Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've had my c-3020z for about three weeks now and really like it. As a beginning digitial photographer I was interested in a reasonably-priced 3.x MP camera that could take great point-and-shoot photos, but also offered enough manual control to take advantage of as my experience grows. I was also interested in a camera I could purchase a reasonably priced underwater housing for to take diving. The 3020 delivered on all points. I've found the image quality excellent, with sharp detail and accurate color. I take quite a bit of macro animal shots and I've found the detail it captures impressive, even if I blow it up on my PC. The menus are pretty intuitive as well once you learn what is where. I'm still learning when and how to use the manual modes; there are a few to choose from and I'm still figuring out how to take advantage of all this control. Having had a digital camera before, I didn't mess around with alkalines or memory and bought some rechargable NiMh batteries and a 128mb card. I've been pleasantly surprised to find that this camera doesn't chew through batteries nearly as badly as my Kodak did, and a 128mb card is nicely capacious. I can't wait to take it diving. I've had no problems per se, but to be fair, here's what I don't appreciate about this camera: 1. The manual that comes with it is pretty poor. I'm going to get a photograpy book to help learn more about the manual capabilities and how/when to use them. 2. Construction is ok, but the design, quality & feel pales compared to the nice metal Sonys. Plastic back and buttons are not too sexy. 3. Why can't Olympus get the [...] lens cap right!? Since the cap catches on the inside of the barrel, if you leave it on when you powerup, you will hear nasty gear sounds as the lens trys to push off the lens cap. People have criticized this design for quite a while in other Oly c-class reviews. Olympus--this is inexcusable. 4. Macro capability is ok, but limited to about 8". For really close up work, I'm going to probably have to get a macro lens kit. Overall, this is a nice, powerful camera which takes fantastic pictures for a very reasonable price.