If you are looking for a very simple digital camera then the Samsung Digimax S500 could fit the bill. When it comes to features this is a five megapixel camera with a three times optical zoom lens. All pretty standard stuff. Another attraction is likely to be the price of the Digimax S500. If you buy online you can currently pick this camera up for well under £100. This makes it one of the cheapest cameras you will find from a well known brand.
As I mentioned above the Digimax S500 has a standard set of features. It does have a couple of extras worth mentioning though. These include being able to select different colours, being able to choose a focusing frame, building four photos into a single image and adding a frame/border to a shot.
To help preserve the memory of a photograph you can add a short voice memo to photos you have already taken. You can also use the camera purely as a voice recorder.
The five megapixels should allow you to produce excellent quality prints up to 5 x 7". Most people are likely to be more than happy with the quality of prints right up to 11 x 14".
For a camera in this price range the Digimax S500 is surprisingly compact. It is 26mm wide. This means it will fit into a good sized pocket, although it is a bit larger than a true pocket sized camera. It weighs 136g without batteries or memory card.
Talking of batteries, two AA batteries are used to provide the power. The advantage of AA batteries is that they are readily available. In order to keep running costs down you have the option of using rechargeable batteries.
There is 20mb of memory built into the camera. Therefore a memory card is not included in the box. Before you can start using the camera in earnest I would suggest picking up a memory card with a decent capacity. A 256mb card will store roughly 100 photos, while a 512mb card will store somewhere in the region of 200 photos with this five megapixel camera.
The LCD screen on the back of the camera is 2.4" in size. Even for an entry level digital camera like the Digimax S500 this size is now becoming the standard. As with most other digital cameras in this price bracket there is no viewfinder.
As you will see from the video the camera I have for review is silver. If you prefer there is also a black version available. On the front of the camera is a small raised area or grip. This helps you to hold the camera steady when taking a shot. This helps to reduce the likelihood of camera shake. This in turn should lead to sharper photographs.
