An Interesting "Toy" (?)
Written: Dec 31 '00 (Updated Jan 07 '01)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Very easy to set up and use. Movie feature is "neat".
Cons: Quality is poor, but ok for the price being paid. Low res isn't even worth using.
|
|
|
| AtlantaGreg's Full Review: Aiptek Pencam Trio Webcam |
I was having some kind of holiday-ending panic attack this weekend, and decided to go spend some money (that always helps, doesn't it?). I had heard about the Aiptek Pencam Trio through Aiptek's web site, and since I don't own a camcorder, thought it would be interesting to own a gizmo that allows you to take "videos". Hmmm... videos of my dogs for less than $100. My review is based on the cam's still photo and video uses, not it's "web cam" ability, which I have no use for, and have not tried to use it for. Here's my scoop:
THE GOOD
For one, I found it at CompUSA on sale for around $75.00, which was about $10.00 less than other stores in the area. Finding an unexpected lower price on something is always a "plus". Personally, I found setup to be very easy, provided you stick to the "Quick User Guide" that comes with it (basically, just a two-sided xeroxed copy of an instruction sheet). It's easier to understand than the instruction manual, which I feel could confuse newer computer/digital camera users. Between installing the software and USB cable, setup-to-use too about 8 minutes for me. You MUST follow the installation instructions per the instructions (as with all USB devices), or you can cause conflicts. So read.
The camera is about the size of a large, flat, highlight marker. There's a plain plastic "viewfinder" to center your pics with, a small 2 letter LCD display on the back (to let you know what mode you're in), and the camera lens on front. Two buttons control photo taking and mode selection. You cannot get easier than this. Uploading the photos to the computer is quick with the USB, uploading up to 320 pics in seconds.
A nice feature is that when the cam is connected to the computer via the USB cable, it gets it's downloading power from the PC, and not the 2 AAA batteries that it uses. A good plus, since 2 AAA batteries are going to drain VERY fast, unless you use rechargeable Ni-mh batteries. The cam will shut off after about 30 seconds of non-use. You simply aim, shoot, and the photo is taken. The camera will save 80 pictures on "high resolution" setting, and 320 pictures on "low resolution" setting. You can also hold the shutter down in "continuous" mode, and take either approximately 11 seconds of high res "video", or 35 seconds of low res video. Note that "video" is really a series of either 80 or 320 continuous still photos, that the Aiptek software stitches together to form a semi-fluid .Avi movie. Hence, "video".
The software is easy to use, and intuitive if you're even a bit computer-savvy. If not, it may take some work, but it's still not "hard" to use overall. The video creation part of the software does have settings where you can adjust the frame rate of the videos before you create them, to increase or decrease the "fluidity" of the video motion. There is also an area that simply (with no explanation) says "enhanced" when creating video, but by my eye, I saw no increase in clarity on the videos when using this setting.
The still photos and videos in high res mode were "decent". I mean, we're not talking about a $300 digital camera here, so don't expect 35mm quality photos, or camcorder quality movie clips. Still, for very casual email use, the pics are fine, and you can save the .Avi movies on CD-R disks; a nice thing for those cute pet or baby clips. Note however, that even a short .Avi video clip is about 4 megs in size - a 56k Internet connection would take about 20 minutes or so to download this; so emailing video clips is not a realistic thing unless you and the receiver have cable or DSL high speed service.
THE BAD
Inexpensive grade plastic makes up the construction of this cam, making it feel like a cheap toy. Drop it on the floor and I'll bet you'll have a broken cam, unless you have plush carpeting. In other words... take care.
There is no way to cover the lens, and no lens cap, so watch out or you can scratch it. It is a bit recessed however, and flush with the front of the cam, so it's a bit harder to hit it against something than a lens that sticks out. Invest in a small pouch.
Personally, I feel that Aiptek should have not included the "low resolution" setting at all on this camera. 320 pics sounds impressive, but they're so incredibly low in quality, I can see no practical use for them at all. The low res video is equally dismal, and very pixelated (blocky); though you can get nearly 40 seconds of video in this mode, they're almost unwatchable, so if you're getting this cam for the video feature, count only on being able to take the approximately 11 seconds of video in high res mode. It would have been very nice if Aiptek had a "medium resolution" setting on this cam, that maybe allowed 150 pics and 25 seconds of video in an adequate quality, rather that the way the resolutions are now, which is "good" or "bad".
Be aware, that in still picture mode, even on higher quality, distance shots have a "fish eye" or "circular" effect around the edges of the photos. This is less noticeable on closer shots, but don't expect to use this cam for scenic shots at all. This circular effect actually can be seen on most photos, and even the videos, but it's most noticeable on long range shots.
Also be aware, that you need G O O D indoor lighting in order to take pics indoors (there's no flash, of course). Regular lamp light is not good enough. If the lighting is too low, the camera will simply give you an error beep, and not take a photo. I found that indoors, I could only take photos in the extremely bright hallway or my bathroom (whoopie) after dark if there was no natural sunlight coming into the room. The movie mode does seem to work in lower light, but you simply cannot make anything out well at all. (Just an F.Y.I.)
A WARNING
(added on 1/7/01): Yesterday I received a catalog from a company called "Lifestyle Fascination". In it, they show the Aiptek Pencam (the older version too... with 1/3 the memory of the current one), and list it at $139.95, U.S. Please do not fall for stuff like this from dime-a-dozen companies like this. Their description goes on to say it takes, "high quality photos for your next family get together or vacation" - neither of which is an appropriate use for this camera if you'd like real "digital photos" of these events. So again, watch out - it seems the gadget companies are getting ahold of old stock now, and trying to make some $$$ off of the appeal of owning a spy-like camera.
FINAL OPINIONS
This is a neat little toy for older kids, or adults who just like gizmos. You're not paying much, so as long as you don't expect much, you'll be happy. In other words, it's fun to play with, but not fun for serious digital photos, if that's what you're after. For very (and I do mean VERY) casual and basic digital pics in good lighting, this camera is fine. For very casual and very short video clips of the pets or kids to save to CD-R disks, again, this is fine. While I've not tried it as a web cam for videoconferencing, the sales person at CompUSA says it's "only so-so" in that category, and tends to be dark and blurry.
If you consider paying $70-80 for something to play with a decent price, then go ahead and try the Pencam Trio. DO NOT pay more for it as some companies are charging as much as they think people will pay for "fluffed-up" descriptions of it. If you expect better quality than what you'll get, plan on spending about $499, and get an Olympus digital camera with Quicktime movie mode, and you'll have much higher quality (with the price).
Older computers and digital cameras of any sort, usually don't mix. Unless you have a Pentium class computer (200mhz or more) with Windows 98, and at least 64 megs of RAM, as well as some spare hard drive space in order to store the program and pics on, you'll be disappointed. Remember too, it's a USB cable, which old systems may not be able to use. Do your homework before buying, and know what system you have.
For sample photos that I've taken, you can see them by visiting my Yahoo photo site at: http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/greg30127 and click on the "Aiptek Pencam sample photos" album.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
AtlantaGreg
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Member: Greg
Location: Powder Springs, GA USA
Reviews written: 81
Trusted by: 4 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.