Great camera!

I bought this camera for my wife. She wasn't too sure about it for the first few days. After we read about some of the different settings, she started to like it more & more. The picture quality (with good lighting) is simply amazing. We found that when taking closeup shots within 2 or 3 inches, we feel it's better to use the manual focus to get the perfect picture. The auto focus works well, but it's nice to be able to have total control at close range. The clarity & quality really surprised us. We've used 2 different digital cameras for the last 2 years and this one is truly a keeper. The detailed instructions (owners manual) come on the CD-ROM. Although you can start taking pictures with auto mode without reading much, I highly recommend taking a little time and download the detailed instructions to your computer and read some of it. It's easy to navigate through the on-line manual and find what you're looking for.

Some of the shots she took of birds in our yard from inside our living room through a window were as though some pro took these shots. It's hard to believe the great color & detail this camera can do for your photos...without always needing to enhance them! ;)

It's really important to hold this camera VERY steady when zooming at 10X. I'm sure this is true for any decent camera with good zoom. (that's why they have tripods)

Although I've read one or 2 reviews saying this camera was not for a beginner, I believe anyone new to digital cameras that takes a little time to learn and understand what this camera can do (along with keeping a steady hand) could enjoy it very much. If you don't have the time to read and learn about it's features & settings, just buy a basic point & shoot camera. But remember, you get what you pay for.

Olympus did an excellent job with this camera.

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Notes:

If you need a hotshoe and remote control, look at the Olympus Camedia C-770.

The indoor pictures need good lighting. Just like most cameras. The flash works fair, but it doesn't do miracles. Make sure you've got plenty of light.

And last:

Get a bigger XD picture memory card. Ours came with 16MB. Get at least 128MB's.

I also bought an extra battery. It's always good to have an extra battery for any camera.

We've had it for almost a year now. I'm still quite impressed with it.