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After much fiddling I visited the SiPix website where it appeared there was a known problem causing similar symptoms to my own. I downloaded new drivers and followed the instructions, one of which was to blank the camera, grrrrr.
Although it does say that the camera should be empty the ... Read review
Advantages: Small, Easy to use, Movie mode is surprisingly good, Only costs between £30 & £40 Disadvantages: Unstable software, Memory depends on battery life, Battery cover comes loose first chance it gets
...much fiddling I visited the SiPix website where it appeared there was a known problem causing similar symptoms to my own. I downloaded new drivers and followed the instructions, one of which was to blank the camera, grrrrr.
Although it does say that the camera should be empty the first time it’s connected, I certainly didn’t see this when I first looked at the manual and started snapping.
Anyhow, eventually ... ...can’t help but feel if SiPix had chosen this, probably much simpler option, I would be here writing a glowing review and recommending it to friends. Instead I am taking it back to Jessops and telling them that, unfortunately, it is not fit for the purpose for which it was sold. What is the use of taking any pictures on a digital camera and wondering the whole time if you’ll be able to download them or if the crappy software will do that ... more
When I first opened the box I was greeted by this cute, little camera smiling up at me. I couldn’t wait to try it but, in an extremely out-of-character moment, I decided to take a look at the manual first anyway.
It has a limited (but easily adequate) range of features, a choice of low or high resolution, the high res being 640x480, a choice of indoor or outdoor modes (though I just left it on indoor and it seemed to handle either on it) AND it can even shoot small video clips also. All the functions are accessed using just the two buttons which is both simple and fiddly at the same time.
It was all clearly to the point, easy to understand and after just a few pages I felt I was fully equipped to load the battery and turn it on. With a proud little beep the camera announced it’s intention to take a whole bunch of cool little snaps and even a movie clip or three.
After 5 minutes taking pictures of all the things I could without moving I decided to download them onto the PC, a process I have been through hundreds of times with my Nikon Coolpix. It was here the problems started.
The software seemed to install happily as it reported no errors BUT when I plugged in the camera the software did not provide me with the option to download the images where the manual implied it should.
After much fiddling I visited the SiPix website where it appeared there was a known problem causing similar symptoms to my own. I downloaded new drivers and followed the instructions, one of which was to blank the camera, grrrrr.
Although it does say that the camera should be empty the first time it’s connected, I certainly didn’t see this when I first looked at the manual and started snapping.
Anyhow, eventually we were up and running. I took a few test shots and a movie and successfully downloaded the lot.
The pictures were roughly what I was expecting in terms of quality, indoor pictures were very grainy, outdoor pictures were pretty reasonable. You are NEVER going to take a photo worth printing out and framing with this camera, it is really just for quick snapping where quality is not an issue.
The AVI files produced by the camera were quite impressive. I had it on the higher resolution mode which I believe has a lower frame rate but, providing the subject doesn’t move too quickly you actually get a pretty nice clip out of it, and not short either, 60 seconds! The movie feature was an added bonus that really impressed me.
The next day we took the boy to the park and I thought this would be a good chance to test the camera by taking some more varied shots and video clips. Took a few pictures of him on climbing frames, slides and couple of video clips of him on those rocky things and even one of him pushing one of those mini trolleys round Waitrose.
When I plugged the camera into the PC at home the software automatically started downloading the files but on the last one, ‘Illegal Operation’. Disaster. Not only had the last file failed to copy but the software crashed and closed. I then failed to find the files it had claimed to have copied before the crash.
Several reboots and a driver re-install later I was no better off, the software just refused to copy, crashing on the last file EVERY time.
A quick Google search yielded no answers but did turn up a few reviews of this camera slagging off the software. I had no choice, I blanked the camera, put it all back in the box and decided to take it back and add my 2 cents to Dooyoo but as that seems to have become a useless mess since I last used it, I registered here instead so this is my first Ciao review. Hooray!
Right, the software. Obviously it is the camera’s failing, and since I had to download new drivers from the website and fiddle around to get it working in the first place, it obviously needs more development time BUT, and here’s the killer problem, even when it works it is rubbish.
What is it with software these days? Why is it that everything is done with wizards? I assume this is to make things simpler but it does nothing of the sort. When I plug a digital camera in, all I want is to double click an icon and see a STANDARD file list in an explorer window that I can just copy the pics off or delete them as I would any other files. What could be simpler?
I can’t help but feel if SiPix had chosen this, probably much simpler option, I would be here writing a glowing review and recommending it to friends. Instead I am taking it back to Jessops and telling them that, unfortunately, it is not fit for the purpose for which it was sold. What is the use of taking any pictures on a digital camera and wondering the whole time if you’ll be able to download them or if the crappy software will do that crashing thing again?
