Polaroid PDC700- Pretty Decent Combo
Written: Aug 06 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good price, Good Quality
Cons: Eats BATTERIES
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| Buckstlkr1's Full Review: Polaroid PhotoMax PDC 700 Digital Camera |
When I started looking into a Polaroid digital camera for my daughter, I had already purchased a Hewlett Packard C30 digital camera. So I thought that I knew enough about cameras to make an informed decision. I fist looked at a Polaroid 640 and thought it look like a good deal. The camera had ok resolution and the price was what I was looking for. It was to be a gift from my parents to my daughter for Christmas.
To make a long story short, I saw the model 640 on sale at Wal-mart for $180. I called ahead to make sure they had it, they told me they had two in stock. So I went up there to purchase it right away. But when I got up there a few minutes, later they couldn't find any in stock. So I asked to speak with the manager. To please an upset customer, he sold me the upgraded model 700 at the model 640's sale price, a forty dollar savings.
The Polaroid PDC 700 is a small digital camera, 3"w x 4"h x 1 1/2"d. I thought this would be a great little camera for my daughter. But with the small size comes a problem. Polaroid put the lens of this camera in the upper left hand corner, making it very easy to get close up shots of your finger. This is a very easy mistake to make. I personally believe that it's one of the two worst problems with the camera.
When looking a digital camera, I look at four things; resolution, memory, downloading, and power source. When it comes to resolution, the Polaroid PDC 700 has just slightly less than a megapixel, with a resolution of 1024x768 at the highest setting. I thought that this would be great resolution for the price of the camera. But there is a problem. I personally think it's the lens, because even at highest resolution setting the pictures are not quite as clear as I would have expected. Now don't get me wrong, they're not bad, far from it, but I would have thought they would be better is all.
When it comes to setting the resolution the Polaroid PDC 700 can be a little confusing. First there are two pixel resolution modes, XGA and VGA. But then in each of these setting there are three sub setting Superfine (SF), fine (F), and normal (N). This basically gives you six resolution settings in total. This is how many pictures you would get on the setting (based on the 4mb internal memory). On the VGA setting, this is the number of photos you get on each setting SF-22, F45, and N90. But then on the XGA setting, you would be able to get this many photos out of your internal memory card SF-12, F-25, and N-50. As you can see there are huge differences. Now, when you get into the higher picture numbers, the quality really drops off. Here quantity versus quality is the sacrifice. But overall, I guess for the price it's hard to beat.
The next thing I looked at was memory. The memory on the Polaroid PDC 700 is kind of interesting. The 700 has an internal memory of 4MB. That is not too bad, that is what the resolution numbers are based on, and you can see it's not too bad. Once you fill the internal memory you have two options. The first is to download the photos to a removable memory card (sold separately). Unfortunately though, you can not store pictures directly to the removable memory card while taking photos, they automatically go to the internal card. The second option is that you can download them to the computer.
This leads to downloading pictures. The Polaroid PDC 700 comes with a serial cable connection. Compared to my other camera, the Polaroid is very slow. It takes 25 to 30 minutes to download 4mb. The camera has a port labeled USB but its covered up and I can find no information about it at the Polaroid web site or through any other means. At least while downloading, I can use the AC adapter.
Next there is the power source. The Polaroid PDC 700 uses four AA batteries. Well, uses is not quite the right word for it, it's more like devour. The camera goes through a set of batteries about ever two times you fill the internal memory. I think the problem is, every time you take a photo, the 1.8" LCD screen comes on to show you your photo and asks if you want to delete it. This requires more energy and thus used the batteries faster.
Here is some more information that is good to know if you are considering purchasing this camera. The first is the software, you get two programs with your purchase, Polaroid PhotoMAX Image Maker Software and Polaroid PhotoMax Pro Software. I think the pro software is easier of the two to use. But neither is that great in my opinion. They will get the job done, you just have to put more effort into than you should have to.
The camera has a nice macro feature. To change to a macro setting on this camera, all you have to do is slide a button next to the lens. This is a great feature if you are into taking pictures of flowers. The problem is, that it is easy to knock off macro or it's regular setting if you are not paying attention. It would have been better if Polaroid had made this button harder to change.
There is also an automatic off timer. This was a great idea on this camera. By having this, you help yourself control battery usage. The only problem is that once the camera turns itself off, all the settings revert back to the default settings. So if you have changed the flash setting or resolution setting you have to go back and change them again.
Another draw back to this camera, if you can call it that, is the back of the camera. The back of the camera has numerous buttons. This could be very intimidating to a person who has never had a digital camera before. I personally didn't mind it at all. The best thing to do for this if you purchase this camera, would be to plug it into the AC adapter before you take any photo and play with the buttons while reading the manual. For me, it was the best way to learn how to use the camera.
Overall the Polaroid PDC 700 Camera is not a bad deal. You just need to know what the draw backs are to this camera. You get good resolution, a good flash, and not bad amount of memory comes with the camera. The disadvantages of this camera is that it is an energy hog, the camera can be a little complicated due to the numerous buttons in the back, and the size of the camera can make it easy to mess up a photo by putting your thumb in the way.
If I had to do it all over again, I probably would buy it again, but would keep my expectations a little lower. If you know what you are getting into, its not a bad little camera. It's especially nice if you buy yourself some rechargeable batteries.
Specifications
*24-bit color
*1024x768 resolution (XGA)
*640X480 resolution (VGA)
*4mb internal memory
*1.8" LCD color display (30 frames per second)
*Three image resolution modes: Superfine, Fine, and Normal
*5mm, f3.5 lens
*Flash modes: Auto, Flash, Flash Fill, and Flash off
*Flash range: 16" to 10'
*Focal range: Normal (18" to infinity); macro (8-18")
*JPEG compression
*electronic shutter speed: 1/10-1/10000
*ISO 160 equivalent
*Self-timer (10 second delay)
*Optional date and time stamp on image
*NTSC video output
Minimum System Requirements
*IBM compatible PC
*Microsoft Windows 95 or 98
*2x or faster CD-ROM drive
*16mb available hard drive space
*Hi-Color Display Adapter (True Color recommended)
*Sound Card (recommended)
*Mouse
*16 -bit display card (24-bit recommended)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Buckstlkr1
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Member: Gary
Reviews written: 11
Trusted by: 10 members
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