It's A Snap. (Updated)
Pros:
Good features, cheaper than most cameras.
Cons:
Annoying if you are forgetful.
The Bottom Line:
This is a good beginner camera but is also good for those who are on a tight budget.
|
|
Overall Rating:
|
 |
|
Author's Review
This is an updated review as I felt that my initial one was not as informative.
I've been using this camera for well over five months now, and I have not encountered any problems with it. This camera has all the standard features expected in a digital camera, which include several picture modes and a movie mode.
The button placing is quite comfortable (in my opinion) with icons/labels on key funtions like deleting a picture (which is indicated with a trash can icon). When viewing pictures (which is accesible with a single button as well), you use a directional pad (like the ones on video game controllers) to move through the pictures. The directional pad is also used in the menu, and to confirm selections. Initially, some information (picture number, resolution, date/time taken, file name, format) will be displayed on the top and bottom of the screen, which may block parts of a picture, but pressing up on the directional pad will allow you to hide that information, allowing you to view the whole picture.
In the menu, you can set the resolution of the images (which will also determine how many images you can take), which images to print when you send your compact flash card to the photo shop (which is a convenient feature), and how long before your camera automatically turns off, which I think is another plus. There are several other features like an image lock, that prevents images from being deleted accidentally.
The dial on the top of the camera has eight modes to choose from, six of them are for taking pictures in specific conditions (nighttime/different lighting conditions) and one for automatic adjustment. The other mode is for playback (to view photos/movies). Movies can be 20 seconds long, silent and in Quicktime format (The CD provided has Quicktime and some useful software for editing images).
Finally, taking pictures are easy and images are sharp. Good images can be obtained by holding the snap (the button you take pictures with) button lightly. The camera will focus until it gets the sharpest image possible.
All in all, I like the camera a lot. It's quite small, its affordable (or a good purchase for first time digital camera users) and has a lot of features that higher end cameras have.
My only gripe? Sometimes I tend to forget which mode the dial is on, and I end up taking a video or an extra bright image instead. Thank goodness you can delete those images huh?
