can anyone recommend a 'no-frills' camera

[beyond words]

hi
i want to buy a digital camera with these features -
without a lcd screen or a very small lcd screen
without zoom
with usb support to connect to a pc

so far the closest match has been the Sony DSCU60 2.0 Megapixel Digital Camera which is no longer available

any help would be appreciated
thank you.

[readingr]

What are you going to use it for. No LCD could be difficult today as they all have one.

Are you looking for a webcam?

Roger

[beyond words]

thanks for replying
what i'm looking for is a camera which is extremely durable, which consumes as less battery power as possible, and which can make captures as quickly as possible without any fuss.I don't need it to take long distance or short distance shots,if i can see it with my eyes,i expect the camera to take the picture just as i see it,without zooming in or out.I see it,click,i grab it,done,no fuss,next snap.
I have tried other digital cameras,and the battery life has been awful,and i ended up spending unreasonable amounts of money on batteries.the lens having to pop inwards and outwards while zooming,and the lcd monitor,i suspect ,tax the battery too much.the less moving parts in the camera,the better.
i'm in love with simplicity,so if you could suggest what in your opinion is the simplest and most practical camera available today,that would be very helpful.
thank you.

[dumpy]

I don't need it to take long distance or short distance shots,if i can see it with my eyes,i expect the camera to take the picture just as i see it,without zooming in or out.I see it,click,i grab it,done,no fuss,next snap.

This is the tough part IMHO, especially without a zoom lens. Most people don't realize what an adaptable tool the human eye is. Its a very wide angle lens that also lets zoom in a bit (or at least ignore a lot of stuff). Working with a prime lens (no zoom) you are limited to a certain limited field of view, for that matter all lenses limit you a certain amount, but with a zoom you can change how limited.

The human eye vs. a camera doesn't end their either. The human eye ignores certain things that cameras will pick up on. Light that you may think of as white, isn't always white. Florescent lights for example are actually a greenish color. This is what white balance corrects for. Auto white balance tries to replicate the human eye is best as it can, it usually does this well enough for most casual photographers, but there may still be odd color casts.

The amount of light in a scene is also a huge factor. The human eye adapts very well to low light situations. Cameras can do pretty well, but something that you see fine with your eye may look dark in a photo. You want to talk about a fast lens (one that lets more light in), the human (and other animals even more so) eye is a super fast lens and with a huge depth of field (everything is in focus). Canon, Nikon, Olympus and all the others wish they could make a lens like that.
Cameras adapt to less light reaching the sensor by lengthening the exposure time. With fast motion this can mean blurry pictures.

None of that was meant to discourage, just to explain. Now I'll give my suggestion on a camera or rather what to look for.

First off you are 100% right that lens motion (both zoom and focus) as well as the LCD screen are big drains on battery life. Some cameras allow you too turn the LCD off. I have a Canon S2IS point and shoot, it allows the LCD to be flipped in (protected) and turned off. However the viewfinder is in actuality also a small LCD screen, smaller drain, but still a drain. So a camera with a similar set up may be a good idea for you.

As far as zoom is concerned, I don't know of any point and shoots that have prime lenses. You could get a digital SLR (usually more complicated and expensive), attach a prime lens and shoot in Auto mode. Or you could buy a point and shoot and not use the zoom, leave it one focal length.

Or what you should really do (and I think others will echo this statement) is read some of the wonderful reviews on here and find an easy to use camera that also has good battery life. If you don't want to spend a lot to replace batteries, do not buy a camera that uses Lithium Ion, these batteries have a shelf life regardless of the amount/type of use (around 2 years), but they do tend to last longer before needing a recharge. Instead look for something that either uses NiMH or AAs and buy a few sets of rechargeable (NiMH) AAs (not that expensive). I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the battery life on many current cameras.
USB is pretty much standard, but if you find one that you like that doesn't have USB, card readers are very cheap these days. I actually saw (on clearance) an SD reader for $2 a few months ago. A card reader is usually a more efficient way to transfer the images anyway, plus it doesn't drain your camera's battery.

Also go bigger than 2 megapixel, there is a reason that camera is no longer made, thats roughly the resolution of a camera phone.

[Frog]

I can't think of a camera like you describe but how about a camera phone?
I don't have one but aren't they pretty basic?

[readingr]

Have you looked at something like Oregon Scientific waterproof action cam

http://gadgets.multiplayer.ro/2008/0...ction-cam.html

Roger

[beyond words]

thanks for replying,everyone

readingr,i think this 'oregon scientific waterproof action cam' is one of a kind and wouldn't be easily available especially here in india,besides,it's a video camera and i'm looking for digital camera to take still pictures

frog, i made it a point that my phone is the most basic model,what can i say? ,i really dislike complicated gadgets

dumpy,your post was very informative,it helped me to define more clearly,what my ideal camera should be like

thanks again everyone