Two post ago I compared a view Kodak cameras I found at Walmart, and bought the one with best overall performance. However, after I got the camera, the build of the camera factored in as well. I got the package in about a week. One interesting thing is that the packaging guy put in cushioning materials in a least sensible way, like the following

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I’ve had my D80 for more than 2 years. I just can’t know it too well – I probably only used half of its features. While the image quality is really significantly better than the compact cameras I used before, I shoot less and less because it’s such a burden to take it with me all the time. One of the fundamental rule many professional photographers emphasize is “always bring your camera”. It’s not hard to understand that the most unlikely events will most likely happen when you are unprepared. I absolutely agree but it’s just not practical for me, for 3 out of 5 weekdays I need to travel with my laptop, 5lbs, and sometimes a book in the messenger bag as well. Carrying an extra bag not only slows me down when I need to catch a bus, it’s also makes my everyday trip miserable. So I need a compact camera!

But I don’t want anything beyond $200.00. I can get another lens for my D80 and I will have completed my little lens collection. A couple really cheap models attracted my attention. One of them was from Polaroid, costing only $80 last Christmas with a touch-screen control. Brilliant! But my coupon expired so I passed on it. More recently, after seeing an HD video on someone’s blog, I found HD recording is quite charming. The images are so sharp and with Vimeo and Flickr, sharing video art has become technically mature. So I want it too.

I came across with Kodak V1073 , compared in this post, at Walmart. It’s the first compact camera I saw with HD recording feature, yet it was so cheap! Think about D90 asking for $900+, this is only $180, although the latter is 720p/i. And there are cheaper ones!

Here are the key factors affecting my choice:

• price
• size, including portability and durability
• zoom
• resolution
• video

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