Hewlett Packard PhotoSmart 315 2MP Digital Camera

Rating:
Summary: good choice for field biologist
Review: I have owned this camera for almost 2 years and absolutely love it. For a point and shoot style of picture taking, in the digital realm, it can't be beat. I've taken almost 2000 snapshots with my HP315. I've used it on vacation, for family snapshots, for capturing images of woodcarvings for my website, etc. Typically, I use the medium resolution, occasionally the high res. Medium seems to be fine for viewing pictures online or for informal prints. High res is definitely better for printing w/ photo paper. The camera can be hard on batteries, but limiting the use of the LCD view screen greatly extends battery life. I essentially only use the screen to review the picture immediately after taking it (the camera defaults to briefly showing the image and allowing you to accept or delete it). I use the traditional view finder to take most pictures. This REALLY saves the batteries; to the point where I can't remember the last time I've replaced them. I would recommend a higher capacity CF card, I use a 128mb; also, a CF card reader is a must. If you're looking for a digital camera at around 2 megapixel for casual snapshots, this camera can't be beat!

Rating:
Summary: Great camera for the price
Review: This camera is very easy to use because of the USB cord, and it takes brilliant pictures. I was particularly impressed by the night-time pictures: the foreground is clear because of the flash, and the background lights and texture really come through. My family has commented on what fine pictures we take with this camera, and I cannot think of any cons. We find that if you turn off the automatic viewing of every photo on the back display, the batteries last a lot longer.