Pros: MPEG-4 videos, mp3 player, expandable SD slot up to 1GB, very convenient, affordable
Cons: not Mac-compatible, not compact (but still a nice size!)
The Bottom Line: I recommend this for anybody, especially teens -- I know they'll love it (I do!). It's not 100% professional, but a very decent camera and very convenient.
mayene_deleon's Full Review: Aiptek Pocket DV5900 Flash Media Camcorder
Although I usually go for the ultra-compact to compact cameras, this "medium" sized camera made my eye twinkle. The last camera I bought before the DV5900 is also by Aiptek, and I still have it (the PocketCamX). Judging from the service the PocketCam has served me with, I trusted Aiptek in buying another one of their products.
Originally, I was thinking I was buying Aiptek's DV4500. I spent time looking at several reviews and it had a decent 4 stars, on average (my PocketCam had only 3, so anything higher would do ok). Though there were a few disastrous "don't buy" type of reviews, I tried my luck -- who wouldn't upon seeing such a camera for only $99.99 (at Circuit City)? I thought of it as an upgrade from my last Aiptek camera for about $20 more.
When I went to Circuit City, I didn't know what a great buy I'd have until I actually opened the box and tried the thing.
On display, it was the Aiptek DV4500 that caught my eye, and when I finally went back to get it, a salesperson led me to the shelf and handed me the box. Sure enough, it said DV4500 on the cover, but I noticed another package that also claimed to be the DV4500. Comparing the two packages, the one in a plastic package said 2004 and was all silver; the one in the box said 2005 and had black lining on the camera.
So here's the deal: Aiptek's DV5900 is exactly like their DV4500 EXCEPT! that they may have fixed some slight errors (whether technical and/or in design) that many people may have complained about on the DV4500. Included in the box comes a mini-tripod, a camera case, USB cable, TV/VCR output cable (to play/display your files on TV, which is really great incase you don't have access to a computer right away but you do a TV and there are plenty of people around to share it with!), headphones (an extra added from the DV4500 package), software/manual, wriststrap, and some AA batteries to get you started. A suggestion on batteries: get some rechargeable ones (I did). Get at least 4 AA rechargeable batteries so that while you're using two, the other can charge and so on. Getting rechargeables will significantly reduce the cost, since constantly buying AA batteries (even lithium, since they run expensive) may drain your wallet just like the camera is a high-drain electronic on [alkaline] batteries.
The main function of the DV5900 is it's video camera function, which is awesome. It takes MPEG-4 (VHS quality) videos, and the length of the video is only limited to the amount of memory available for the camera (16MB internal memory, and an expandable MMC/SD slot which accepts up to 1GB). The camcorder has three settings: 640 x 480 (VGA) up to 11 fps, 352 x 288 (CIF -- this is the default) up to 30 fps (which is actually pretty good -- I've taken several short/medium-length clips and all do the camera justice), and 160 x 128 up to 30 fps. The microphone sits on top of the camera and is very sensitive (taking a video walking down the street will pick up cars a couple streets down driving by, and will definitely pick up the wind). You have the option of video playback on the camera with sound. The speaker is nicely on one side and does a good job.
Secondly, taking still pictures is just as awesome as taking movies. The settings go from 2 Megapixels to 5 Megapixels, 3MP being the default (and very crisp). However, there is no viewfinder so taking pictures in the dark may be tricky, but fortunately the flash does work very well (especially compared to Aiptek's PocketCam), though you really should consider buying rechargeable batteries if you plan to buy this camera since the flash strobe does drain regular alkaline batteries pretty fast. It takes a few seconds for the flash to charge, before and in between taking pictures, but does justice as long as you're not ridiculously far from your subject (and being too close for those personal headshots for yourself and/or with friends will overexpose the picture). There is no optical zoom, but there is an option for 4x digital zoom. Did I mention you can zoom while recording videos? Yes, that's an option, too, but the zoom in and out during videos will not be a smooth thing, it's choppy.
An exciting feature of the DV5900 is its capability of playing MP3s. A downside to loading files onto the camera, though, is it won't accept/play Windows Media files. I'm not sure if there's a way to convert these so that they will officially say "mp3 file" under properties. A flaw I've found, however, with the MP3 player function is that if I load MP3s onto an SD card instead of storing them on the internal memory, some of the songs randomly get mixed up and jumbled (they don't play correctly) and skip, cut, etc. I'm not sure if this defect is due to my files, my card, or the camera. But this isn't the main function of the camera, just a nice extra to have handy. The sound quality is very decent, both through the headphones they supply and the built in speaker.
As if that isn't enough, this thing also has a voice recorder: record lectures, notes, weird noises, short blurbs, etc. as long as your memory hold it.
Finally, you can use it as a webcam. When you connect the camera to your PC, you can use the software included to record videos on the computer using the USB cable and power extracted from the PC instead of batteries. However, when I tried this once, the video wouldn't play back (you need a special codec/driver to download and install for this to work, but the link the error message gave me only lead to something I had to pay for which was a real bummer). Hey, the camera takes good movies by itself anyhow. My complaints are limited and few.
A downfall to this camera (and most others) is that it's only PC compatible. Unfortunately, for Mac users (which my dad is and sadly sore about this camera for not being so) this isn't cool.
The camera's design is simple and the camera is easy to figure out (I didn't really have to read the manual to get started and all that jazz). On the top corner, there's a convenient wheel that makes switching from camcorder to camera to MP3 player to voice recorder and so on easily. Settings are straightforward. One thing about the design that might make some a little worried is the opening to where the headphone jack, AV out, and USB cable connection is under -- it's a flimsy, thin rubber cover and is only attached to the camera by a tiny piece of rubber. Seems fragile, but just take good care of it. It's fine. The opening to where the batteries and SD card slot is seems a little tough and sometimes difficult to open, but at least you know your batteries won't fall out!
I definitely recommend this camera!
Edit [08/09/06]: As I constantly use this camera, I came across an incident where I dropped it (oh no!), and as I note on the battery cover and such, well... the battery cover broke off. Yes, yes, this camera does have a [heavy] plastic feel, but I still, nevertheless, recommend it. The tiny piece of rubber that covers the headphone jack, AV out, and USB slots... well that came off too. It came off because I usually throw (not literally) my camera into my backpack during school and leave it in there while I scramble around with my backpack. So that's ok. The main point, however, still remains, that I can still use it as an awesome camera (I just had to duct tape the battery cover on). And I have recently been using it as a webcam, which serves as a very clear and responsive webcam! I'm still pleased with this camera. And of course, I still recommend it. =)
The New Pocket DV5900 is a multi-functional DV camera designed for capturing precious moments anytime, anywhere. It's equipped with a 5 mega-pixel res...More at Walgreens
6-in-1 multi-function digital camcorder, still camera, MP3 player, webcam, digital voice recorder, and removable hard disk Max resolution up to 5 mega...More at Amazon Marketplace
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