Oregon Scientific DS6639-O Slim 2MP Digital Camera (Orange)

this has to be hands down the best cam i have ever had it takes the best pics even in LQ with this cam you will never want another one best 40 i have ever spent

You get what you pay for, but for a little more dinero a 4 star camera would be better, obviously. I sold this camera soon after I used it a few times. I wanted something with more quality. It was just an OK camera.

i just got into the digital camera craze and i think that this is a very good camera for a first timer. first of all it is very easy to use and take pictures then put em on your computer the only thing u do i put one cable in a usb port and your ready to put them on your computer. the picture quility is great but close up shot where kinda fify. the lighting on it very odd some time it will put a flash even when it is bright out side so u kinda have to judge the light for your self. this thing eats up batterys so u will want to invest in a some rechargables. overall the simpile use and great quilty of the pictures make it a 4 out of 5 from me

First off, I have been a film and digital photographer for 30+ years. I have owned more than 6 digital cameras going back 10 years. My current best camera is the Canon G6.

Now to the DS6639.
Although I have only used this camera for one day, I am very impressed with the variety of settings, its size, its excellent and intelligent menu system, and the quality of pictures it produces on extra fine, largest setting. Although this camera is listed as orange in color, it is actually a beautiful bright copper. Positives include surprisingly nice pictures that are perfectly exposed and sharp with excellent color matching... better than many expensive cameras, a nice solid feel, exposure settings, ISO settings, EV settings, WB settings, flash settings, etc. It has a nice movie mode even though it is only 10 frames per second, so it is not the quality of more expensive, faster cameras. Not as slim or as light as the logitech 130, a camera I have owned, it is not that much thicker or heavier, and considering the nice LCD, better flash, better pictures, a card slot for extra storage, and nice carrying case, this is a better camera for the money. The viewfinder works much better than most pinhole stick cameras. Pictures show softness around the edges, but not dramatically so, there is some flare and purple fringing but they are not bad either. Noise in low light conditions and in places where the flash does not reach is noticeable not not a big issue either.

Negatives are few: it is S L O W. Time on takes a good five seconds with equal time or more to process each picture after it is snapped. Time delay from time shutter release button press to picture taking is minimal and not a problem. The only other factor to consider is the fact that the camera is slippery, but a nice wrist strap saves the day. There is no cover for the lens and since it sticks out, it is exposed. There are no covers for the connection points either, but carrying it in the case should keep dust and dirt out.

The software is fine but not needed for Windows XP. It comes with all cables, including an RCA cable for TV viewing. Pictures look fine on TV or computer. Instead of the software that comes with it, I recommend Picasa 2, a free photo software by google.

I will be taking many pictures outdoors tomorrow around Lake Tahoe, where I live and will post them. I will also take video for better evaluation. I will update this review when I post the pictures.

FOLLOW-UP

After taking many dozens of shots with the camera, I can add the following: the good news is that it uses 2 AAA batteries; the bad news is that it uses 2 AAA batteries. Why? AAA batteries are very convenient, but the amount of power required to run and LCD for more than a dozen pictures is greater. So, do not expect to get any where near the number of pictures claimed if you use the LCD, which, by the way, is as easy (difficult) to see in bright sun as my Canon G6. Just be sure to wear a very wide brimmed hat. The optical viewfinder is good and works well, and that is the only kind of shooting to get a couple of dozen pictures out of a new set of batteries.

The ACP-EP Memory Mobile Storage 256MB Secure Digital SD Card - EPSD/256 works very well in the camera and did not even need to be formatted. I do not know if it will work with higher capacity SD or MMC cards, so better stick with 256MB max.

One tip: BE SURE to set the camera back to single shot mode after taking movies, otherwise, you may wonder why the camera is taking so long to process a single shot. I learned the hard way.

Speaking of movies, they are very small in frame size but acceptable on the computer screen with media player kept small. On a TV they are terrible. Another tip: When putting the camera back in its carrying case, be careful not to hit the on button.

Color correction on the computer is necessary for many shots, as well as improving contrast, but once that is done, the shots for 3x5 prints and even 8x10s are fine.

If 4.5 stars were allowed, that would be my rating, and I debated whether to give it 4 or 5 stars. In the end, I will stick with the 5 since it offers much for little money... if you are willing to do some adjusting for scenic shots and are willing to carry lots of batteries (my rechargables did not work at all).

I bought this camera over a "USB stick" camera because it had two things most of those lack: a flash and a preview display.

This camera is everything I thought: point and click and reasonable quality images. Not HIGH quality, but for $70 well worth it.