Pretty good for $100!

Well, my first digital camera is no longer with the living, a Sony Cyber Shot that I actually purchased used from a pawn shop last year. So, this X-mas I was in dire need of a need of a new digital camera, and the Sony one I wanted from Target was out of stock, and of course no one knew when they'd get one in, if ever- and explanations went on about the camera had been marked down permenately not just on a temporary basis, so they really didn't think they'd get more in, and didn't think they could sell me the floor model, and of course, no one put forth the effort to check.

Soooooooooooooo-

I went to Walgreens and bought this bad boy for $100. I'll eventually end up with a $10 credit to Walgreens through their rebate program on it, and also $48 worth of picture-transfer-to-cd coupons *figure that how you will towards what I paid for the camera, as I am not likely to even use the cd coupons- but that "value" was in the deal for me).

Well, I honestly can not tell any difference between it and the Sony I had last year. Wow. And hubby threw a tantrum not wanting to get anything that didn't say "sony" on it.

I wish I'd found this camera last year.

Review of product wise- now that I wrote a novel on the actual happenings that led to my getting this one-

It has a little dial on top that is either movie mode, off, auto flash or night flash. Once on it pops up a little screen on the LCD that tells you it's proud to be a Kodak product. Then the screen goes black- which I don't really like, but you just push the big "ok" button on the left of the screen, and it goes into what I guess you'd call viewing mode. The flash button is back up on top near the dial. It makes a fake shutter noise, that I perfer to have on, and it doesn't seem to drag as much as the Sony did.

To be perfectly frank, I haven't spent a ton of time figuring out all the features on this camera, because I really just want to be able to point and click it.

But to the right is the menu button has options for image storage, set album, color mode (which is color, b/w, or sepia), best (which messes with how many pixels you use), exposure comp., self timer. I really don't know what these things do, just letting you know what the options are. Well, I don know about the color mode, but haven't messed with it- because you can change that on the computer or at the Kodak picture printer.

It also has a review button on the right hand side under the menu button- which if I remeber is easier to get to than on the Sony.

This camera has a delete button, which is different than the Sony- the sony you had to look at a picture, then get into a menu on it to delete it from the stick- this camera you just review a picture and can push the delete button and it just asks you to confirm that you want to get rid of it. Much easier.

There's also a red button that says "share" which I am sure does something with the Kodak software, but again, I don't know what it does. It brings up another menu if you are looking at a picture that goes on about email, print all, cancel prints, print, favorite, so it must have something to do with the add-on docking station.

Around the "ok" button on the left are four buttons that are either up, down, left, or right and are for zoom, moving around a picture in the review mode, and in the menu.

Last on the button menu is a button to change the flash modes.

Again, I haven't played around with all of the settings on this camera. I'm not really about trying to get "awesome" shots more than I just want convience- I usually run to Walgreens and print my pictures the same day I take them or turn around and stick them in the computer through the enclosed USB cable.

The camera came with the USB cable, 2 batteries (very nice touch), an optional string for your wrist, and some weird clear plastic thing that says not to throw it out if you choose to get a docking station. Dunno.

The CD that runs the Kodak "easy share" program set up rather quickly. I don't like emailing pictures through it, though, because it seems to take several hours to receive it if I've sent it to myself after it says that it's sent the photos. Not sure where on the WWW my pix go after I hit the send button, but I wouldn think it wouldn't be too far, as I am just sending to the same computer they came out of!

The program lets you crop, rotate, change the color mode and has a cute option to make your pictures look like a cartoon, or like a coloring page- the Sony program didn't.

Overall, I am VERY satisfied with this camera- it has some sort of internal memory- but it's not much, not enough to take about 10 photos I think- Hubby bought me a 64MB extra memory what-ever-they-are-called for this camera- sony calls them memory sticks, but that's not what it is. On the regular settings, I can fit close to 90 photos on it.

I think there maybe be a bit of a preconception that this sort of camera might not be very good- but I am just as happy with this one as I was with my Sony- which btw didn't break or anything- I just no longer have it.

You won't want to be taking this camera to a rock concert to get closeups from the nosebleed section, nor to a modeling photo-shoot- but for regular, everyday playing outside at the park, funny pictures of the cats acting goofy and just really quick, out of your pocket candids, you can't go wrong with the Kodak C300, and the price is great!