The A150 is a 10 megapixel camera that uses a 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor. It has a 3x optical zoom and a large 3” display. As it should be in an entry-level camera, the controls are easy to use.

As shown in Figure 4, the top of the camera sports the round on/off button and the larger shutter release. The on/off button is very small and flush to the surface. You have to press at exactly the right spot to turn it on and off. While this is sometimes an inconvenience, it does prevent the camera from being inadvertently turned on when in a pocket or purse.

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Figure 4: The top of the camera.

On the back of the camera, as shown in Figure 5, is the 3” screen. Just to right of the screen are the main camera controls. At the top is the button marked W and T. A press on either side of the button allows you to zoom in and out. The zoom button also works in playback mode so you can zoom into any part of a picture that you took.

Under the Zoom button is an indicator lamp which has three different colors, green, orange, and red. This indicates when the focus is locked, when a picture is being taken, when the flash is charging, or when there is an error.

Under the indicator lights there is a button to the left marked DISP/Back. This turns the screen display on and off and also functions as a back button. On the right is a Playback button.

Under that is a Selector button surrounded by a circular 4-way button. The center selector brings up the menu and is also used as the “okay” button. Press the top of the circular button to send a photo to the trash. Press it to the left for the Macro mode, to the right for the Flash mode, and to the bottom for the Timer mode.

The circular button is also used to move up and down or left and right to make selections on the screen.

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Figure 5: The back of the camera.

The bottom of the camera, shown in Figure 6, has small holes for the speaker. Next to that is the tripod mount. And next to that is a thick, substantial door that covers the battery/media card compartment. Unfortunately, the tripod mount is placed too close to the door, so that when the tripod mount is attached, the battery door cannot be opened.

The  A150 uses four standard AA batteries. Many camera novices will appreciate the fact that a fresh set of batteries is as close as the nearest store, even in foreign countries.

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Figure 6: The bottom of the camera.

The right side of the camera, shown in Figure 7, has only two openings. One is for the mini-USB adapter that is used to connect the camera to the computer. With an addition cable (not included), this can also be used to hook the camera up to a television. The other opening is for attaching the included wrist strap.

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Figure 7: The right side of the camera.