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"Don't overlook RAW and full manual controls" on by carolberry
Pros: Much more than a simple snapshot camera
Cons: Wish it had wide angle
Summary: This camera's baby brother (the 310)is already supported by Adobe Camera Raw!
Here is a inexpensive camera, with full manual controls and can write RAW. Uses AA batteries which is great cause I already invested in an expensive charger. I don't want to get into an SLR system that costs 4X as much cause it will be obsolite in 3 years! Technology today makes for disposible hardware. -
"Great Camera - Great Price" on by zerqman
Pros: Easy to use
Cons: Wide angle would be nice but there is a wide adapter for it.
Summary: I am an avid amateur photographer. I like portraits, landscapes, and action shots. I am tired of setting cameras correctly to get the right shot. On the SD320 it is all done for you with 25 programmed modes which work beautifully. The add on underwater case is also a brilliant idea. For under 300 bucks, you can't go wrong. At 7.1 megapixels, go ahead and blow up your shot to a 16x20. Loose a litle quality but still a nice picture.
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"Novice photographer . . . love this feature-rich camera!" on by SuprX
Pros: $189 7/23/06 @ Circ. Cty for a camera with pro features!
Cons: . . . can't find any! Picture quality is Phenomenal!
Summary: Shopped several cameras in the 7 megapixel range, nothing delivers the functional options and clear images for $189!!
-Battery life "seemed" to initially be a drawback, but have added to my accessories rechargeable Mobypower RCV-R3(Lithium-Ion) battery and can shoot stills and video off and on for HOURS now without a battery swap!
-Reports that the camera resets it's image resolution settings when switched off are only true for the full-auto mode, not settings in program, aperture or shutter priority.
-personally find the camera(my first digital) easy to operate with an intuitive menu structure. In a month since it's purchase have shot and loaded to my computer a thousand great quality pictures, and am just learning to appreciate the cameras 25 built in scene presets. -Buy a gig of Oly XD- you will be using it, and getting over 400 pictures into the camera at default resolution before needing to reset the memory.
My final word:
SP-320(!!) -
"The best value in it's class" on by SilenceofAzns
Pros: Extensive feature set in an affordable, compact package.
Cons: Annoying low power management, performance isn't bad but it falls behind competition.
Summary: First, it's somewhat unfair to compare the Olympus SP-320 to the "similarly priced" Canon A700 since this camera costs over $100 less than it.
As a college student, value is the first thing I look for in a product; something that's affordable but doesn't feel cheap. I've searched the web for weeks trying to look for the ideal replacement for my Canon A75 (it has been very reliable for almost 2 years, but now seems outdated), I found it at my local Circuit City.
For less than $200 at any Circuit City, you don't have to shop online for the best price. I was reluctant to buy this camera at first because of the more expensive xD-media card, but I bought mine when they included a free memory card with the purchase of the camera.
The SP-320 is comfortable to hold with a rubber grip underneath your fingers. It's very light for it's size and takes 1 CR-V3 lithium battery for performance, or 2 standard AA batteries for versatility. The plastic body feels durable enough, but I like the solid-feeling plastic and metal housing of the Canon A-series a little more.
This is one of the cheapest cameras you can get with a 2.5-inch LCD. The LCD performs better than most of the ones on other cameras that I've tried. The lens has a 3x optical zoom, which is typical, but the Canon A-series cameras now have optical zooms of at least 4x. You can buy a lens attachment for greater zoom if it's required. There is an optical viewfinder, but it's much to small to be very useful; it's nothing compared to Canon's which is larger and has framing.
The SP-320 has a huge array of features, but you'd have to go through the CD-manual to find them all. There is a great deal of control on this camera. You can manually adjust the exposure, focus, flash, contrast, saturation, and sharpness. If that's too overwhelming then there are 2 dozen scene modes that will choose the optimal settings for you.
There are advanced features such a bracketing. There are two forms of the live histogram. The camera can show you on the standard graph, or it can show you directly on the subjects which parts might get over or underexposed. If you have trouble going through the menus theres a good in-camera help at the touch of a button. There are in-camera touch-ups such as cropping and red-eye fix. When you zoom all the way out in playback, you get a little calander of when you took your pictures.
Performance was satisfactory to very good in all situations that I've tried. The camera doesn't excel above all others in any area but I say it's near the top. Pictures came out clear and accurate; I am exceptionally pleased with the accuracy of the auto white balance compared to Canon's. ISO goes up to 800 but noise is noticable above ISO 200 Overall I was very pleased with the pictures that I've taken.
There are only a couple of things I didn't like. The self-timer can only be set to 10 seconds; having a 2-second timer can help keep a steady shot. The default shutter speed is 1/30 of a second in Auto and Scene modes, which is a little on the slow side, so it's becomes more important to keep a steady hand. The screen blacks out for many seconds when the batteries are low, and this gets very annoying.
I am very happy with my decision in my new advanced point & shoot camera. With so many much room to grow, I'm sure that I wouldn't be on the market for a long, long time. The Canon A500-series now sure to have some serious competition. -
"Very satisfied with performance" on by Remsen
Pros: Great pictures, optical viewfinder, Uses AA batteries
Cons: None yet and not expecting any.
Summary: Varies settings easily made. Not the smallest p and s, but don't let this stop you. My second Olympus digital camera and not disappointed,.
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