Do you want to play with the Largan Lmini 350 Digital Camera too?
Written: Aug 08 '02 (Updated Aug 08 '02)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
| Photo Quality: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Very inexpensive, meets my needs.
Cons: Can't see photos you've taken.
The Bottom Line: For $23 + shipping = $31.00 this is a great beginner's toy that meets my needs. Don't expect to be able to preview your pictures for $31.00 though.
|
|
|
| jo.com's Full Review: Largan Lmini 350 Digital Camera |
I am reviewing the Largan Digital Lmimi 350 flip flash camera. I had wanted a digital camera for a long time, but as a non-technical person (With a non-technical review.) I had no need for an expensive camera because I wouldn’t even know what to do with it. Hence the Largan, which I found out about right here at this site and bought through epinions for a total of $31 which, included $8.00 of shipping. I know this is old technology and some of you may cringe at the thought of buying and/or using this, but if you are like me, this is terrific.
About the camera
What it comes with:
-A 3V DC Adapter- this is what plugs into an outlet so you aren’t using the battery. The battery drains fairly quickly and although I haven’t had to buy a new one, I have read they are expensive, so I make sure to use the adapter whenever I am putting pictures on the computer.
-An RS232 Cable- this is what gets plugged into the camera and then into your computer so you can load your pictures into your computer. So far so good…
-A CR123A Battery
-A CD that loads the software – this is the easiest software to load ever! It takes about 2 minutes and 2 steps. It comes with Mr. Photo V1.5, and a TWAIN program. I don’t understand what the TWAIN is, but I don’t think I have to in order to review this camera. The installation was simple and it works. It is also explained well in the User’s Guide.
This is really interesting. My husband loaded the software onto his new computer first and took a picture, clicked on Mr. Photo and the picture of the camera which is shown on the screen and there it was. I then went to my old computer with Windows 97 running and installed the software in a minute. Then when I went to download a picture I had taken, my computer crashed. I attempted various things, but it kept crashing so we decided that we would just use his computer and he would send me the pictures. Right before I wrote this I read another review which I had read previously, but I read it again and it states, “I should point out that I have Windows 98SE....so I don't know how the software will interact with other...Microsoft operating systems.”
So I may have my answer, thank you, and perhaps unless I upgrade I won’t be able to use my computer for pictures. The camera was made in 1999 so it makes sense.
Continuing with what the camera has…
-It comes with a camera strap and leatherette case, which has holes so you can put it through a belt.
How the camera works
I will start by telling you that this is one step up from what feels and looks like a toy. It is 2 1/2 inches wide x 4 1/2” long and made of what feels like tin, but is probably a light steel. The website is www.largan.com but I haven’t gone to it because I wanted to write this all on my own. (With a bit of help from the manual.)
The camera has 2 buttons giving you several modes:
-It has a flash mode (automatic, on or off)
-A resolution mode which can be high or low. If you use it at a low resolution you will get 64 pictures from it. At a high resolution you will get 32. I have only used it a high resolution.
-It has a picture counter which shows how many pictures you have taken or how many you have left.
-It has an erasing pictures function where you can erase all the pictures or just the last one.
-It has a self-timer and it shows the battery level.
The modes are easy to use. There are just two buttons and reading the guide once or twice got me familiar enough that I could take a picture. The third button on the top is the one that takes the picture.
I should have realized that for this price I was not going to get to see the pictures I took. Actually just to illustrate how old the technology of this camera is I can tell you that I have used other people's digital cameras and I have never seen one where you don’t see the picture, but what do you want for $24? For me it doesn’t matter.
Like others who buy this camera I wanted it for a couple of reasons. I wanted to be able to take a picture and put it on my computer and I also wanted to be able to take a picture to sell items on ebay. I haven’t done ebay yet, but I have put pictures on my computer. One I will show you because the others I erased. I wanted a picture of the lighthouse from Diamond Head in Hawaii. I have a gorgeous picture from my non-digital camera and whether it is me or my scanner, I don’t know, but scanning pictures just isn’t working for me. In any case I took a picture of the picture and will tell you where to find it. Enlarge it so you can see that it is a decent picture for $23.00. The small picture of it won’t show anything so make sure to enlarge it. Go to: http://groups.msn.com/EpinionsforHealth, click on pictures and then Jo’s Album. You will see “lighthouse from Diamond Head.” Left click it to enlarge it and you will see a picture from this cheap camera of a picture. Not too bad, in my opinion for a 2nd hand picture from this $23.00 camera.
Warranty and service
Having bought it on ebay, this is a non-issue for me but there is a 1-year limited warranty. You are also directed to the nearest Largan office or authorized dealer for advice, but it would probably cost me more in gas than the camera did!
My final thoughts
This is really exactly what I wanted. I just hope my dog doesn’t step on it. Seriously, it is fragile. You have to lift up the flash cover in order for it to start and the first time I did that, I though it would break right off. But it is a great first digital for me and is meeting my needs. If it lasts 1 year I will be happy and perhaps then I'll be ready for the $50 model! I am going to rate it average and recommend it with the caveat that you now know what you will be getting for $23.00 so don’t expect a $230 camera.
If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me. Electronics people, if I have left out anything major that would help the consumer, please let me know. I am comfortable writing this, but it obviously is not my area of expertise.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 23.00
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.