Customer Reviews

Pentax EI-200 2.11MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I received this camera as a gift, and found the wonder in not using film. Freinds were captivated, and I was impressed. This is not easy as I am a semi-professional photagrapher for years. Colors and details were exellent, while the auto settings worked great. It has the ability to manual adjust many settings but this is usually not necessary.

Despite the fact that the first EI-200 I received needed warranty service because the display alternated between color & b/w, I'm very happy with this camera. It's a very intuitive compact 3x optical zoom camera.

The USB connectivity works great with your PC, and transferring photos to your PC is -much- faster than cameras with a serial connector. Connecting the camera to your TV for a "slide show" is quick and easy, too.

It wouldn't hurt to consider the HP618 as an alternative. The camera is almost exactly the same; just has HP's logo. I believe HP throws in a few extra accessories with the camera, too.

Must have's for this camera: At least 8 NiMH rechargeable batteries (4 to run the camera; 4 for a spare set), NiMH battery charger, LowePro D-Res 25AW camera case (fits the camera like a glove), Viking Compact Flash Type I Memory Card (at -least- 32Mb; I went for 64Mb).

Check the Pentax website for a free operating system upgrade to 1.11; addresses some issues with fuzzy photos.

Check out the Digita Photo website for free scripts to customize menus, watermarks, etc. (Pentax licenses the operating system from Digita).

Whoah..... I have to admit this is the first digital camera i've ever owned.... It's quite large and heavy, but it has a really great lens and the standard settings are great for starters... The quality of the photo's is superb.

I own a few "normal" camera's and i'm not a pro in making photo's. I use both my regular APS and my digital camera when I'm out to take pictures. The big advantage of a digital camera is the direct look and (usually) delete option. This one looks like a camera and not like a discman or mp3player. A camera is made to make photo's and not to look cool in your pocket... The lens is one of the best there is... And it's really user friendly!

The big disadvantage is the battery life... it uses 4 aa batteries. ....

Despite this little disadvantage it's a 5 star rating in my book!

I've had the EI - 2000 for about 6 months now and have shot approx 1000 shots with it - I have only had to recharge the batteries 3 times total - very, very good on battery power (prob likely due to the SLR which means you don't chew up battery power looking at what you're going to shoot). Photo quality is superb. Functionality is great - you can use as point and shoot or it also has the ability to totally control the shot if you want. Neatest feature is the Jetsend function - point at a printer, press a button, and the current photo prints. Can't say enough good things about this camera.

I have nothing but good to say about this camera. I own several film cameras, but digital is the way to go. The EI 200 is light and gives good battery life. With a 64 mg compact flashcard I filled the card and used only one set of batteries. The LCD screen disappears in bright light, so trying to change settings in difficult. This also makes macro difficult because you cannot see to focus. The situation with the LCD screen is the reason I gave it 4 stars rather than 5. I also wish Pentax made a remote which works light a cable release. The one they offer with the 3 second delay is a waste of money.

Has any camera manufacturer come up with a digital camera with interchangable and manual focus lenses? That would be the best of both worlds.

However, the EI 200 is a nice, light camera for use when size or weight is important. You can shoot to your hearts content without having to worry about wasting film. Purchasing this camera was an excellent choice.

A very nice camera for a new user to the more advanced. Very easy to use, made me feel like a pro. Great Photos.

I have used this camera since Christmas 2000. I finally gave in and bought a 512 MB Compact Flash card. That allows me to take pictures at the highest quality, even though I have never been dissatisfied with the medium quality setting I used as a trade off between picture quality and available storage space. At the highest quality it is easy to make good 5 x 7, even 8 x 10, prints.

I like the Adobe Photoshop 5.0 LE software that came with the camera. It is for Windows 98. When I got a new laptop loaded with Windows XP, I began to use the free open-source photo editor called GIMP.

Unlike some digital cameras, the memory card on this camera appears in My Computer just like another storage device. I have even used the camera to move regular data files to another computer. The connection is by means of a standard USB cable. But, the cable that came with my camera had a flaw in it and the camera would not always connect to the computer until I replaced the cable.

I like the number and type of manual controls available in the menu. My wife has a much newer digital camera and the controls are more limited. This camera also feels like a real camera in my hand, not like a deck of playing cards with buttons. The color and the exposure have always been very, very good on the automatic setting. I have tried to take my own picture several times using the self-timer, but the focus was not good. Set the focus manually for the approximate distance range by means of the menu. I like the feature that balances the flash with existing light for properly exposed faces in evening and night scenes. I cannot say much about battery usage because I have always used rechargeable NiMH batteries or an AC/DC adapter.

Like all digital cameras, the flash synchronization does not allow using auxillary flashes fired by a slave trigger sensing the on camera flash firing. For group pictures in a church I turn the flash "off," set the light balance to tungsten, and use a 1500 W. halogen shop light on a stand.

The selection knob on top of the camera became unpredictable after three or four years of light to moderate use. I dismantled the camera and found dirty grease on the wiper brushes. The camera has been fine since cleaning the contacts. If you attempt that, keep a record of which screw goes into which hole. Some screws look alike, but are not. After reassembly I had one small pin left over, but nothing on the camera has malfunctioned since without it.

The viewfinder shows less coverage than will be in the actual picture. For maximum quality, check the display screen or get a bit closer so all of the image can be used without cropping.

This has been my first experience with a digital camera after many years of serious amateur work with various film cameras. I am amazed at the quality of pictures from point and shoot usage. Someday I would enjoy moving up to a high resolution digital SLR with a host of manual controls.