Aiptek PCM13 PenCam 1.3MP Digital Camera

I bought their VGA model several years ago it takes OK pictures INDOORS but not outdoors, unfortunately editing software does not improve the quality. This camera takes GOOD pictures OUTDOORS but not indoors HOWEVER editing software will lighten it up to EXECELENT QUALITY. I have taken a picture that appeared to be totally black (ie no pic) and made it fantastic. The best thing (other than the price)is the camera is QUICK to start AND will take pictures as fast as you can push the button. This makes it execellant for capturing those unexpected moments you would miss with a high end camera which takes so long to "think" about what it is going to do that the moment is lost before the camera is ready to shoot. I keep one in each vehicle ready to shoot. I have the camera open with alkaline batteries out of the camera so they don't drain down. When I go skiing with the kids I can get the action shots when the moment is RIGHT. Downside- The shutter button gave out on one after two years - I now use it for video chats. The camera shuts down TOO quickly between shots.

For the price I expected poor quality photos, but that isn't what bothered me about the camera. What bothered me is that I couldn't just connect the camera up to my USB port and download photos. Worse, yet, I was required to install Windows XP drivers that are not certified - clicking "yes" through a series of prompts warning me that my computer could be damaged. To top it off, the camera is larger than I expected. From the photo I thought it was thin - but in reality it is as deep as it is wide. I bought two - one to keep and one to give away for Christmas. But I'd be embarrassed to give this to anyone.

Still picture quality is equivalent to $10 disposable cameras from 1997. Just remember that a 1 megapixel digital camera was $1000 in 1997. Still photos are 1248x960 and can be downloaded in Linux, but video can only be downloaded and decoded in Windows. Not a big problem because it only records 30 seconds of video at 624x480 9fps. Can be powered off USB or internal AAA batteries. Has auto shutoff when running on batteries but stays on when powered by USB. Still photos are stored in flash. Video is stored in SDRAM, so you need those AAA batteries to keep your videos from getting erased. Very flimsy, like all Chinese products. Different icons on the LCD panel wink off if you squeeze the case. Not as small as it looks in the picture. Really 1" deep. Very light, however.

The Aiptek Pencam 1.3M SD I received was not the same as the one that was pictured on Amazon'site. The one pictured on Amazon was an Aiptek Megacam camera. The < $10 Pencam SD camera is a cheaper version of the higher quality Megacam camera that sold for $55 - $75, but still takes a good 1.3M sized picture for its small size. The Pencam SD camera shape is rather bulkier to hold, and has a smaller mode viewing window so it is difficult to see what mode you are in. An SD memory card is necessary to take any movies, which flicker when the camera is scanned. I decided to keep the Pencam because of the price. However,the door on the battery compartment of my Pendcam is under spring load from the battery, and opened up in my pocket several times until the plastic small pivot of the door broke and made the door useless. The door must now be taped closed with scotch tape for the camera to be used. This same thing happened to the last 3 Aiptek Megacam cameras I owned. The battery compartment on Aiptek mini-cameras needs better design.

I cannot get it to download to my computer. I had one before and used it with my old computer, a XP Professional, but I now have a Windows7 Professional and the camera cannot will not downoal to it. What can I do? It is a great camera and I loved the old one I had.

this camera takes good pictures out of doors & with a flash or bright lites could take pretty good indoor pics, I think-----batteries can be removed after snapping pics without losing images, in order to save battery life----pics are still bright & clear when enlarged-----main problem is the same as with most cheaper cameras of any type: the view finder is not in same position as the actual lens, so resulting pic is slightly different than what you see (or significantly different for close ups), so you have to adjust & experiment a little. I found instruction booklet somewhat confusing.--------but pretty versatile, all in all-----definately not a rip-off, for the casual phtographer

NO on and off switch,

1 star only because you can't opt to choose no stars. I bought this thing about a year ago. I wanted a small camera to keep in my every day carry bag and figured this would be cool since it was small and cheap. I got it, loaded the crummy software, took ssome sample pictures, hooked it up to the computer and nothing. I have yet to be able to get the picture of this thing. I don't know if it's a problem with the software or the camera itself but after several attempts I just put it in the closet and forgot about it.