DigitalCameras


Preferred Features

  • Optical zoom.

  • AA batteries.

  • Small, portable, rugged.

Ideas

Casio QVr-4x
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Casio/casio_qvr40.asp
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Casio/casio_qvr41.asp
FujiFilm Finepix 3x0
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Fujifilm/fuji_finepixa340.asp
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Fujifilm/fuji_finepixa330.asp (good)
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=30-122-032&depa=7
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=30-122-033&depa=7
Ricoh RX
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Ricoh/ricoh_rx.asp (import, EBay)

Settled On

Fuji Finepix 340
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=30-122-033
Fuji 265MB xD-Picture card
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=20-198-007
USB xD-Picture card reader
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=20-196-004

a fine little fujipix a340

Works with Linux (mount as usb storage device)
http://www.qbik.ch/usb/devices/showdev.php?id=2600
http://www.teaser.fr/~hfiguiere/linux/digicam.html
http://www.brothas.net/~nugator/FujiFinePixandLinux.html
Self-portrait with new camera
http://msittig.wubi.org/photos/2004/brea_bathroom_newCameraSelfPortrait.jpg

Nearly a Year Later...

This camera is bad in low lighting conditions (high red-yellow shift), and has no image stabilization feature, meaning fuzzy pictures in no-flash, indoor lighting situations.

A Year Later

It turns out that optical zoom isn't such a big deal to me as I though it would be. My priorities are now something like this:

  • AA batteries.

  • Small, portable, rugged.

  • Linux compatibility.

  • Options to play with.

The Finepix fails on options to play with; it's very dumbed down. And it comes with various other stresses. Right now I'm going lofi and loving it with my sister's RCS CDS1005:

http://msittig.wubi.org/imgs/cds1005_rca.jpg

It's Linux compatible through libgphoto, and runs forever on two AA batteries. The manual says it can only store 16 photos in Fine mode, but each time you turn it off and on it recalculates from the space left and ups the number a little. I've had as many as twenty eight pictures on it at once.