Not recommended..
Written: Sep 25 '04
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Pros: Friendly menus
Cons: Everything else
The Bottom Line: Shop around for something else.
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| m1a1fan's Full Review: Gateway DC-M40 Digital Camera |
My parents purchased this camera for me while at a Gateway Country store here in Gurnee, IL. I had wanted a digital camera for quite a while so they thought it would make a nice Christmas present. I've now used this camera for almost a year and have found that it isn't the greatest camera around.
The first thing I noticed was the weight(13.5 oz) with the batteries loaded (it takes four AA batteries), it's a bit heavy. I recently took a trip to the Chicago Botanic Gardens and was getting a bit aggravated as I had this small brick of a camera attached to my belt while covering almost six miles of walking.
The second negative was the size. Of all the 4 megapix cameras I looked at (Nikon, Canon, Sony), this was the largest I've seen at 4 3/4"W 2 5/8"H 2"D this is no small camera.
You will want to invest in the largest re-chargable NIMH AA batteries available and a rapid charger as this camera runs through batteries VERY quickly. I thought battery life might not be that bad since it uses four AA's but I was wrong.
Picture quality isn't that great either. I've now taken hundred's of photo's with this camera and it seems that the pictures always turn out a bit fuzzy no matter how I shoot them. This is definatly a tripod friendly camera as the shutter lag is not that great. I've had a lot of pictures blurr because the shutter either stays open to long, or I press the shutter release an have to wait before the shutter actually activates. My outdoor pics always seem to have a pinkish or reddish hue to them.
On the PLUS side, the menus are easy to navigate and on the whole the camera is very user friendly.
Just as any Gateway product, I would'nt recommend this camera to anyone. I think seasoned photographers would toss it aside and beginners would get frustrated with it's picture quality.
There are now many other good choices out there for great digital cameras with some really reasonable prices as well. I just purchased a refurbished Nikon 3200 for $170 and couldn't be happier with it. It's small, light weight (with batteries) it's half the weight of the gateway, battery life is good, and best of all the picture quality is awesome. I suggest you check it out.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 180
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Fool-Proof for Absolute Beginners
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Epinions.com ID:
m1a1fan
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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