Digital Cameras Mall

I purchased this camera around Christmas. When I went to use it, a message would come up saying "card full" on the display so I thought something must be wrong with the memory card. I took the memory card back and got a new one (different brand) and tried it with the camera. The same "card full" message came up. I then figured something must be wrong with the camera so I returned that camera and got another one--same model. I tried taking a picture with it with the memory card and got the same display--"card full". I removed the card to try and take a picture without the memory card installed. I was able to take one picture (which was blurry like a cell phone photo). After that, when I tried to take another, the camera displayed a message saying "memory full". I followed the directions given in the manual to the letter and couldn't get the camera to take even one more picture.

Also, the camera does not come with a manual. I've never bought an electronic device or appliance that doesn't provide the manual. The package gives you instructions to look up the manual in their site. I did that when I used the camera but when you buy an item like this, you shouldn't have to read the instructions from a website. It should be included in the purchase. In order for me to print up the manual, I would have to do it at my local library (as my printer isn't working) and that would cost over $7 (49 pages). I paid for the camera. The manual should be included in the cost of the camera. Needless to say, I returned the camera and plan to get a different brand.

You remember those "disposable cameras" you could buy for a few bucks with the film embedded in them? They had the following functions: film advance, flash (maybe!), shutter button. The point is they were simple. They took pictures that were "good enough" for vacation use. And if you lost the camera, not a big deal -- you only paid a few bucks for it.

A step above that, for some few bucks more, you could get one extra feature: A more durable camera body with the exact same features as above, but with removable and replaceable film. The Vivitar v8025 is the digital equivalent of that camera.

It has: a fixed lens (no zoom), a flash (settings: off, auto, fill, red-eye), settings for ISO (film speed/sensitivity -- basically like loading a different type of film in the camera), white balance, exposure compensation (+/- 3 EV), shooting mode (e.g., landscape, sports, night portrait, auto, etc), macro/landscape switch, and a self-timer.

It also has the usual settings for image size (1-8MP), quality, sharpness, some sort of "shake reduction" feature, and "facial recognition."

In operating terms, it doesn't get much more simple than this for a digital camera. It makes my DiMAGE Xt seem advanced. The V8025 can take decent photos and has decent "auto" settings, but like any camera, you will need to become familiar with exposure compensation, white balance, and the macro/landscape settings in order to take consistent pictures.

What's ok about it?

1. You can get it for cheap if you hunt, <$50.

2. Big LCD screen (tho nominal resolution)

3. Long battery life from a generic cell-phone Li-ion battery. I've taken over 100 photos, and had it on for over one hour so far, turned it on/off several times, fiddled with settings, and it just entered the 2/3's battery mark.

4. The tripod mount is in-line with the lens. Nice! (not so with my DiMAGE Xt)

5. Easy access to flash and macro/landscape modes, and they really work.

6. It comes with combo USB cord/wall charger, and uses a standard USB connection.

7. Assuming everything else is of good build quality, the lack of moving parts should make this camera durable. It also looks nice.

My gripes?

1. The lens and sensor aren't high enough quality to warrant the 8MP resolution. It's just a sales gimmick to jack up the MSRP. How often are you going to be printing larger than 8x10 with this thing? I keep it around 3MP. see [comment] for more info. Other benefits of using the lower 3-5MP settings: a. faster card writes b. larger storage capacity

2. Important exposure settings (+/- EV, ISO, white balance, shooting mode) are split between two different menu hierarchies. But even though these settings are things that we need to tweak often, most cameras I've ever seen bury them under menus.

3. Which would be OK, but menu navigation via "touch screen" buttons is bit gimmicky and not as useful as multi-function directional buttons. You get used to it after a little bit, though.

4. For some reason, the camera resets the "facial recognition" and "shake reduction" settings with every power off/on. Annoying.

5. A little slow on time to first pic after power on (~5 sec)

Don't pay a dollar over $50 for it. Buy a super-cheap 256/512mb SD card. Charge it up, set it to 3-6MP. Keep it on you and use it frequently. Practice your photo composition. Have fun. And don't fret if you damage, break or lose it!

This camera is a faily simple point and shoot with a nice battery life, but it's all downhill from there. The LCD screen is terrible quality, which I wouldn't mind if the pictures still came out good. However, when put onto the computer the image quality is only mediocre. The 8.1 MP is only a gimmick to get consumers to buy this, as to I later found out that the lens of the camera cannot even support this quality. I have an old 1 MP camera that seems to take about the same quality pictures. I would only buy this if it is a child's first camera or something like that. Otherwise, I would not reccomend this, especially if you plan to use it for taking pictures of landscape, or anything you want good quality.