Attractive to look at...complicated to use!

Introduction

I was happy and extremely excited to receive this little ruby gem as a gift from a friend as I have never owned a digital camera of my own and was generally reliant on others to take and pass on photographs of special moments. This is an attractive camera and its compact size and sturdy construction make it easy to carry with you wherever go, particularly if you are of a 'snap happy' disposition.

This camera packaging is attractive, compact and in my opinion 'fuss free'; I strongly dislike the excessive packaging that seems to have become the 'norm' in recent years. You are supplied with a dense but dimensionally small instruction manual and as much as I love reading I found this manual not particularly user friendly. The initial assembly of this camera (battery etc) is minimal and uncomplicated. I put the camera to charge overnight for the first time and found that the battery lasted approximately 4 weeks before needing re-charged; bearing in mind that I was using it frequently as I tried to explore the various features of this camera.

I would suggest that you read the manual from beginning to end as the various functions on this camera are not simple to navigate around. I have many times huffed in frustration as a lovely 'shot' slipped through my fingers as I frantically tried to navigate the functions to try and get the correct setting. However this camera does produce pictures of a high quality when all the correct conditions are met.

Product Positives

As I already stated, this is an attractive and compact camera; its design sleek and contemporary and the red colour is attractive without being garish. The compact design of the camera means it fits comfortably in your hand and all buttons etc are within easy reach (my 9 year old daughter can work comfortably with this camera). It comes with a protective case that is well designed and of a sturdy enough material to offer genuine safety when transporting your camera.

This camera definitely takes quality photographs when the correct settings are selected and as it comes with a 4GB memory card it can hold a fairly large quantity of images and film footage too. So in some ways this camera does have a few positives that make it an appealing choice but I am not of the opinion that is a good choice for someone who is new to using cameras and digital technology.

Product Negatives

I have two serious concerns with this camera namely auto focus/ over - sensitivity to unsteady hands and in my opinion over - complicated settings navigation.

I have had frequent issues with regards to my images being 'blurry' even when the correct setting is in place. I personally find that this camera is far to sensitive even in there is the slightest tremor in your hand and unless you have steady hands like 'Iron Man' or place the camera on a stand you will be dealing with images that are distorted and of an inferior quality. After 5 months of experimenting with the camera I have found that by depressing the 'take a picture button' halfway and holding it there for approximately 5 - 10 seconds and then complete depressing all the way there is some improvement of the above mentioned issue - RE: 'take a picture button' - I know there is a technical term for this but for the life of me can't remember it right now, sorry! However this does not eliminate the problem completely and therefore this makes the camera unsuitable for many people and certainly for first time users.

Although I persevered and read the instruction manual the practical navigation of settings is in my opinion over complicated; and ultimately leads to a lot of fantastic photographic opportunities being missed. It is certainly not a case of 'point and click'. I am hoping that with a bit more time and practice my ability to navigate these setting more efficiently will improve - I will keep you updated on developments.

In Conclusion

I will treasure this generous gift and I am hopeful that because of it's sturdy structure and with the correct care/usage of this camera I will get many years of happy shots from it. With regards to cost it retails at approximately £60 - 00 and I am undecided at this point as to whether or not I would personally pay that price considering the two serious issues I have encountered with it. I would not recommend this camera to anyone who is new to digital technology nor anyone who has unsteady hands, which would make it unsuitable for the elderly and individuals with certain conditions/ailments.

After reassessing my previous review of this product and weighing up the pro's and con's I do feel I was originally too harsh and there are definitely some aspects of this little ruby gem that do shine and perhaps with time at least one of the issues I have identified can be remedied. I will update this review and rating in a few months hopefully there will be some improvements.

I hope you find this review useful and happy snapping!
Lilysunx