Aiptek Pocket DV2 > Reviews > A small compact camara

Author's product rating:   

Picture Quality	Satisfactory
Range & Quality of Features	Excellent
Ease of Use	Very Easy
Overall Look & Design	Excellent
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Price, Small, Features, Expanable memory
Disadvantages:	Photo Quality, No Flash, battery life

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I was looking across a gadgets website and i came across this Aiptek Pocket DV2 camcorder. The positive reviews, price and the features didnt take me long in ordering one for myself. Basically the Aiptek Pocket DV2 camcorder has got four major features that include Digital Video Recording, PC Webcam, Still Photos and Voice Recording.

The pocket DV2 is like a updated version from the pocket DV with more features including a 1.4" colour LCD screen, Audio/Video Out, 1.3 Mega-Pixel resolution and Expandable Memory (using compact flash cards). I think that DV2 is better than the first one because the colour LCD screen allows you to see what you are going to capture before doing so. Also the resolution is greater which makes the pictures slightly clearer.

Also being able to expand the memory as although the camara comes with 16MB of onboard SDRAM it only calculates to approximately 3 mins of video capture, so begin allowed to expand the memory means you will be able to capture more video and store more pictures. The memory is expanable to 512MB. One disadvantage of this is that if you run out of battery life or take out your batteries you would lose all of your files so therefore storing your data on compact flash cards eliminates the risk of losing data when power is lost.

The pocket DV2 camcorder comes with :-
a mini-tripod, A/V lead (to connect to TV), USB Cable (to connect to PC), 2 x AA batteries, Carry strap and a Software CD containing - DV Cam Manager Software & DV2 Drivers, Cyberlink PowerDirector Pro, Cyberlink Media Show SE, Cyberlink VideoLive Mail, Ulead Photo Explorer, Ulead Photo Express SE and Microsoft NetMeeting.

Minimum System Requirements: PC - Intel Pentium/AMD (266MHz) with MS Windows 98se/ME/2000/XP, 64MB RAM, 24-bit color display, 4 x speed CD-ROM drive, spare USB port.

Product Specifications -
Image sensor -1.3 Mega pixel CMOS sensor (16m colours),
Internal memory - Internal 16MB built-in SDRAM,
External Memory - Built-in CF Card slot (Maximum: 512MB),
1.4" Color LCD Display,
Digital Video Camcorder: QVGA(320x240 pixels)/10fps
Digital Still Camara: 2M(1600x1200 pixels), SXGA(1280x1024 pixels), VGA(640x480 pixels).
PC Camara: VGA (640x480 pixels)/ 10fps, QVGA (320x240 pixels)/ 24fps.
Digital Voice Recorder: About 4 min/1MB memory.
A/V out: supprts NTSC/PAL color system.

Auto Exposure & Auto White-Balance,
10-second self timer,
Auto power off if idle over 60 seconds,
Built in microphone & speakers,
Requires 2x AA alkaline batteries,
Dimension: 8cm (H) x 4cm (W) x 8cm (D)
Weighs approx. 123g

Advantages - The main advantages of this product is that it has expandable memory meaning you can expand using compact flash cards up to a max of 512MB. This is good as you can store pictures on them so data wouldnt be lost if battery power runs out. Also the product comes with a USB lead allowing you to connect the camara to a computer and then transfer your pictures and videos for editing or printing.
The size can be an advantage because it allows you so store it in your pocket instead of carrying a big camcorder with you.

Disadvantages - The main downsides of this product is that it doesnt come with a flash. This would mean that the quality of pictures arent too good where there isnt much light.
Also the quality of the pictures and the videos arent really that good at 1.3 Mega-Pixel resolution but in a way acceptable.

I brought this product on a internet site at www.firebox.com at a price of around £99.95 including a 64MB compact flash card. This is quite cheap compared to other camaras and the features involved in the product. Although i would recommend getting the DV3 over the DV2 because it has more improved features and images are clearer at having a 2.1 Mega-Pixel resolution and a Digital Zoom, when compared that the price is only about £40 extra than the DV2.

Overall i think that the Aiptek Pocket DV2 camcorder is a very good product to get. This is because i think that this product is cheap looking at the features that comes with the camara. Although it doesnt come with a flash i think that the pictures are good in daynight. Also the size and physical appearance makes it quite attractive to potential buyers.

Althought i rate this product as good i think that it isnt really used for serious photography, as the picture quality isnt good enough at 1.3 mega-pixels compared to other camaras on the market.

Note: I had a problem with inserting a 64MB compact flash card which i brought with the camara. The screens says please wait whcih doesnt seem to change so this could be a problem. Also the battery life is poor as it could run out very easily so re-chargeable batteries are recommended.

I hope you found parts of this opinion useful.