The best choice in digital cameras I could've made!

After my film camera died, I decided to go with the digital option to save on the cost and hassle of buying & developing film, scanning pictures for the PC, and paying AGAIN when I wanted enlargements. I am both a computer-buff and a picture-buff, but not a professional photographer. I use my camera to capture memories of my children and like to share them with distant relatives via email. My requirements for a digital camera was ease of use, great picture quality, and user-friendly menus. With the Sony Mavica CD350, I got all of that, and MUCH, MUCH more!!

At the start of my shopping, I quickly realized that memory sticks were limited in storage capacity, could easily be misplaced due to their small size, and a hassle to transfer pictures from camera to computer. On the other hand, a mini CD could hold more than double the number of pictures, fits directly into my PC's CD drive, and costs pennies per disc. The CD350 was the first camera I found that accepted mini-CD discs. I was put off by the price, but the savings on expensive memory sticks made it justifiable.

In the month that I've been using this camera, I have become a huge fan! Not only does the camera take great pictures, it also records sound clips, creates email-sized files, AND records digital video clips. All features can be activated easily via a turn dial, or simple-to-use menus. I was able to use the camera straight out the box. I read the manual in bits and pieces to learn how to activate the various features, but have since shoved it aside.

The number of adjustments to picture quality that can be made with the CD350 is substantial, so I won't list them here. Every option is quickly accessible via the menus. I really like the slideshow option which scrolls pictures, sound clips and short videos (WITH sound) at the touch of a button. The camera also comes with cabling to display the pictures directly from the camera to the TV screen with no additional setup.

I bought this camera bundled as a package for $500. Included in this package was a camcorder bag, lens cleaner, lens protection sheets, a telephoto lens and a mini-tripod. The lens was worth about $150 alone, so I just estimated the camera price at $350. I bought a 10-pack of CD-RW discs for $8.95, and that's all I've spent. I used this camera to capture live video of the Navy thunderbird jet planes in their aerial show - sound & images were fantastic!

Disadvantages: It took me a long time to get used to the disc accesses performed by this mini-computer. Once you snap the picture, it takes about 1/2 second to write the data to disc. This is clearly indicated by a disc access light, but it does create a delay before you can take the next picture. Pictures recorded with sound clips or videos require a longer time to write the data. There is a multi-burst mode for pictures that one could use, if necessary. I also recommend definitely getting a large camera bag; this camera is bulky and along with extra discs becomes a LOT to carry around.

This camera exceeds my needs, and has become a very popular gadget in my family's repertoire. My 1 and 3 year kids LOVE to look at pictures of themselves on the large, bright LCD screen, and my distant family members are thrilled with the email images. I love being able to take the discs straight from the camera to my computer's CD drive, and copying jpeg files using only Microsoft Windows Explorer.