You will not regret buying this camera

This is the second D/camera I have bought, and for size, and price IMHO it cannot be beaten.

Where else can you get 4.3 Mg/pix for that money.

The colours and image are pin sharp - I am very pleased with this camera, and cannot see the need to buy another in my lifetime !

Pity 'they' only give you an 8meg SmartMedia card, but that's a small gripe only.

Fits your pocket and suits your wallet!

This was purchased for a young relative as a first camera for his birthday - and we like it so much that it's tempting to buy another.
Beautifully finished and does what it says on the tin; in the great tradition of good simple cameras it takes super pictures in most conditions. It looks the part, too.
The flash is useful at closer range, and there is a CD full of software that we would not bother with - just connect it to most computers and you'll be able to see the photos in a folder, then they can be copied into your picture manager (eg Picasa) and edited with your own tools - eg the GNU IMP (GIMP).
A soft bag, connecting cable, 2xAAA batteries and a lanyard complete the kit.
Since the internal memory is tiny we got an SD card for the photos - 1 GB cards are around 3 or 4 quid if you shop around - 2GB as low as 5 or 6 quid.
The robust sliding cover protects the lens when the camera is in a pocket (with who knows what else) and the lens itself delivers sharp-enough-for-us results that print out surprisingly well on A4.
The 'Zoom'is _digital_ - so it is not _really_ a zoom - it just crops the picture. On a 1MP camera a 2x digital 'zoom' that throws away 3/4 of the pixels leaves you with 1/4 MP - not a lot. On this camera it leaves you with 3/4 MP, which is acceptable to us - an 800x600 screen is about 1/2 MP and 1024x768 is about 3/4 MP.
So despite being digital the zoom is useful at 2x, although it can get blocky at 4x zoom on a larger print. OK for small prints, but at 4x you only get 3/16 MP or less than 0.2 MP.
Having said that, it works exactly as advertised.
This is a small camera that would fit in a small shirt pocket - beware of it falling out! But it still has a simple yet sophisticated user interface that is easy to use; ther is a poster-size introduction sheet, but it is still worth reading the manual for hints and tips. The manual is a thick one, but most of it is 'other languages' so don't be put off by its thickness.
Batteries seem to last OK, but we got some NiMH AAA cells for it - we already had a charger. It uses two, so we got a set of 4 for 6 quid. The manual recommends this, which is a relief, since some cameras will *not* run well on rechargeable cells and can cost a fortune to feed.
So it looks good, works well, and seems to be well made.
Would we recommend it? Too right!

Seriously??

Just look at it, do you realy want to buy somthing that looks like a reject from a bad sci-fi movie. there are many camras by better brands Cannon for instance for the same price and twice the megapixles...sigh

Ideal for First-timers

I bought this camera about half a year ago now... It is still functioning as well as when i first got, and i am still finding out great new little features on it (no i didn't read the manual).
I bought it at the time, because it offered great value for money: 3.2 mega pixels for just over £100, and i thought i would not find a better one, that had all the features this one does, while keeping the great build quality by Sony!
As with most digital cameras, moving images are a problem, as they tend to come out slightly blured. Apart from that the still images are excellent.
However i must warn you that the Smart Zoom can only be used when the image size is set to less than 2.8M(3:2), This can be annoying as it meens that the further you wish to zoom in the worse the quality, but you can work around this with most computer picture programmes - It may be worth paying a bit more to get an optical zoom camera!
All told, this is a great camera to start out with. It is great fun, easy use and view your picutres, loads of features (my fav = two movie modes to save space), you get about 82 highest quality picuters on a 128MB memory stick, or 790 lowest quality pictures on the same stick (also about 6mins of highest resolution video).

Great camera!!!!

My boyfriend bought me this for my birthday last summer and i must say it is great!!! my first digital camera and i must say is ideal!! easy to use and small so you can carry it with you to parties etc and not feel as though its taking so much room in your bag! (especially compared to most camera which are bulky!) It also looks great so very trendy and is great for taking photos portraits landscapes etc, it has a flash to use in the dark, you can take short videos with it, you can zoom into pictures once youve captured them, you can download them onto your computer using the software and usb that is provided, there is a simple navigation button which allows you to not have to go through every single pic before you get to the one you want, you can easily just skip 10 or 20 and navigate to the pic or you can have a look at all your pics in a grid like view and pick which photo you want to see. there is also a menu button where you can choose which quality you want to use and the less quality the more photos you can take, t be honest if you keep the pics on the camera it doesnt matter what quality you use, its only if you wanted to download them onto pc or print them that it may not look as good so either top or 2nd quality is best.
with the camera i only could take about 5-10 photos with its own memory card which was a pain, however on amazon you can buy a 256mb xd card which will allow you to take up to 1000 plus pictures!!! which i will be buying soon as i have 128mb which takes approx 500 depending on quality.
also why it is 4 stars n not 5 is because it does not come with a amera case to keep it unscratched and clean, so you will have to buy this seperately and also you will need loads of aa batteries because 2 do not last for very long!!! not even rechargeables!!! but overall this is a very cool and compact easy to use digital camera!!! a fab present for anyone!!!

Good introduction to digital cameras

I bought this camera having previously used SLRs and a standard 35mm compact camera. I found the camera extremely easy to use, and intuitive for the functions without the need to constantly refer to the manual.

The battery lasts a long time, and the picture quality is generally quite good. The zoom lens will probably be sufficient for most people used to using a standard compact camera.

For those of you purchasing a digital camera for the first time, you will probably find yourself taking the camera to a lot more places and taking a lot more photos, as without the cost of developing photographs, you tend to take a lot more photos. The ability to view the photos on the camera still also allows you to both retake shots that didn't come out as your expected, and share with friends instantly.

Few minor grumbles would be that the design is not as good as it could be. The camera has a very plastic feel, and is certainly not a design classic! It is quite a reasonable size, although not really pocket fitting (more like pocket bulging)!

If you purchase this camera, I would recommend that you also purchase a 64mb card, and some rechargeable batteries (although an advantage of using AA batteries is that you can always find them if you run out!)

All in all, quite a nice little camera, and worthy investment for an introduction to the world of digital photography. However, if you really enjoy photography, and think that you may use the camera a lot, I would recommend spending a little more, and getting one of the more compact cameras, with 3m+ pixals. Once you start to enjoy figital cameras you will find yourself wishing you had - I do and will be upgrading soon!

So easy to use - even my mum can use it!!

Ive never really been into photography, untill now. I picked up this camera in the US. Its so easy to use, ive had a play around with other digital cameras owned by friends, this is far one of the best for beginners. Ive just ordered a memory card so i can store more than 16 pictures/video. Its bye bye to the local photo shop and hello to photos at home.

Good Purchase

Very satisfactory purchase. The camera is easy to use, and has a well-made feel and nice design. Pictures are of high quality. The rubber flap covering the USB socket is a poor design feature and frequently comes loose, but this is a very minor niggle - otherwise a great purchase.

Excellent Value For Money

I purchased this camera at christmas as a present for my wife, since then she has taken some excellent pictures no fuss at all she quikly learned how to use it the optical zoom is fantastic in a camera of this price the quality of the pics at 2m pix is great.I have a 4m pix Nikon the results are no better trust me buy this one.