Got my first one four years ago (Staples demo) for $75. That one held up for about 2 years of heavy use (about 10,000 pictures) before dying. First unit continued to function after falling 15 feet onto a hardwood floor! It uses up batteries quickly if you leave the monitor on and use the flash. You must use rechargeable batteries. Very few (new) designs are still using AA's, which may appeal to some users. all factors considered I prefer the AA's to the boxy (smaller) specialty batteries since they are cheaper and you can carry around 2 or 3 sets. Very rugged camera except for two design flaws which have happened on both cameras I have owned: 1) the battery compartment door WILL fail eventually and become loose due to broken plastic tab but it will not render the camera useless. 2) Memory card door will fail eventually and can be removed. Removal does not impact camera function. This camera probably came out in 2000 or 2001 and is larger and heavier than newer designs and has a small screen. It weighs TEN ounces (with batteries) vs 4.7 ounces for my Olympus Stylus Verve. You can attach wide angle and telephoto lens since this unit has standard threads for these optional lens.Read full review
The pictures I have taken with this camera have turned out very well. I REALLY like the optical zoom. My biggest problem was its appetite for AA batteries. I solved this by getting the rechargeable battery for it, it lasts WAY longer than the AA batteries. My other problem is that I use my left eye to look through the camera and when I do, my nose plants itself on the screen, which doesn't hurt my nose but kind of smudges up the screen. Newer cameras have way more megapixels, but for my photography (personal and eBay) 1.3 has been more than enough. The DSC-P30 is commonly available on eBay, and at those prices it is an exceptional value.
I love this camera...we bought it originally to take photos for eBay. My husband upgraded to a expensive model ($785.00). My daughter now uses the Cybershot 1.3 MP DCS-P30 for a job as a reporter for a local newspaper. I lend it back to go on trips. We both love the fast shutter speed for taking photos of children (with my husbands camera the kids have moved and I loose the moment). Also shots taken from a moving car are possible. Can't say enough about this great little camera. Love the lens cap instead of the automatic closure that can sometimes break.
Forget trying to keep up with technology ... you can't, especially in photography. While the new camaras have expanded memory & numerous options, they are more cumbersome to operate. Manufacturers seem to think the smaller the better. The buttons are smaller, the camara is easier to lose, and easier to damage. The Sony DSC P-30 has Sony quality but since it was one one of the earlier digital camaras, is an easy transition from traditional camaras to the new digital modern version. The feel, the size, and ease of function make it a great camara for the average vacation, birthday, and family events. Of course with any digital camara, you need to know how to download them onto your computer and luckily, Sony is well recognized by most software so even that is an easy task. The memory that camaras sell everyone on is the detail of the picture, but it comes down to the memory cards as to how many pictures you will be able to take. It is a bit frustrating to have to load a memory card after it is full. Easier than loading a roll of film, but nonetheless bothersome and the cost can run about $30+ dollars for "normal" size memory cards that would hold 50-ish high quality photos. I use this camara in my business & for family events. Although it is several years old, there still technical support and upgrades available from Sony. I damaged my previous camara and found a replacement on ebay for a 1/4 of the price new and I was completely familiar with it, so no down time trying to learn it's functions. Which was the main reason I sought this camara out. It's quality, it's dependable, and I know it's functions.Read full review
This model is very, very, very easy to use. The pictures look great and it can be stored anywhere. No battery chargers or Einstien level complexity. Just a nice camera that takes pictures!
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