Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I am not a photographer; I bought the camera as a gift for my girlfriend. I did, however, look at a lot of (>100) cameras; my criteria were: (1) < $100 and lower is better, (2) image stabilization, (3) minimum 5x optical zoom, (4) Well rated both by consumers and professional reviewers, (5) Low (and explainable) number of poor reviews.
The only camera that made the final cut was the Olympus FE-46.
My girlfriend has had the camera just less than a week, but she was and is thrilled with it. She is still learning the many options she has, and is slowly mastering them, but has had absolutely no complaints.
Ironically, buying the camera in the "Crayola" package, which included a decent case, was substantially less expensive than simply buying the camera. BTW, for those who may be concerned about buying the "child's package", the camera is packaged in a retail box in the larger box.
The camera also has a tripod mount (although we've not used it), which increases its utility. It also seems to be solidly made, and has an automatic lens cover when powered down reducing the chances of significant damage.
There are only two potential downsides I see so far; first, it uses disposable AA batteries (NiMH rechargeable batteries may be an option), and the proprietary xD media cards is being phased out (the MASD-1 adapter can be used, but may be difficult to replace if lost).
Click Here to see more reviews about: Olympus FE-46 12MP Digital Camera Pink Crayola Kit with 5x Optical Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD and Silver Case, 64 pack of Crayons and Storage Box
12mp digital camera w/ 5x optical zoom,Image stabilization, face detection,red eye fix, and Autofocus tracking
