I actually bought one of these at a yard sale for 80 bucks, since previously I owned and used a Kodak dc 240. I don't quite know why this series of cameras take such amazingly sharp pictures (my 240 (1.2 MP) takes sharper photos than my 3.2 MP sony!!!)but they just do. The 280 has a more limited zoom (2x as opposed to a 3x), but the picture quality is amazing. You cannot buy a 2MP camera that takes sharper and more realistic pictures than the 280. The new Kodak series with the docking ports are made differently and they are not as good about focusing or sharpness of image. The 280 is a great investment!! I've seen prints from the 280 looking better than some 4MP cameras!! And that's all I have to say about that :)

my dad had baught this camera 3years ago and then recently he gave it to me. its a good camera, the only thing is, the lense cap keeps comming off. great camera, cheap lense cap. picture quality is good, indoor and outdoor. the only other thing is that when the batteries get low it'll stop using the flash, which gets really annoying sometimes but normally isn't a problem. it can also stand SOME banging around, but not much. oh, and that little plastic covering at the bottom of the right hand corner of the camera peeled off recently but that doens't affect the camera's performance!

After much research, I recommended the DC280 for my friend's company almost three years ago, and since then it has taken THOUSANDS of pics, most of them STUNNING good color and clarity. Whether taken inside or outside, of products, people or nature shots, the DC280 seemed to handle everything we threw at it - including getting DROPPED several times and getting WET and DIRTY on numerous occasions (not that I recommend it). Recently my friend bought a Canon G2 and GAVE me his "old" Kodak DC280 - and it STILL takes stunning pictures as if it was brand new! Therefore, if you can find a good used DC280 or DC290 for a decent price, I can GUARANTEE you won't be disappointed with the durability of the camera or the quality of the pictures!

This is my first digital camera, and I love it! I did some research before I bought, but I'm not an expert on any of the technical stuff.

I can say that as a beginner, I have found that all of the basic functions are intuitive. I played around with the camera before getting out the instructions, and realized I had figured out most of the most necessary functions.

No software package works on everyone's machine, but the software installed very simply and easily on mine and I haven't had a single problem with it (I run Windows XP Home edition).

The part that I had the most reservations about was the actual connection and upload to the computer. Most people have used a camera; but obviously I had never hooked one up to my machine before!

It couldn't have been easier. I simply read in the instructions which slot the USB plug went into on the camera -- I had already plugged it into my computer -- turned the camera mode to "connect" and flipped it on. Windows recognized the camera, and the photo wizard in XP allows very easy transfer into a folder of your choosing. You can also get the photos directly from the camera and bypass the wizard, but I haven't felt the need to do that.

The photos themselves have pretty good color -- I do have to up the contrast more often than not in Paint Shop Pro, but that's not a big deal. The colors, if the light isn't that great, tend to be a little washed out, just like a regular camera.

Overall, I love my new camera and have found nothing to complain about. It has performed beautifully and it's easy to use. I recommend this camera to any newbie who wants a middle-of-the-line machine.

I bought this camera about three years ago when digital was just coming of age. Also have the DC 5000 at my office which is basically the same camera in a more durable shell. My personal 280 has traveled with me almost around the earth and it always works! You just need to prepare--I always take at least three sets of batteries, a few cards and a quick charger wherever I go. One great thing about the 280 is that it uses AA batteries. Try finding a propritary battery in Cozumal Mexico. The shots I have taken always receive praise about the clarity and color, even at low compression rates. Part of my job is to put together a newsletter. We just started trying out a Nikon Coolpix 5000 camera for going out and getting newspaper quality snapshots. Not to badmouth Nikon or anything, but everyone wants to go back to the Kodak for it's simplicity and guaranteed results.
I'm looking for a small pocket size camera like the elph because of it's portability. I think I might wait for the S400 Canon. But I would never sell the 280, because it's always there as a backup. It just simply works well for most things.