I have an HP Photosmart 620, 2.1 MP camera. I was on a tight budget and I got it like 5 months ago.

These were taken with the camera. They are all shrunk though, from 1600x1200.

I'm very, very happy with it. It sometimes blurs pictures though. I guess the shutter speed ain't fast enough.

http://home.cogeco.ca/~johannj/personal/sword2.jpg

http://home.cogeco.ca/~johannj/personal/sword3.jpg

http://home.cogeco.ca/~johannj/personal/crazyfriend.jpg

http://home.cogeco.ca/~johannj/.road...%20(Large).jpg

and

http://home.cogeco.ca/~johannj/.road...17%20Large.jpg

Just read through this thread again, since my camera was pinched today, (my fault I suppose) :mad:

So I was hoping for some advice any of you may be able to give before I purchase a replacement.

The Camera would be preferred with the following spec:
Four megapixels plus 4x optical zoom,
Rechargable battery version, (my old kodak used to eat battery power like there was no tomorrow) until a firmware update became available :)
Movie facility (with or without sound) although this is not absolutely necessary.
256Mb Secure Digital Card.

I have had a gander on the net and found this model which seems to fit the above requirements
http://www.digital-cameras.com/shop/..._optio_550.jpg Which can be reviewed here ,
but before I lash out, I was hoping for any possible assistance or referrals.

I am willing to spend between £350 - £500.

I have an Olympus C-220 ZOOM. 2.0Megapixel

Batteries last A G E S even with the flash and it takes up to 128MB Smart Media, but comes with an 8M card, so a couple of 128MB cards was purchased almost seconds later!!!

BTW, pics are excelent and it has a 12sec 'live video' feature, which is fun, but not realy that usefull.

Zoom is only 5X optical, with 2.5X digital on top, so the first 5X zoom is pictur perfecxt, but as soon as you go into the next 2.5X, it can get grainey.

This site has an extensive collection of digital camera reviews and sample shots. It's well worth spending some time there.
http://www.steves-digicams.com/

Personally, I would go for something that uses as many standard accessories as possible - it makes it cheaper and easier later on. Of all the different types of expansion card I prefer Compact Flash. This is, by far, the most versatile. Did you know that, for example, in one of its interface modes, a Compact Flash card behaves just like an IDE hard disk drive?
http://linitx.com/products/compact_flash_ide_adapter/

At the moment I am attracted to the Canon A70 at about £210 + vat. It uses Compact Flash and standard AA batteries - well worth a look IMHO.

Compact Flash? versatile?

Not sure what you mean here... I use the SmartMedia cards with my camera.
As soon as I plug the USB lead in, a new drive appears in My Computer and all my photo's are jpg's in that drive.
[User Edit] Sorry, just clicked the link on your post :spin:


I can drag and drop executables there if I wish, so the SmartMedia is also 'drive space'.

I can also use my SmartMedia cards in the front of my PC, where they do exactly the same!

When you say you prefer CompactFlash, I asume you have used both. What did you find Compact could do that Smart couldn't?

What is Compact Flash?
http://www.compactflash.org/info/cfinfo.htm

Compact Flash memory is cheap - particularly in large capacities.
http://www.dabs.com/products/prod-se...price&stab=ref

Compact Flash memory is faster than any other sort:
http://www.digitalfilm.com/digfilm/benchmark.html

You can get a hard disk drive in Compact Flash format:
http://www-3.ibm.com/pc/support/site...id=MIGR-4NXRRH
http://www.dabs.com/products/prod-in...?quicklinx=SXP

In Compact Flash format you can get: barcode scanners, Bluetooth adaptors, mobile phone adaptors, Ethernet adaptors, GPS adaptors, serial I/O adaptors, wireless LAN adaptors, 56K modems.... and many more.
http://www.socketcom.com/

You can use a Compact Flash card in a PC instead of a HDD.
http://www.ultim8pc.co.uk/index.asp?...roducts&idd=12
http://linitx.com/products/compact_flash_ide_adapter/

All digital cameras for professional use have Compact Flash sockets. Just as in lens mounts, many manufacturers of comsumer products have introduced proprietary Flash standards in order to lock-in the user. IMHO Compact Flash is the most open and versatile standard with the broadest support.
http://www.compactflash.org/guide/guide.htm

THe one I have seen win more reviews in magz than any other is the Canon A70. Which is about £70 more than you wanted to spend.....but quality isnt cheap

Just to let you know, I got the Sony DSC-P52.

It seems to be a very good camera. Good quality pictures, very easy to use and very easy to transfer to the computer.

Still messing with it. :)

Well, thanks for all your help guys, but I am still undecided after reading some peoples recommendations :o

yesman ask yourself this question first

What will I USE the camera for ?

This will be your biggest guide to what camera to go for, coupled with your budget .
This should help you come to a conculsion and not get sucked into all the hype about mega this and that :eek: that manufacturers tend to bull about.

check out the lens manufacturer for the camera more important than all the singing and dancing knobs and whistles.
plus how does it feel while holding it and using
Don't go to Dixons, but check out your local camera shop trying out all models then search the web for the best deal

above all take your time :)

my recommendation

either Fuji or Olympus but I am a semi pro at this.

your Lord and Master

Ming :smokin:

For reviews I've always used : www.dpreview.com
For purchases I start with : www.internetcamerasdirect.com and then goto Jessops for a price match!

1Gb SD cards out now...

though they are expensive