Rating: 
Summary: I Love this Camera
Review: The Olympus D550 Zoom is my first digital camera and I have had it now just under a month. I am very pleased with pictures that I have taken so far and I am amazed at the sharpness and the true color of the pics. I must confess that I am still experimenting with it. One thing I found was that the literature that came with the camera could have been a little more reader friendly. When one realizes how easy the camera is to operate, one wonders why the instructions had to be so intimidating. Things i should have done but didnt do: (1) Should have bought a bag with the camera.(2)Should have bought a battery charger and rechargeable batteries (3) should have bought an AC Adapter. I use the camera in my job on a daily basis. I can find no fault with it. But hey, who am I? .... Just an amateur having fun. Would definitely recommended it.
Rating: 
Summary: So easy a 5 year old could do it
Review: This camera was so easy to use. The manual was easy to understand, but even before reading it I was shooting great pics. While I was outside the other day my 5 year old daughter got a hold of it and shot some great pics of our yard out an open window. I combined this with the HP photosmart 1115 printer and am printing incredible 8 x 10 pics with no computer hooked up. This is a fantastic camera.
Rating:
Summary: Great camera, few cons
Review: This D-550 was my first digital camera purchase. I purchased it due to high recommendations .... Photo quality is very satisfactory for a point and shoot artist like myself. As a 35mm convert, the 3 megapixels this camera possesses is a godsend. Battery life is amazing considering you buy the camedia rechargeable batteries from olympus. Great camera! I love it! But like others said, this camera has a couple things that might irk a few. For one, the zoom is very annoying. For myself, I find myself having to whip out my camera very often and very quickly to take some emphemeral shots. The problem is that this camera takes about 5-6 seconds to unwind and start up, an additional 2 seconds to power up the LCD. Adds up when your trying to take a picture of your kid walking for the first time or a once in a lifetime sports event. The camera is also very boxy and big when compared to other similar cameras. But if you'd be able to put up with these small problems, this camera is an amazing buy.
Rating:
Summary: D-550
Review: This is a very good camera for the price. It has features ranging from movie mode to a 3X zoom. The software is easy to install and with Windows XP one does not need to do any special steps to download pictures from the camera to the computer. I recommend taking pictures in SQ mode for the simple reason that they are smaller files. I left the camera set in HQ mode and now have 40 vacation pictures that claim over 40MB of disk space. This is my fault, and not the camera's. I really enjoy the compactness and functionality of the camera. It came with a 16MB card, and if SQ resolution is good enough, then this should be adequate for any three day weekend trip. I did buy, and do recommend, purchasing a large card. I bought a 128MB card for [price] and in SQ mode will capture over 1000 pictures before filling it up. Since I download to my computer the first chance I get then delete from the card, I don't foresee ever needing another card. Even in HQ mode the 128MB card will hold over 150 pictures. Again, this is a fine camera and I'd recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Camera, Poor Support.
Review: This is an excellent camera for the money. The resolution is good enough for a clear 8x10 glossy. It is easy to use and the panorama feature is great. I also like the 35 mm format option that can be selected. It would be nice to have a better zoom. The 2.8X optical zoom is good and is mainly useful for framing. Most of the 10X zoom is digital and I found that if you zoom much over 3X the pictures loose their sharpness. The size is perfect and the appearance and quality is excellent. I was only interested in the models that had the sliding door over the camera lens, so I sacrificed the zoom quality for this feature. I found the instruction manual to be lacking. There are features that the manual does not address, like how to make a panorama, and how to download to your computer. This information is in the software that comes with the camera but they could mention in the manual that one can basically use the camera like a drive on your computer. You don't really need the software to get the pictures to your computer. My only real complaint is with Olympus support. When I loaded my software, I could not run the Camedia Master 4.0 on my Imac because it required a serial number that was supposed to be on the sleeve but it was not. I got the run-around from tech support. They said they would send me new software but did not. I persisted and finally received the software, but it took nearly three months to get it and countless communications with some individuals that had no communication skills and in one case barely spoke English. I was disappointed in the software because it did not have "slide show" as the earlier versions did. To get that you have to pay for a $20.00 upgrade. In my opinion that is just a "rip off". All-in-all I have been very pleased with Olympus products, I just wish they had better technical support.
Rating:
Summary: Nice pictures!
Review: This is my first digital camera. I researched it thoroughly and for the features this is a GREAT price. PCWorld also said that it had the best overall image quality indoors and outdoors. This is definitely true of my pictures. One thing it's lacking that I really wish it had was audio with the movies. It's a little heavier than most digital cameras but not much more than film cameras. So carrying around will feel no different. I kind of prefer the extra weight which isn't much to begin with. Don't buy a DC input adapter for it. It calls for 6.5V, center positive but any 6V center positive adapter with the right connector will do. It's very easy to use and wait between shots is minimal on the default setting. It's pretty slow on maximum setting but that makes sense since it has to store to the smartmedia. Don't regret buying this camera at all. btw, for first time buyers like myself, if you don't plan to print much, 640x480 resolution (taken by 1 MP cameras) WILL do. I didn't quite believe all I read, but the images aren't all that bad.
Rating:
Summary: Great Camera, hefty price
Review: This is one of the best 3 MP camera's i have seen. Its ease of use combined with great quality makes it an awesome camera. Editing your pictures is a snap. You just connect the usb ford from your camera to your computer and your done. The only drawback to this camera is that 400 dollars is a lot to pay for a 3 mega-pixel camera. However, i do think the attributes of this camera makes it worth the cost
Rating:
Summary: Great Camera, hefty price
Review: This is one of the best 3 MP camera's i have seen. Its ease of use combined with great quality makes it an awesome camera. Editing your pictures is a snap. You just connect the usb ford from your camera to your computer and your done. The only drawback to this camera is that 400 dollars is a lot to pay for a 3 mega-pixel camera. However, i do think the attributes of this camera makes it worth the cost
Rating:
Summary: First Digi-CAM
Review: This is simply a great camera for one with little experience with film in general, but experts may appreciate the functions as well (although, since I'm no expert, I'd have no idea) I was taking great pictures with the camera 5 minutes out of the box. Perfect for vacations, school, friends, etc. It's one of the best deals for a 3.0 MP camera out there now. Olympus also has a solid product line and reputation (along with Canon and Nikon). -Pro's:
-Ease of use
-Feels substantial, like a real camera. The other cameras feel so fragile that I don't even want to touch it.
-USB works seamlessly with windows XP.
-Lens protector "clamshell" cover gives you ease of mind when camera is stored away.
-Value (A 3.0 MP for less than $.../MP is hard to come by)
-ergonomic: some cameras don't provide a grip, so it's hard to even take pictures. -Cons: (Why it's 4 stars)
-Did not come with an adapter, bag, or rechargeable batteries.
-Turning it on is somewhat confusing. (switching between view pictures and taking pictures)
-Buying a new memory card is a must.
-Batteries die really quick. If you can get past the Con's as I had, you will be 100% satisfied with your purchase. Happy Shooting.
Rating:
Summary: Night Photo settings
Review: Those having trouble with low light photos might try using the ISO400 setting with flash in some cases. It's a faster "shutter speed" and will eliminate double or blurred image "pre-flash" problems.
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