Is it a good deal ?

CSM1 wrote:

 >"Pam" <pam RemoveThis @nospam.com> wrote in message
 >news:31ea7cF34l3vtU2@individual.net...
 >
 >
<font color=green>  >>For a 5.3 MP 3x optical zoom : <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4204574</font" target="_blank">http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4204574</font</a>>
  >>
  >>thanks,
  >>
  >>pam
  >>
  >>
 >
 >The Specs say nothing about a manual shooting mode, so it may be auto only.
 >One big bad thing, it is a fixed focus lens, much like the Kodak cardboard
 >disposable cameras.
 >
 >I would say $99 is about as cheap as you can get.
 >
 >
 >
Thank you for replying, here is what it says in "focus" :

# Focus
# Normal: 40cm~infinity; Marco: 10~40cm

how come it is a fixed focus lens ? do I miss something ? please
enlighten me

pam<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Is it a good deal ? 

"Pam" <pam.RemoveThis@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:31ef8oF39tao9U1@individual.net...
 > CSM1 wrote:
 >
  > >"Pam" <pam.RemoveThis@nospam.com> wrote in message
  > >news:31ea7cF34l3vtU2@individual.net...
  > >
  > >
<font color=brown>   > >>For a 5.3 MP 3x optical zoom : <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4204574</font" target="_blank">http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4204574</font</a>>
   > >>
   > >>thanks,
   > >>
   > >>pam
   > >>
   > >>
  > >
  > >The Specs say nothing about a manual shooting mode, so it may be auto
only.
  > >One big bad thing, it is a fixed focus lens, much like the Kodak
cardboard
  > >disposable cameras.
  > >
  > >I would say $99 is about as cheap as you can get.
  > >
  > >
  > >
 > Thank you for replying, here is what it says in "focus" :
 >
 > # Focus
 > # Normal: 40cm~infinity; Marco: 10~40cm
 >
 > how come it is a fixed focus lens ? do I miss something ? please
 > enlighten me
 >
 > pam

Yes, that is what it says. It has two settings, Normal and Macro. (notice
the spelling)

For Normal is says that the lens focuses 40 cm to infinity, it does not say
anything about a focus metering area. Nor does it say anything about Auto
Focus or Manual Focus. Therefore it is a fixed focus lens. Well, it has two
ranges. Far and Near.

Normal cameras with variable focus tell you what the metering area is. This
camera does not. This camera says nothing about focus modes.

"Normal mode" 40 cm is 15 3/4 inches. That means that any object that is
anywhere between 16 inches and the horizon would be acceptable focus.

"Marco mode" 10 cm is 3 15/16 inches. That means any object that is anywhere
between 4 inches to about 16 inches will be acceptable focus.

Which is OK for a 5 megapixel camera for $99.
It is kind of like that old saying, "You get what you pay for."

If you check the prices of most good 5 Megapixel cameras, they are around
$300 and up.
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www50.shopping.com/xPP-Digital_Cameras--5_0___5_9_megapixels" target="_blank">http://www50.shopping.com/xPP-Digital_Cameras--5_0___5_9_megapixels</a>

You can find reviews and a buyers guide here.
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.steves-digicams.com/" target="_blank">http://www.steves-digicams.com/</a>

Steve's is just one Digital Camera Review site on the Web.

--
CSM1
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.carlmcmillan.com" target="_blank">http://www.carlmcmillan.com</a>
--<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Is it a good deal ? 

Pam wrote:
 > For a 5.3 MP 3x optical zoom :
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4204574</font" target="_blank">http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4204574</font</a>>

Pam,

No - it's not a good deal. It's a gimmick.

If you want a reasonable camera for a low price. Go to Pricegrabber, chase
down Photography>Digital Cameras, and sort the digicams by lowest price, and
scroll down until you see something you like from a name brand like Fuji,
HP, Kodak, Canon, etc. Some of the older 1 megapixel models are going for
well under 100 dollars.

Then go to a site like <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.imaging-resource.com" target="_blank">www.imaging-resource.com</a> and read the review for the
camera and see if it meets your needs before you buy. Look at the ratings
for the seller and make sure they have no more than 2 percent negative
reviews. Some of the smaller outfits get overloaded in December and may not
be able to deliver by Christmas.

For example, the Olympus D-460 Zoom 1280x960 8MB is a 1 megapixel camera
that costs only $75 + shipping.
---
Mike Russell
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.curvemeister.com" target="_blank">www.curvemeister.com</a>
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.geigy.2y.net" target="_blank">www.geigy.2y.net</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Is it a good deal ? 

Ok, look at the price, look at the brand, do you really think it will be any
good? Don't get into the hype of MP, if you need to save some cash get a
good 3MP camera, not a junky 5MP, also, you can save a lot going used.
Richard
"Pam" <pam.TakeThisOut@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:31ea7cF34l3vtU2@individual.net...
<font color=purple> > For a 5.3 MP 3x optical zoom : <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4204574</font" target="_blank">http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4204574</font</a>>
 >
 > thanks,
 >
 > pam<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Is it a good deal ?