The Bottom Line: Good camera for beginner or average photographer. Takes good photos. Works great in everyday situations, but lasted less than 2 years. For this reason, think about buying a different brand.

I purchased the Olympus Stylus 730 as my first digital camera. I don't claim to be a photographer and typically use this camera for "everyday life" pictures such as parties, camping, outings with friends, travel, etc. and have been happy with the quality of pictures. The camera is easy to use, but a bit slow when taking pictures. It's easy to miss shots as it takes about 3 seconds from the time you press the button to the time the picture is actually taken.
There is no view finder on the camera, but it offers a huge LCD screen which measures about 3" x 2.5" and makes it really easy to see what you are taking a picture of.
The zoom is a nice feature because instead of only being able to choose 3 or 4 zoom modes by pressing a button, the zoom "button" slides back and forth so you have the ability to choose the exact distance of the picture.

I've had the camera for about 1 1/2 years and am disappointed that it has already broken. The zoom suddenly stopped working when I was in the middle of taking picutres, so I turned the camera off. When I tried to turn it back on, the screen would flash the words "zoom error" and turn off again. After calling the service center, it sounds like this is a somewhat common occurence and it costs $150 to fix.

However, if not for this issue, the camera is great for everyday use and takes quality pictures