Aiptek Pocket DV II 1.3MP Digital Web Camera
[Archived in $0 - $100, Digital Cameras + Camcorders, Products, Under 2 Megapixels]
Manufacturer: D&H
Price at amazon.com:
New from $74.99
Product Description:
Capture memories and carry them safely in your pocket with this highly versatile Aiptek Pocket DV2 Digital Camera. The DV2 works as a digital still camera, a video camcorder, a digital voice recorder, or a video conferencing tool. You can record video easily with one-touch synchronized audio/video or capture high-quality digital images and play them back and display them all immediately on your TV or PC. Or use the 1.4" color LCD screen for real-time color display and playback. The DV2 also doubles as an external CF card reader. Plug in a standard Compact Flash card to boost your DVD's memory to 512 MB and make your own VCD movies in 3 easy steps: record, edit, burn. Also includes cool tabletop mini tripod, USB cable and an AV cable. (CF card not included). Software included: CyberLink PowerDirector PRO, CyberLink Media show SE, CyberLink VideoLive mail, Microsoft NetMeeting, Ulead Systems Photo Explorer, Ulead systems Photo Express.
Average Customer Rating:
Comment: if you enjoy pictures with bad quality, go right ahead... Rating:
don't waste your money on this! i haven't even heard of this company, but they really should consider improving this camera. the quality is bad, and dark. just looking at the lcd screen makes my eyes hurt. when hooked up to the computer, however bright your light is in your room, it's really dark and you have to toggle with the controls on a photoshop software in order to make the picture decent. i don't think that's worth it. and sometimes it doesn't even work, even if you do try to fix it in a photoshop program. and it has an annoying beeping sound when you turn it on and take pictures. you should seriously reconsider, if you're thinking of buying this item. unless you're extremely careful with it, and you don't mind the bad quality, then i guess it's okay if you buy it. but i wouldn't suggest taking professional pictures with it.
by the way, it broke by the second week that i had bought it. it must've gotten jostled in my purse or something, but it refused to turn on after a while, and when it did, it kept taking pictures by itself.
Comment: Excellent value for money. Rating:
The 2 MP camera is real - without a flash, pictures taken in dark settings don't turn out well, but for $90 I can forgive the absence of a flash.
Video quality is good. It's a bit surprising that a 1280x960 resolution camera only records video at 320x240x10fps, but then again, based on converting video of different framerates and sizes on a PC, the power necessary to compress video is much more than one can expect to find in a chip inside this small camera. The video which it does record turns out well.
Sound quality is fair, but even having it on a digital camera device is a bonus. It's mono sound, not stereo, but it turns out quite well with the microphone built-in on front of the camera. Playback is similar in quality to recording, using a single built-in speaker on the side, but it's good enough to accurately portray what you recorded.
The LCD screen is nice. Although only 1.4" diagonal, it's enough to preview what you've shot. The built-in menu system is intuitive and easy to use, requiring only a few buttons.
If you get this camera, do get a CompactFlash card. I picked up a 256MB card for about $50, able to store about an hour of video, or about 2.5 hours of audio. Also get rechargeable batteries - as with all digital camera equipment, batteries drain rapidly (a few hours use or less with the LCD on can drain them). The LCD screen can be turned off during use to conserve battery time.
Summary: a very nice package for the price. With a flash this camera would compare well with digital cameras in the $200 range. Sound and video capture boost this way ahead of other similarly priced cameras.
Comment: Great for what it is Rating:
If you are looking for a good digital still camera, this is a poor choice. With that in mind, I have a 3 megapixel camera for taking quality stills. However, when you want a camera that you can throw in a bag or a pocket for spontaneous digital movies, you cannot beat this. I got a 256 mb card for it that gives me about 60 minutes of video. We just got back from an overnight trip to San Francisco and I took short movies throughout the day and evening. Everyone was asking about the camera and was amazed that it was so inexpensive and small. It's smaller and lighter than my 3 mp camera and is pretty rugged. It does lack a flash, but again, that would only be useful if you were using it for stills (and to be honest, the still pictures it takes are low quality). The recorded video is 320x240 AVI format with pretty decent sound.
Posted at November 11, 2003 07:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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