Advantages: good little photos Disadvantages: batteries run out quick
...little camera.
My little Sipix style camera was bought at Currys for £40 earlier on this year. It is available at most electrical outlets and also on the internet.
Now I really wanted to buy a super digital camera but was wary about all the money they were asking for it, so I suggested to my husband that we buy a little one and a cheap one first. That way if we were not impressed we have only wasted £40 compared to £300.
The Packaging
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... ...white circle on front with SiPix on the front of it. Also a small lens and on the top is a silver button to click your photos.
On the left hand side a little rubber seal and you open this to put the usb cable in here and then you attach it to your computer.On the back is the lettering Style Cam Snap and a power mode button in grey and the battery compartment.
There is also a little stand that it comes with so you can sit it safely on your desk ...
BUBBLES171 25.12.2003 (01.01.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of SiPix StyleCam Snap
Advantages: Easy to use, good quality pictures, everything you need is in the box Disadvantages: pictures are lost if batteries run out, no flash
What a brilliant little product! I love this one. I was scanning my local shops for a small digital camera, possibly one which could be used for web conferencing, when I stumbled across this one. I thought it was great because the price was really reasonable and everything was included with it. The only bad things about it are: pictures are lost if the batteries get low before you download them, there's no built-in flash and no removable memory card. ... ...to use, even for a beginner. I must admit, I don't know a lot about cameras, but this one is so easy to use, so that didn't matter. My 3 year old daughter has even had a go! I find the webcam facility on it is really easy to use (even easier if you've got setup wizards built into your pc). It only takes a matter of minutes to install and you're ready to go! It is a great little camera if you want something small and light to fit in your pocket, because ...
smoggy_fuzzball 08.04.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of SiPix StyleCam Snap
Advantages: Small, light and easy to pack in a bag or pocket Disadvantages: Pictures easy to lose when batteries run out.
I was really pleased when a friend gave me this camera for a birthday present a few months ago and with excitement I set up the software and started taking pictures. That part is easy - just point and hit the button. You can change the quality of the pics you take and obviously the lower the setting the more you can take. The camera settings are easy to figure out and even on the lowest settings the pictures you take are fine for emails but print ... ...way too grainy. The highest setting however produces very good quality pictures that would not look out of place on the mantlepiece.
At first the camera seems ok then you realise that the battery life is very short - it's small but needs a lot of juice and when they run out you can lose all the pics you have in the memory if you dont replace them quickly enough.
The software that comes with the camera is not really good enough and it's not very ...
philipjohn001 22.09.2003 (25.10.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of SiPix StyleCam Snap
Advantages: size Disadvantages: a few faults in design
A nice camera which you learn how to use very quickly has a function to take pictures in dark/ light conditions, high quality and lower quality. It is also capable of filming for a small amount of time. The software however is very annoying I have had a tonn of error messages. ANother problem is that if you plugg the camera into the computer using the wire provided without first turning on the camera i have found that it deletes all the pictures ... ...power runs out incredibly quickly which is of course a downside. However the camera is small in size easy to use and the picture quality is more than ok.
Recommend if you want to
take a few pictures here and there not if you want to take masterpieces. ...
king_pabster 28.09.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of SiPix StyleCam Snap
I purchased the camera on the way to our new apartment in Spain and wanted to take pictures to show everyone. After taking pictures on last day, I replaced the battery on numerous occasions but when I arrived home, the pictures had disappeared as the battery had run out in the space of 1 hour from changing the battery. I took other photos just to practice and could not download them as the program would not load from the cd, I presumed that it was ...
amber2005 30.05.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of SiPix StyleCam Snap
Ultra cool, compact and lightweight, the SiPix StyleCam Snap is the go-everywhere digital camera. Wear the StyleCam Snap on the road, to parties, or when you're just having fun with friends. Full-featured and convenient, the StyleCam Snap is a digital camera, Streaming Snapshot camera, and videoconference camera all in one! With the built-in 8MB internal memory, the StyleCam Snap saves up to 400 photos. Included is a swivel base that easily stands on your desktop or attaches to your laptop computer. Featuring the Streaming Snapshot mode, the StyleCam Snap captures streaming images that will create up to 160 seconds of digital video. The SiPix Picture Manager automatically converts your streaming images into instant digital video. Send your exciting video clips to friends and family via Email, or share them on the web. You can also use the StyleCam Snap to have a live video conversation with your friends over the Internet. The StyleCam Snap works with popular IMs such as Microsoft MSN with NetMeeting, Yahoo! Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger.
good value, good mode selection, good quality, well built, canon quality, good battery life, good resolution and quality, good manual controls, good LCD
clumpy, clunky design and controls, too big to be a true compact, interface pauses, zoom irritating, not worth the upgrade from G3 (*)
small 
