Before I buy anything, I do lots of research. I did my homework on this camera and am greatly satisfied by the results. I am amazed at all the useful features. The 3X optical zoom and the 1800X1200 resolution of the pictures make it one of the few great cameras in its price range. The ability to shoot pictures using the manual as well as the automatic mode, make it an excellent camera for the person who has been using traditional SLRs and wants to move into the digital age. The quality of the color in the photos is brilliant and nearly exactly like natural colors. When I print 8X10 photos, the pictures have sharp resolution. I use a USB SmartMedia card reader. I am able to download the pictures to my PC in literally seconds. With a 32 meg. SmartMedia card, I can store 36 photos shooting at 1800X1200 resolution. This is my second digital still camera in two years and I am greatly satisfied with it. I have recommended it to three friends who also now own the camera and love using it.
