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Simon Waters wrote: > want a Digital camera that "just works" with GNU/Linux. Ideally GNOME > tools... > I guess USB or 802.11b interface would be best. Any sensible camera is a USB mass storage device and "just works". > I've no ambitions to be a great photographer, I need something I can > point and click, and get something vaguely reasonable out most of the > time. So automatic flash, auto-focus, auto everything(?). Most camera's have a selection of modes such as "ultra fast", "landscape scene", "people", "night", etc. One of these is inevitably "auto". > Something I can't break would also be good, as I have a deadly effect on > most cameras. So fiddly bits, dodgy plastic covers, or easily breakable > components are probably best avoided. My Casio Exilim Z-850 is a metal body. The only time you get anything you might break (other than the lens when out, but somehow I think you need that!) is when you open the battery cover. > Also something with long battery life or easily recharged (such as via > USB - please not another transformer to plug in). Although I have a > steady charging of AA and AAA batteries here for torches, remotes, > pagers etc, so I guess they would be fine as well. Mmm. The rest of my family has Nikon/Canon cameras which take AA's and always found them very annoying. AA's just don't last, and you can't just plug your camera in every night and know it will be ready in the morning. I would say definitely get one with a battery pack, but you might find the charger a bit of an issue. Annoyingly the charger that comes with mine only plugs into the dock so I have to take the dock everywhere as well! If you could find one which charges off USB that would good, but I don't know of any. > Other thing I've found with Digital cameras are... > They can be slow to take a picture (point, click, scene changes, > picture of what is there now, argh... Digital technology should be quick). I bought mine specifically because it was one of the quickest cameras around. Press on, less than 2 seconds later it's ready to take the photo, which is also pretty quick. > The user interfaces can be bewildering complex. I don't want to have to > learn more than about 15 minutes of manual, and definitely no learning > of bizarre symbols that mean things, anything beyond a lighting like > symbol for flash is going to be forgotten in 10 minutes. It depends if you like menus or not. Personally I find them slow and annoying- I want buttons for everything because it's faster. > Any recommendations? My standard digital camera recommendations: Canon, Casio or Nikon (in that order). Absolutely avoid: Olympus, Fuji, Vivitar, Mustek, along with any other no-name brands. I personally wouldn't go near Kodak and Panasonic either, but that's more my own preference. Overall the Casio Exilim Range is probably pretty good, if you find a solution to the charging issue. Hope this helps. Simon -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html