16g Class 10)
+ Value; a fairly inexpensive but feature rich camera

Cons -
- Menus; some of the best effects (Color Pop, etc) are buried deep in the menu system of the camera and can take a awhile to bring up
- Battery; charging is done in camera (battery is removable) and does not include an external charger

Overall, this is a great starter camera that is fairly easy to use and takes decent quality pictures.

Recommended!

CFH
4553267
I bought this camera for my wife because she had an old (1970s) Canon 35mm SLR that was having issues and starting to cost more to maintain than use.  We also had a few cheap point-and-shoot digitals, but they were never worth printing. My wife is loving the quality of picture that this camera takes.  I wouldn't say that we're professional photographers, but we found the size, shape and weight of the camera to be perfect for my wife.  She is still learning all of the ins and outs of the software, but the simple point-and-shoot modes work good and with her now delving into the manual settings, she has found that grasping the general photography concepts is easier with quick results to review.  I would recommend this camera because of the brand strengths and general ease of use.
796009
My husband bought me this camera so I could always have it handy in my purse.

Pluses:  Compact; battery friendly - 2 AAs take a lot of pictures; nice viewing screen; unique "portrait" feature that tracks the face; quick and easy video camera with decent picture and stabilization. (Video option much handier than our camcorder for getting spontaneous footage of our 3-year-old daughter.)

Minuses:  Pictures not as crisp as I would like; shutter lag. (Of course, I'm used to my husband's high quality digital SLR).

Overall, I think it's a good value - so much so that I'm getting one for my mom for Christmas.
2551250
I own 3 other Canon cameras and I shoot with one for work (price range $250-$3,000). I bought this for my 9 year old as a starter camera. I like the simplicity of its functions which is great for people who just want to point and shoot and have no use for or patience to learn how to use the many features and benefits of more expensive cameras. However, the picture quality and camera responsiveness is not what I have come to expect from Canon.
1070787
This is my first digital camera other than in a cell phone.  It is extremely easy to use.  I spent 45 minutes going through the manual with the camera.  I recommend downloading the manual from the samsung website.  It is much easier than trying to hold the book open and fidget with the camera at the same time.

The features are very easy to manipulate and use.  Usually it is just 1 button away.  Even if you forget exactly how to do something, You can maneuver around without "messing" stuff up.

One more thing.  I am disabled and have limited use of my hands.  The way this camera is shaped and the position of the lens and buttons make it relatively easy to figure a way to hold the camera.  The big shutter button or whatever makes things pretty sweet also.  Most cameras are sort of square shaped; this camera is more oblong.

Great price too.
2212801
It's a great little camera. Quality pictures, small and light making it easy to take anywhere. The only thing I would change is the option to choose shutter or aperture. But getting those options in a point-and-shoot increases the price substantially. I am very happy with the purchase and use this as a supplement to my dslr which is not always practical to take everywhere. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good point-and-shoot camera.
2552750
This was my first entry into digital cameras.  After research (talking with other digital camera owners,looking at specs,etc)I made the plunge with the D-510 Value Package.  Turns out to be a good choice as I was able to immediately take good photos and most importantly download them easily.  While I found the instruction manuel skimpy, it was still fairly easy to learn the ropes.  Only thing I don't like is it is difficult to easily slid open the lens cover.
1733780
I'm just going to give basic views here because there are a lot of great reviews.

I've already taken several thousand photos with this camera and am very pleased with the daylight shots.  It excels in good light at ISO 100 to 400.  I've set the color enhancement to vivid as I've done with my Canons and the colors come out rich and beautiful!  If too much color or I want B&W, I make changes via iPhoto - a very simple process.  The photos are crisp, clean and the camera focuses quickly and very well.

Low light situations will require a tripod and some manual adjustments.  If it goes over ISO 400, the noise is miserable and the photo is virtually worthless.  To avoid that, you will need to use a tripod , which I have only done a couple times since my Canon S2IS does a better job in low lights.

The GPS does take some time to obtain a signal so does not work right away.  When it works, it works very well.  To that end, I can just add the basic location data to the photos that are missing the information through my software when I download the photos to iPhoto.  It's not difficult but can be time consuming.  Sadly, I think this was Nikon's first and last consumer level GPS enabled camera.  They should have worked on improving it instead of only developing the one model.

The pop-up flash works fine.  I've seen some complaints about it but I have no issues and find it adequate in normal situations.

Movie mode is a great disappointment.  The microphone does not pick up sound very well and the video quality is just ok.  My Canon S2IS does stereo recording and allows the full use of the 10x optical zoom lens during video recording.  This newer camera appears to only allow digital zoom.  Oh well.

Overall, I love this camera and have no regrets and will keep it for a long time.  Nikon, if you had continued to develop the GPS in your models, you would have been on to something great.  As it stands, I'm switching again to add the new Sony HX5V to my collection (we always carry two cameras) so that there will be two with GPS.  Thank you for getting me hooked on the geotagging - I can't live without it!
1707152
Bought it for my wife as a starter camera since she wanted to go into photography as a hobby. picture quality doesn't end up too bad if you are patient and acknowledge the cameras limitations (slower flash charging some issues with moving photo subjects). I like the fact that you flip the flash up when you need to use it as well. In regards to its battery life, a decent charger and some  NiMH 2800mAh Rechargable Batteries for 12 dollars altogether eliminated that issue for the most part, we can get pictures for a whole weekend of fun when we go on trips without having to change the batteries but maybe once near the end. Altogether, for the 50 dollars I ended up spending on the camera I have no complaints really. Timely delivery no issues