This camera was $149 on sale at QVC and came with A. a carrying case, B. a dock, C. Two USB cords, D. 4 AA rechargeable, NiMH batteries inside and 4 extras, E. Charger adapter for batteries and, of course the ever-necessary instruction booklet and HP disc.

Explanations of A-E are:

A. The thickly padded carrying case is fantastic. On the front it has a zipper opening for the camera with pocket inside for USB cord. A zipper on back for carrying extra batteries etc.

B The dock holds the camera when not in use and can be set up to recharge the batteries if you purchase the little gadget that goes between the camera and the dock.

C. One USB cord is to download direct to the computer from the 8 MB internal memory. A second USB cord unloads from the camera when using the little floppy disc cards you can buy.

D. The rechargeable batteries that were in the camera seem to be holding up fine. I've taken 35 pictures, so far, which I downloaded then deleted from the internal memory. The battery indicator in the IMAGE DISPLAY window shows the power left. It goes from 'full' to 'half' to '10%' which means empty and need replacing!

E the battery charger adaptor works great, just plug it in and when the red light turns green, the batteries are charged.

This camera is so easy to use. I do wish the "on" button protruded more so it would be easier to push on it to turn the camera on. I use my thumbnail, so not much of a problem, really. The 4x zoom works fine. I paint animals on rocks from the photos I take, so I need good detail in order to make the animal look real. Even the tiny Mineature Pincer I snapped enlarged clearly and I got a nice, sharp photo. There's also a 3-star capability which increases the image quality from GOOD to BETTER to BEST. I did use BEST to capture the little pup. The booklet indicates that at the one-star (GOOD)setting is recommended for sending email or posting to the Internet. At this setting you get 87 Internal Memory images and 200 images on a 16 mg memory card. The BETTER & BEST settings produce higher quality but fewer images.

I haven't used the video capability yet, nor the self-timer. There is a tiny red light near the view window that blinks which the camera is 'resetting' after a shot. And there is a nicely audible click to let you know the picture was taken. Some cameras, you can't tell til the next number appears!

This camera also has the eye red-out ability and has flash choices. That is, on, off or auto. The handy wrist strap allows you plenty of maneuverability but protects you against dropping the camera. If you take a picture you don't like, you can delete it right away by clicking on the "left" arrow in the preview window. Or you can always delete later.

I must admit that the wrist strap, which was not attached, took a lot of patience to attach. I did finally accomplish that with the assist of a set of tweezers to push it in, up and around the little bar. You'll see!!

I encountered a slight glitch downloading the second set of pictures I took. It downloaded all but the last two shots then the computer froze! There weren't any instructions regarding this problem. With mounting frustration, I called the 208 (area code) in the book for technical assistance. I got a recording and an 800 number to call. Thank Heavens for 800 because I was on the phone for nearly an hour with the most helpful, courteous, knowledgeable young man I have had the pleasure to deal with. The problem was my computer, NOT THE CAMERA!

A fixed income means less frivolities, so this camera has been a blessing. It's small, 4"x2 1/"x1", compact, easy to use either by using the viewer or the LCD window, and takes great pictures. The menu has a date and time set and when you download a set of pictures they automatically go into a folder with the current month as the 'title'. Thus, if you take pictures in September, October & November but don't download them til November, you will have three dated folders upon finishing the download. Instructions for setting the date are very easy to follow, too.

One comical note (to me) You can set the language you want ie; English, Deutsch, Francais, Espanol or Italiano! Si!! It does note that the date may need correcting if the batteries are removed for more than 10 minutes.

Downloading is so simple. Plug in the USB cord at the computer and the camera, and VIOLA! it downloads instantly. I guess you can tell, I am most happy with my new 2.1 mp, 4x digital zoom HP Photosmart 320 camera!

Recommended:
Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 149 S/T
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts