Olympus IR-300 5MP Digital Solutions Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Includes Docking Station)

This is the second time I have bought this camera. I bought the first time for me about 2 years ago.Found it to be perfect. Not one single complaint. Everyone notices how nice it looks and even better how easy it is to use. So, I bought my mother one. The fact that she can use it and love it is a blessing.

I think it's a nice little camera for the price. Takes pretty good pictures both indoor and outdoor. Movies are good only if recorded outdoors in the sunlight, also high quality sound recording. My only concern is the plastic body of the camera which I didn't realize it was plastic untill I received it, which makes the camera kind of fragile and not very practical - gotta be very careful with it especially if it's in your pocket. But so far I've been happy with it as my party going or taking around everyday camera.

The camera is small and attractive. The daylight pictures are great, as they are with all Olympus cameras. Flash pictures are lame unless you are within 8 feet of the subject. It comes with many pre-settings but most are useless without a tripod. The built-in lithium ion battery lasts FOREVER, which helps offset the fact you have to charge it in its own little cradle. Downloading pictures to your computer is a little annoying-- it wants you to use the Olympus Master software that comes with the camera. But, once you attach it using the USB cable, the computer treats it like another external drive and you can just pluck the pix off that way. Finally, shutter lag is a major downside for me. It feels like a full 2 seconds. There's also a "movie" option-- it takes low-res movie, a feature I personally could do without. But overall, no complaints about picture quality, which is the bottom line, isn't it?

SHUTTER LAG TO SOME CAN BE A TURN OFF BUT TO ME THE SHUTTER PROBLEM IS SOMETHING I ACCTUALLY ENJOY ITS THE PICTURES MY FREINDS GO WOW THATS A COOL PICTURE I LIVE A NOW BIG CITY CALLED SEATTLE YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF IT BY NOW ANYWAY CITY SHOTS WITH SHUTTER LAG (WITH OR WITHOUT THE JITTERS) CAN LOOK WAY COOL AND THIS TAKES SOME GREAT PICTURES MOST OF THE TIME WITH VIDEO AND A BUILT IN SPEAKER THIS KEPT ON MAKIN IT MAKE LIKE IT MORE TO NOW IM IN LOVE I CARRY IT EVERYWHERE AS FOR PEOPLE BUMMED BY IT NOT COMING WITH A MEMEORY CARD I SAY SO WHAT GO BUY ONE ON SALE SOMEWHERE I GOT 1 GB FOR 40.00 AT A LOCAL STORE AND WITH ITS SMALL SIZE YOU CAN USE A CIGAREETE BOX TO TIDE YOU OVER TILL YOU FIND SOME THING MORE PERMANENT AS FOR ME I USE A 99 CENT BELT HOOK AND DONT EVEN HAVE A SCRATCH ON THE SCREEN AND IM SURE ITS RUBBED UP AGAINST THAT NIPPLE ON THE LEVIS JEANS BY THE POCKET HUNDREDS OF TIMES I USE IT MORE THAN MY 500 DOLLAR DVD CAM CORDER. A I GB MEMORY CARD GIVES YOU 50 MINUTES OF VIDEO 35 PLUS HOURS OF VOICE RECORDING 833; 5.0 MEGAPIXELS PICTURES BUT I WILL TELL YOU THE BATTERY THEY GIVE YOU CANT HANG WITH THE 1 GB MEMORY CARD SO YOULL NEED TWO AND I WOULDNT BOTHER TRYING TO BY ONE FROM THE OLYMPUS WEB SITE CAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN OUT OF STOCK FOR MONTHS THEY DO HAVE EM IF YOU COMBINE YOURE ORDER WITH ANOTHER ITEM SO I DONT KNOW WHAT THERE PROBLEM IS THERE ALSO THEY SENT ME A E MAIL FOR MY BIRTHDAY IT WAS FOR A MEMORY CARD USB READER FOR 20 BUCKS I FIGURED IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY SO ILL GET ONE BUT THEY DIDNT HAVE ANY IN STOCK WITH NO CHANCE OF PAYING FOR ONE TO GET ON BACK ORDER. I SCOFFED AND COUNTINUED ON WITH LIFE AND MY LIL IR-300 STRAPPED TO ME AT ALL TIMES. YOU CAN BUY A REMOTE FOR IT ON THERE WEB SITE THOUGH AND THOSE ARE STILL AVAILABLE SOMEHOW ANYWAY ITS A GREAT CAMERA WITH A SMALL PRICE AND SIZE THAT IM SURE YOULL BE HAPPY WITH GUARENTEED.

I was a little weary buying this camera after reading that guys review below, but I bought the camera anyways just because I figured if it was that bad I could return it. When I opened the package, the camera was WAY smaller than I expected it's very compact and pretty. As far as blurry images go, I think there are some people who just take bad pictures- because I tested out a picture while shaking the camera and it still came out clear as any of my other pictures-no blurring. I don't believe this Olympus suffers from "shutter lag" it's top speed 1/2000 is just as fast as any other camera on the market of comparable value. I think this camera is a great deal.
Pros:
1.Wide variety of picture taking options- Panoramic view included
2.Docking station to recharge battery- never have to take out AA batteries and recharge(i find a hassle)
3.extremely easy to transfer photos to comp- just plug usb in and device is recognized
4.great for an unexperienced camera user or someone who wants more depth and can navigate the features (i did all without even looking at manual once)
5.awesome camera at great price-and it looks really sweet

Cons:
1.Does not come with memory card-however most cameras don't. i bought a 128 mb xd pretty cheap and holds 100+ photos
2.Doesn't have a carrying case included, but those are pretty available and inexpensive as well

Overall I got this camera because I was sick of buying disposables and getting the film developed, over time the cost adds up, and this camera is not only very portable but takes great pics. I recommend it to others!