Fujifilm Finepix E510 5MP Digital Camera with 3.2x Optical Zoom

We've had this camera for 3 years now. I use it for pictures of our kids and have been very satisified with picture quality.
PROS
1. Great clarity of pictures - have made several 8x10 prints without any blurring or fuzziness
2. When you use lithium batteries the camera does eat up batteries as much as my friend's cameras do with the same batteries
3. I've had this camera for 3 years and it still works great

CONS
1. Very slow - even if you turn off the image display. The flash takes forever to reset itself making it difficult to click several pictures in a row
2. The videos taken on this camera are almost always too dark to view. This can be corrected with the software that comes with the camera, but then they are blurry
3. A small round piece continually falls off the lens area of the camera. It has done this since we got it practically. It replaces easily and doesn't change how well the camera functions.

I purchased this Finepix camera as a refurbished item for my nephew to replace a crappy vivitar he had. I was able to find it for around $55 + shipping (compared to $225 new). Once I received it I opened it because I was unsure about the quality of the camera and the condition since it was a refurb. It had some small scratches but still looked pretty sharp. Simple colors, small but reasonable size, and easy to use accessories were the hallmarks of the E510.

I turned it on and played with it for awhile. The camera has as many features as most high-end 35mm units. It takes full video with sound. The photos are stunningly clear and consistent. The pictures can be set a 5Mpixel or several lower settings to conserve memory. It has more features than I can or am willing to describe here. The real downside is the xD memory card, they're teeny tiny small and more expensive than other flash memory. If you are looking for a consistent, FAIRLY simple (if you've used 35mm cameras before this is no problem), and reasonably priced camera, you've found it. Even closer to the brand new price of $225 I would consider buying this camera. My nephew loved the software cd that came with it. The included software didn't need to be installed for Windows XP (plug and play). He described the photo management software as a very basic version of photoshop. All in all this is a fully functioning digital camera for a great price.

I was a bit wary in trying out this camera because it was so flimsy, but I thought for a second, everyday kind of camera, it would be adequate. Nevertheless, I kept worrying some part would get loose or fall off. I should have listened to my intuition Sure enough, the hinge on the built in flash just stopped flipping after 5 minutes. You can do better elsewhere.

I thought from the description that the camera's image in the built in display could be better (sometimes is too dark).
Takes great pictures and the option of adding extra lenses is great.
Its very easy to use and the auto photo shoot does everything you need.

Overall rating is excellent.

This has been a great camera. I've been using this camera to learn more about photography. It has manual controls for apeture, shutter speed and ISO settings. My only complaint is the XD picture card. They tend to be more expensive than the other memory cards on the market. [..]