Fun and easy to use camera

My sons bought this for me for Christmas 2005 (a year ago) to replace my Sony DSC-U30.

The screen on the U30 was too small for me to see if I wasn't wearing my glasses but the giant screen on the T33 is no problem. I have a brand new grandson and take this with me everywhere for those spur of the moment photo opportunities. So far I've not been disappointed. All I want is a camera that lets me point and shoot and this one does that.

The menu is easy to use and adjustments fast and easy. I don't take advantage of the menu selections for special settings like nighttime, bright light, etc even though they're easy to set.

Reviewing pictures you just took is just a matter of switching a button and then scanning each picture. No going through a menu. If you mess up a picture, don't worry. Deleting pictures is also a breeze.

The zoom is also easy to access (just use your thumb and keep your finger ready to snap the picture) and is way more than adequate. I've used more expensive cameras and found that the zoom on this compares favorably with those.

As with most small digital cameras the flash is somewhat limited and causes white spots on some photos.

If I take my time and pre-focus I'm not disappointed with the results. Tell that to a one year old boy who is on the run while grandma is trying to take pictures of him, though. There is sometimes a lag time between the time I push the button and the camera actually snaps the photo. Can't find an explanation for it in the troubleshooting pages of the manual. I think it has to do with lighting.

This little camera has special effects that are available (sepia, for instance).

Something I often forget about is that you can take moving pictures as well. Just switch the button and shoot as with still pictures. It eats up the battery life so it's best for just shorts bursts but comes in handy if the camcorder is not close by.

Size is perfect to slip into a pocket or purse. It's lightweight. The U30 was shorter but bulkier and because it used regular AAA batteries was heavier.

Charging is fast and the battery life is surprisingly good. I bought an extra battery and memory stick but haven't had to use either in spite of the fact that I use the camera daily. I recharge about once every two weeks if that just to keep the battery full strength to the max but it's never even gone past the half way mark after a lot of shooting. I dump the pictures onto my computer about once a week but leave favorites on the camera for those bragging moments that grandmothers often have. FYI, the U30 went through batteries like crazy! The U30 took good pictures but the I love everything about the T33.

I highly recommend this camera.