I've spent several thousand dollars on camera equipment that is rarely used. No matter what hardware I have, I find myself thinking that I could get better shots with other gear. In order to break that habit, and actually go out and get some pictures, I set myself a goal. I would buy an inexpensive digital camera and take 1,000 photo's. Below are my favorites from the Vivitar ViviCam 3350. This camera is sold at Wal-Mart stores for under $20.

Lose battery connections caused this camera to loose photo's. One trip of lost photo's was one too many for me. I purchased a second Vivitar camera, the 3345 model, and it also lost photo's. As a result, I had abandoned my cheap camera goal and moved on to a more expensive camera. I'm finding, however, that I got better pictures with this $20 camera then with others. Today, I cracked this camera open and soldered in a new battery pack. It's working great, for now.

I enjoy the vignetting, light leaks, and pixelation that happens with cheap cameras. It's somewhat random and interesting. I did a search on the web and found other people with the same feelings about "toy" camera's. So, I bit the bullet today and ordered 3 more "toy" camera's. Total price, $27, including shipping. Look for those galleries at www.joeldare.com in the near future.