Without it you are forced to use the LCD screen to center the pictures, leading to severe battery drain. I keep the LCD screen off when running on batteries, and they seem to last quite a while when just taking pictures. The plugs for the power, and download cables are covered by a flexible rubber sheath, not plastic that is more likely to break from continual bending. Overall I am happy with the pictures the DC200 produces. I hope to have some of them professionally printed on Kodak paper to see how the quality compares to a 35mm.
Colors are very vibrant.
It takes only a few seconds for the camera to process the image, not 10 to 15 as I heard others do. The button on the top of the camera that changes flash modes is too small. I have average size hands and I can't just push it with my finger, I have to use my fingernail. The flash seems to misfire at times, resulting in some darker than normal pictures. It also seems a little underwhelming when it does fire.