I got this as a gift for my 13 year old niece. She's the "official" photographer for her online school newspaper and wanted to use a dedicated camera instead of her cell phone..

I'll begin with my impressions, and then add hers.

First, the camera is really light. Holding it on the subject, even for an extended period of time, doesn't require a lot of effort. The controls are straightforward and easy to use. There's usually a learning curve with a digital camera, but I had this one working in just a few minutes.

The five power zoom does a great job in maintaining a sharp image throughout the entire range of magnification. I was also impressed by the fact that the camera comes with two batteries and a SD card. A lot of them don't.

A charger is included and the cable plugs directly into the camera. The extra battery is also charged this way.

Picture quality? Outstanding. The auto focus works well and produces excellent images. I have a name-brand camera that i paid three times as much as this one costs, and frankly, it's difficult to determine the difference in picture quality.

What did my niece think of it? Loves it. The quality gives her what she needs to produce sharp, clear images, and the ease of use lets her grab a shot when there's very little time to prepare.

Overall, the camera delivers a lot of value for the price. It's lightweight and takes up very little room. I definitely recommend it!