GE X500 bridge camera

[n1kn0k]

I would like to ask if anyone here has tried this GE X500 bridge camera:
16.0 Megapixels
16.5 Megapixels [1/2.3” (CCD)]
4.9mm (Wide) ~ 73.5mm (Tele)
27mm (Wide) ~ 405mm (Tele)
F3.0 (Wide) ~ F5.2 (Tele)
15X Optical zoom
Focusing Range
Anti-Handshake
6 x Digital Zoom
OIS (anti-handshake)
runs on AAA batteries.
SD Card/SDHC Card (Up to 16GB support)
Internal Memory: 13.7MB
4 x AA battery
USB2.0/AV-OUT

On paper, the technical specs looks good, and priced less than 150 USD - that's quite a value! The feedback I read from users is that it takes "decent" shots, but is decent good enough for a scanning project? Probably. You could get two of these for the price of one Canon P&S.

An interesting feature is "continuous shot" that allows you to shoot continuously with user-defined interval (up to 30 seconds between shots) after the shutter is pressed.

If it looks very similar to the Finepix S-Series Bridge cameras from Fujifilm, don't be surprised. It's made by an ODM from China and is also re-badged by Agfa.

I wonder how "hackable" this camera is and how it works with Linux or gphoto. Looking for THE cheap camera to go with my soon to be supercheap book scanner.

[daniel_reetz]

I looked at some GE cameras a few months ago and IIRC the problem was almost no manual control - be sure to check on that. Also have a glance around for image samples...

[vitorio]

I decided against considering GE cameras.

From my notes over on this thread:

It also appears that cameras labeled as Bell & Howell, Vivitar and GE are similar model OEM cameras with incredibly poor lenses/sensors/false MP ratings (according to anecdotes on the internet) and should be avoided.

Based on that, these seem to be best bets for 16MP cameras:

• Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 - no IR review, but a better-lensed model does - Amazon (out of stock from Amazon, available from other sellers)
• Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W570 - IR review - Amazon
• Canon Powershot A3300 - IR review - Amazon

I expect the equivalent 14MP models would also be good bets.

They're all available for ~$100US. I picked up the Sony for $99 from Amazon.