We received this camera as a Christmas gift from my husband's parents. While we were both extremely excited to get a digital camera, especially one that seemed to be packed with features, now that we've had it a couple of years, I'm looking to replace it.

My biggest complaint is that the picture quality when using the autofocus program is mediocre. I suppose if you had time to read the manual and learn how to use all the different options and menus, you *might* be able to get some great pictures out of this camera, but for a point-and-shoot, I prefer to do just that, point and shoot and get great photos. Moreover, the frame guides in the viewfinder aren't true to life at all - I often find that the photos are far off from what I thought the center of focus would be.

The night scene setting in this camera is awful. You have to use a tripod and hold down the button for several seconds to get anything halfway decent. Pretty much all the photos I've ever taken using the night scene settings are just trash.

For the $300 or so that my in-laws spent on this camera back in 2002, I think we could have gotten something much better for that money. No more Olympus cameras for me.

I guess if you are going for an older camera to save money, this isn't a bad choice, but I would recommend looking at newer ones. Like most electronic gadgets, they get better every year.

Pros:
- generally easy to use
- uses standard AA batteries
- no lens cap to lose
- software - easy web page publishing in professional version

Cons
- a little too big to be pocketable
- there are comparable cameras with 10x and even 12x optical zoom
- no stabilization feature
- lacks shutter-priority, aperature-priority, and manual modes
- difficult to impossible to get good pictures of indoor sporting events and other low-light situations where the flash does no good or you can't use the flash (actually, this is probably true of many other consumer-level cameras)
- slow reaction time - push the button and it takes the picture about a second later (or not at all if it thinks you need the flash)
- menus aren't explained very well in the manual
- software - version that comes with the camera is crippled, but the professional version freezes occasionally

Despite what somebody else said, backing up files to a cd isn't that hard if you know what you are doing; you just have to mount the CD so it looks like any other disk drive. I had no problems with this.

Anyway, I'd say spend a little more money and get a Panasonic with 12X zoom, image stabilization, and some of the other features mentioned above. You could also go for a camera with higher MP, but I'd rather spend my money on features that will actually help me take better pictures, not just bigger ones.

Photo's are good, but software ain't.

I've owned the Camedia 550 for a little over a year. I am very disapointed in the software that you HAVE to use with this camera. I upgraded to the "professional" edition, but it's still bad. It does not alow you to back up your photo's onto CD. (Floppy Disk Only, which is worthless). Also I have pixels dying on my viewing screen.
It is difficult to manuver through the options on the camera. Also uses a Smart Media Card, which the new ones do not use, and very few new camera do use, so I'll be stuck with $200 bucks worth of Smart Media Cards when I decide to chuck this thing.

I bought this camera a year ago; it has served me well in many different environments and in both nighttime and blazing sun conditions. Downloads are swift with either the 3.5 inch flash path floppy or USB. Picture quality is great at low compression settings, higher settings are even better. I use a 64 MB memory card and that is more than adequate for my needs. Battery life is impressive: one charge was good for a 2 week vacation, and that included at least one hour of time viewing pictures with relatives on the built-in screen. Easy to use. Documentation is a bit on the slim side, but sufficient, with the exception of instructions on taking a panoramic picture. Apparently, that info is on the CD. We've taken 1,200 pics or so, no problems.

I bought this camera 18 months ago, and it takes GREAT pictures. I have taken thousands of pictures with this camera with no problem. The two only drwabacks to this camera is its size and it takes a second or two to save the picture to the card, but that's the way it is.
On the other hand, the reason why it is so big is because it uses regular batteries=cheap! However, battery life is great.
Would recommend this camera to anyone who needs a digital camera.

This review is based on three years of use and 3000 pictures:
*This camera is durable. The sliding cover and flip-up flash show now signs of wear
*haven't worried about keeping the lens pristine
*switched to rechargeable AA batteries early on and they still work. have to recharge them every 200 pics (get 158 exposures on the default setting on a 128MB card resulting in 700KB file sizes--enough for 8x10 pics!)
*use the default Camedia picture software (got the upgrade) exclusively for picture printing and decent editing
*software could use better 'templates' aside from 'happy bday'
*plugging in the camera to the TV video inputs and running your own slide show is great for family get togethers (especially at the end of a trip before you leave is a nice recap of family events)
*it's not a compact camera, but it's designed to hold well in your one hand to take pics
*find myself adjusting the 'gamma' up a couple of notches before printing out the pics
*night mode works great if you have a tripod

I HAVE THE OLYMPUS D550Z FOR 2 YEARS AND HAVE TAKEN PICTURES EVERY WEEK END THIS CAMERA IS GREAT PEOPLE REMARK ABOUT THE CLARITY IN THE SNAP SHOTS I HAVE TAKEN WHILE RIDING IN A CAR IT IS THE BEST INVESTMENT I HAVE MADE AND IT IS EASY TO USE ALSO OLYMPUS HAS A GREAT WEB SITE FOR HELPFUL INFORMATION

There are a lots of cameras out these days with much better features. I bought one of these in 2003 and it broke after about a month (fell onto a soft surface and the lens broke). Not yet knowing what a bad deal this camera was, I bought another one to replace it.
- The settings (like time/date and resolution) randomly reset themselves, so occasionally I end up with a memory card full of pictures from "01/01/01".
- The automatic sliding lens cover is a HUGE pain, and the main reason I replaced this camera. The slightest touch closes the lens cover. There is nowhere to rest your right hand where it won't bump against the cover and close the lens.
- I've taken thousands of pictures with it, and as long as you're inside in a well-lit area with stationary subjects the pictures are great. Any other circumstances, it's anyone's guess how the pictures will turn out.
- The delay between shots is also unacceptable, and gets even worse if you use the flash or your batteries are getting low. When you're photographing something that's moving (like animals or kids) the huge delay makes you miss lots of shots.

Bottom line, don't waste your money.