Picture This: A very low cost digital camera!

Author's Rating:

Pros: Easy to use, affordable and does just what I wanted it to do!

Cons: Eats batteries up so fast that they must be removed after use!

The Bottom Line: 
This is NOT a professional grade camera, but it does work as it should, and is a good buy for the money.

Author's Review
I was in need of a digital camera to add some pictures to my e-mails and on-line auctions. I didn't want to spend a fortune for something that would only get limited use, so I picked up the Sunday paper to scan the ads for a good deal.

I found the Argus DC1500 advertised for only $30 at a local department store, so I went to check it out. Upon arriving at the photo department, I quickly spotted the SALE sign and a shelf full of cameras in a few different colors. I chose a blue one and headed up to the photo counter to ask about the product. I was happy to learn that it included everything needed except the batteries (three AAA size) for the advertised sale price, and I bought it on the spot, along with batteries.

Once home, it was a simple deal to install the included software, and I was nearly ready to experiment! The first thing that struck me about this camera was that getting the battery compartment door to snap shut takes a little coaxing, and it feels as if it will break every time, but it hasn't yet!

Once the batteries are installed, the camera is ready to use. It will store up to 20 images, and requires at least a decent amount of light to take a picture, since there is no flash. Normal indoor lighting is usually acceptable, but the camera will make an odd noise if light is insufficient. A distinct "beep" is heard every time a picture is taken, and the counter indicates how many images are left to be used.

Since I use my camera at home and at my sister's house, we installed the software on both of our computers, and I leave one cable (the USB) hooked up to her computer, and the other one (9 pin) hooked up to mine. I bought a simple camera case, and taking the camera with me for instant, fun pictures is a breeze!

You won't likely win any photography contests with this low cost camera, but it does take decent pictures suitable for e-mail and on-line auction items. Close-up images of small objects tend to blur, and you will need to experiment with it to determine the best distance at which to photograph certain items.

A nice feature of this camera is the timer, which allows you a few seconds to pose in front of the camera for quick self-portraits! This was a pleasant bonus for such an economical camera, and I have used it with great successs.

There have been a few quirks with this item, though. The first set of batteries lasted almost two weeks through moderate use. When I replaced them, the new ones went dead overnight. I thought it may have been faulty batteries, so I replaced them with another brand. Same thing. I checked to insure that it wasn't being stored so that any of the buttons were being pushed, but it still drains new batteries within about ten to twelve hours. My fix was just to insert the batteries prior to use, and then remove them quickly once the images are loaded into the computer. I store the batteries in the front pouch of the camera case, with a few spares as well. It's just the way that I deal with this camera's appetite for batteries!

Another glitch, is that once in a while, as I'm loading images into the computer, the camera will beep and a message will pop up on the screen saying that the camera has been removed. I found that simply re-doing the "aquire" command gets the images loaded the second time. This does not happen very often, and it is not a big concern to me.

All things considered, this camera has proven to be just what I wanted...a low cost, easy to use digital color camera that quickly allows me to post pictures where I want them. It is great to be able to snap a few images, then go to the computer to see what you've got, and then either store them for use, or dump them. No film to buy, no waiting around for processing, and no big deal if you take a picture that you don't want. This being my first, and very likely ONLY digital camera, I must report that I am happy with it, and that it was easily worth the thirty dollars I spent!