Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Good camera
We checked out all the other 3 Megapixel cameras and much preferred the Olympus based on price and features. The fact that I have had an 35mm Olympus camera for 20 years and have never had a problem with it also helped make the decision.
What's good:
1) Picture quality
2) Features - preprogrammed modes
3) Clear LCD screen
4) Nice software included - even though I use PhotoShop for editing, the software doea a good job of organizing the photos.What's Not So good:
1) As others have pointed out, the lense cover has to be fully retracted to fire it up - not difficult - but often overlooked.
2) No camera case
3) Irritating constant pop up of flash, even when not needed. Other than that, make sure you have extra memory cards, and don't even think about using it without rechargeable batteries.
Rating: - Great camera, great price
I have been using Olympus cameras since I first got my Olympus AZ300 back in 1987. Incidentally, the AZ300 still works!!I recently got this camera because of a newborn on the way. It's handy to be able to take pictures, review them, and add/erase pictures as needed depending on how pictures came out. Although I never had a bad picture with my AZ300, the digital camera is one less step that I need to take in terms of picking pictures that I want to develop, e-mailing them, and storing them. Olympus has been known for their fine camera construction in terms of both optics and automatic functionality. This camera is no-exception. It allows both full-automatic function with some user-overriding features--not enough to make it a full-blown professional camera, but enough to allow a user to take a good photograph in unusual lighting conditions. Controls include spot metering, ISO selection (although I wish speeds higher than 400 were available), 7 different portrait modes, exposure control, sharpness, white balance, etc., give users something to work with as well as typical features such as black-and-white picture shooting, etc. The 3.0 MP resolution is more than enough for casual users as well as those who wish to make prints up to 11x14, although maximum resolution setting are recommended for this kind of application. Utilization of various TIFF and JPEG modes are covered well in the manual -- just remember, TIFF for VERY "spiff"y prints!! Word to the wise. I'm sure it's mentioned already, but INVEST IN RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES. Although some may lament how AA's are not necessarily robust to handle this type of application, I find it refreshing to know that there is an extremely standard and relatively inexpensive power source that I can use. And rechargeable batteries certainly make up for their cost in just a couple of charges alone. Also, invest in a 128 MB SmartMEDIA card. The supplied 16 MB card is good for casual use, but woefully inadequate to store any amount of high-resolution images. I like using the 3:2 mode so I can print 4x6 images on the HP Photosmart 7350 without cropping or resizing!!! Some negative reviews proclaim something to the effect of image aberrations ("UFO's?") that occur during night shots. I have not experienced any such malfunction. Great camera, great price!! This is the one to buy if you're an amateur looking for a good digital camera!
Rating: - Top Notch Digital Camera for non-professionals
The Olympus D-550 Digital Camera was a surprise replacement my older D-490 camera which I had the misfortune of dropping on the ground and breaking. As much as I loved the D-490, the D-550 proved more than up to the task of replacing and succeeding the older version in terms of my satisfaction.
The D-550 brings a number of a excellent features to the table:
Pros:
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-Sharp 3.0 Megapixel resolution
-Closeup optical and digital zoom capability.
-Large memory capacity (in terms of size of cards it can support)
-Lightning fast USB connectivity.
-Multiple light exposure settings.
-Quicktime full-motion video capability.
-Easy thumbnail view of pictures from back LCD screen.
-Compact design
Cons:
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-Short battery life (rechargeables are a must!)
-No sound with Quicktime movies
-Fragile case-cover that is essentially a $5 piece of equipment that can render the entire camera useless if it breaks (I know this from experience).
When it's all said and done, this camera holds up remarkably well against comparable models. The cons listed above are likely found with any brand of digital camera in this grade. This camera is not designed for the professional photographer, but if you're a person who simply loves to take lots of photos as a way to create a record of life, then this is the digital camera for you.
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