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Average user rating:
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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4.0 stars
"A very affordable gem of a camera, with an outstanding screen"
Pros: Overall value, screen quality, size and design
Cons: Proprietary battery and xD memory, no viewfinder, so-so zoom
Summary: I bought this camera for my teenagers for $129. I compared it with the current crop of 4-5 Megapixel cameras from Kodak, Nikon, Fuji and Olympus, all retailing at $149-199. The IR-500 won due to what appears like a very durable design, a gorgeoous 2.5" screen (doubles as a viewfinder), an overal set of good features, and an easy-to-use point-and-click behavior.
What I like: yes, the screen. The resolution has to be seen to be appreciated, and the "unfolding" means that you can hold the camera at all kinds of angles (e.g above the heads of a crowd, self-portrait) and still see what you are doing. Only some high-end Canons have this feature. Another advantage is that the screen (and the lens!) are protected when closed. Nifty. Remember who I bought this for.
The camera has an iPod like hard white plastic front, which you may or may not like. It feels sturdy, hefty, balanced, and has a clean feel of quality to it.
The dock: a nice touch. It does not take up any room, because the camera snuggles into it (the power supply, and the cables are much more bulky). The dock can be always connected, which makes charging and image transfering very easy: just slide the camer into the dock, no little sockets and cable mess all around the camera body.
Picture quality is in range. Indoor is so-so, but that is common to many other cameras in this feature-range (4-5MP, no AF assist, puny lens, tiny flash too close to the lens). Outdoor and macro are good. The zoom is nothing to write home about, but it is far, far better than no zoom at all. At the highest res, 4M, each JPEG file takes up 800K, so you can actually get about 20 pics out of the supplied 16M memory card.
I prefer AA batteries, because I can carry spares, but you may appreciate the "no-mess" of the permanent battery and the dock. The manual says it is good for ~300 re-charges, which sounds low to me.
Playback is cool (slide-show transitions). Video (+sound!) is a nice extra, and fun for the kids. Settings are very intuitive, the manual is clear, the buttons are well-placed and intuitive (smallish).
I didn't try the software. One possibly nice feature is "panorama" mode.
Overall, this solid cool-looking camera is an excellent value buy, and its features compare favorably against the cost-cutting crop of new camera (tiny 1.5" screens, "digital" zoom only, flimsy plastic bodies). 8/10 for design and overall value.
