9 out of 10 - Spectacular had doubts before buying, but is better than expected. it doesn't disapoint
I had my doubts on hybrid cameras that do everything so I did some research by looking at videos and ...
I had my doubts on hybrid cameras that do everything so I did some research by looking at videos and online reviews like this one before buying. The aiptek brand turns out to be the most prefered out of the hybrid cameras. Many other hybrids are cheaply manufactured to fit their price, but aiptek really put some care and thought into their product. I decided to buy the MZ-DV at circuit city for $200 which is not much different from the MPVR other than the 3x optical zoom, improvement in space capacity, and exterior color. Also I can't remember if the MPVR can be used as a webcam but the MZ-DV doesn't have that ability. This product is really great and I love it. It comes with an external SD memory slot and can hold up to 4GB. Thats 4GB of anything you want it to store that the aiptek camera is capable of storing. Although I think its possible to buy one that holds 8GB now. You can store and play mp3s, pictures, videos, computer files, voice recordings, and movies or shows that can easily be recorded off of the television. Camera comes with all of the wires and charger needed. There have been some bad reviews about this camera. And some of them are true but some of them are not or have been exaggerated. First off, we have to remember that this is a consumer based product, which means that, its true, you're not going to get the best videos or the best pictures that you could get with a very expensive high end SLR camera. BUT the quality is absolutely NOT as bad as I had read it. In fact, I wouldn't even begin to call them bad. The pictures come out beautifully and works like a regular digital camera. It is capable of taking photos that look professional. The video comes out clear. There is no noticable pixelation to it, unless you want to record in QVGA which is low quality recording. Also the video is very much in sync with the audio. The downside about the pictures and videos is that they don't do well at night. Basically, the camera can only record what your eye sees in color. If your in a pitch dark room and your pupils get big and you start seeing grey shades, or outlines of objects, that's the type of stuff this camera can't pick up. The flash and the LED lights, when turned on, help some as long as your within say 9 feet. I would use a flashlight or lamp for really dark areas. But to be honest, why would anyone need to record in the dark anyway? Truthfully, you're not buying this camera to get a rare video of a night possum in its natural habitat. As long as you can see something in color, even fading color, this camera is going to pick it up and in detail. It records and takes pictures perfectly during the daytime even at dusk, and regular indoor lights do just fine. I've also read that the video can look shaky. This is true but only if your hand is not steady. There have been a few times when the video lags or distorts as the camera is shaken too fast. If you type in aiptek on youtube, you will find some examples. My advice is learn how to hold the camera steady, not just for this camera but for any camera. Otherwise, use a tripod. Shaky videos give viewers headaches anyway. If you hold this camera even partially steady, the videos are going to turn out just fine without that lagging or distortion. Many people might want to record their stunts or sports. I've seen videos on youtube where the aiptek was mounted on a racecar while it was racing and one on a remote control airplane while it was flying. I saw no sign of distortion or lagging. They came out excellent. My opinion, is if the camera is securely mounted then the video will work. (I took mine on a roller coaster. It was awesome! And it wasn't even mounted.) The next thing that I read, pertaining only to the MZ-DV is the extremely loud clicking sound that happens when the camera zooms in and out and when it focuses....... I have this camera, there is NOTHING loud or EXTREME about the clicks. Its very subtle, and unnoticable. Although you hear it, its not noisy enough to overpower any other sounds such as a person talking to a camera or birds chirping or music playing.
There are some other pros and cons to this that I didn't mention. The fact that it comes with auto focus is nice. So you don't have to worry so much about blurry videos or blurry shots. It adjusts to light situations so pictures come clear in sudden environment changes. It also has a 10 second timer so you can run and get into a picture if you wanted to. Its small enough to fit in a pocket and forget about it . The sound on the mp3s sound just as good as when I downloaded them, and the videos that you record off of the television look crisp. (If it doesn't, then something is wrong with your cable box or your wires aren't plugged all the way in.) The microphone is a little hole on the back of the LCD, but it picks up a lot and clearly and I believe it reduces some of those stupid noises you don't want. There's no limit to how long you can record. Battery life lasts a long time. My guess is 3 to 4 hours. And that's 3 to 4 hours of when the camera is on. Battery charges overnight through a wall plug.
The cons is that it doesn't have a lense cover. DON'T DROP THE CAMERA! I currently dropped mine and cracked the lense. So I suggest you use the wrist strap that comes with it. Thank goodness circuit city provides an accidental warrenty and can repair it. Hot pixels (little tiny bright dots on the camera that don't go away) tend to pop up from time to time especially if you had the camera on for a long time. This is normal on any camera even high end ones. But they come and they go. Keep the camera in cool temperatures. The LCD screen is the only way you can see what you're shooting. There is no eyepiece to look through. When you have to lay the camera on a table to take a straight picture, it will not stand up straight on its own. Prop it up on something or use a tripod. All in all, this camera is one of the best products I bought. I use it everyday and I love it. Although it has its problems, compared to others, there's nothing that beats it. The price and the amount of things it can do still amazes me.
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by markasin3 (see profile) -
June 20, 2007
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