I'm in the market for a new digital camera. Anyone find one that will work under Linux without a lot of work? About the only things I definitely want is for it to use rechargable batteries and would like it to use CompactFlash memory cards. If I have to I already have a card reader for my old camera since couldnt even get that one to work in xp.

Thanks
Jim

It looks like the good news is that most modern cameras are going to be compatible. My recent research is that most cameras that have USB interfaces use either the Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP, or PictBridge in Canon-speak) or USB Storage protocol. Some have both. The gphoto2 library suports PTP cameras (the three cameras I've tested all worked), and is used by the popular gthumb utility. USB Mass Storage allows you to mount the camera as if it were a removeable flash drive, and any file-reading tool can access the camera that way.

As I see it, the picture looks good (pun intended). I just wish the type of USB support built in would be more prominantly specified in manufacturer literature and also by cameras reviewers like dpreveiw.com. Most manufacturers just say "Windows XP or Mac required".

--- rod.

I have a cheap BenQ DC C35 3 megapixel camera that works fine in linux. The usb storage works without any special drive or setting. USB WebCam works like a champion using the SPCA5xx driver. I am using it with kopete and software motion detect, both working just fine. However, the spca5xx driver was not installed by default. I have to find it and compile by my self, what was very easy.

i use a samsung Didgimay A6 (6 Mpixel)
this uses SD cards but supports both protocalls.
i just acsess it as a USB drive under SuSE 10.0 exactly as if i was using my USB pen drive!, auto recognised, hotplug... automaticly mounted. can unmount form the /media directory in Kopete.... no problems, and superb picture quality with plenty of fetures (manual shutter speeds manual aperture, ISO, or total automatic point and press)

i have a canon powershot sd200 elph and it works fine in ubuntu. all i did was plug it in and it asked me if i wanted to import the pictures. it will even automatically delete the pictures from the camera once they're imported

if you find a camera you like and you are not sure how well it will work with linux take a look in the HCL

I have 2 digital cams that use CF cards and I just use a USB CF-card reader. It should mount automatically in Mandriva 2006. So the type of camera is not really that important as the media it uses...

KC

For a bunch of good info, see

http://www.gphoto.org

--- rod.

Well went and got me a Fuji FinePix A360 with 4.1Mega Pixel. Probably could have gotten a little better one but what I liked was it came with rechargeable batteries. Went ahead and loaded the drivers into xp worked fine but wasnt really worried about it there. What I really liked is it loaded without any messing around or needing drivers in Linux!!! This camera uses an xD picture card will do short movies with sound and a couple of other extras not really sure if I will use most of them. Also comes with two CDs of windoze crap one just of stuff from walmart. What really inpressed me is it was less work getting it to work in Linux than xp, could be just me but also seams like it is reconized in Linux faster and uploads the pics faster.