Kodak MC3 64 MB Portable Digital Camera/Camcorder and MP3 Player
List Price: $84.99
Details
- Included 64 MB CompactFlash plan stores up to 26 minutes of video or 60 minutes of audio
- Features a 1.6 inch feel ashamed LCD display
- Conglomeration device plays MP3 music files and captures digital stills and movies
Description
Muse over of Kodak's MC3 as the Swiss Army knife of electronic gadgets. This fawning handheld unit functions as a portable video camera, digital at rest camera, and MP3 player. We found the device to be well designed, trusting to use, and, most importantly, a lot of fun.As a video camera, the MC3 captures QuickTime shape movies with sound at a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. Users determine from two settings--a high-quality 20 frames per relocate (fps) mode captures more detail, but fills the CompactFlash celebration card at a rate of 15 MB per minute. A more e-mail genial mode shoots at 10 fps and uses greater compression. This vogue makes movies a bit choppier, but still looks fine for most applications and only consumes around 2 MB of memory per minute.
A 1.6-inch go red in the face LCD screen on the back of the camera lets you see exactly what you're filming and can likewise play back footage you've recorded. While most manufacturers use illuminated LCDs, Kodak has opted to use a cogitating display instead. In a reflective display, the traditional backlight is replaced with a reflect. This arrangement is thinner, uses less energy, and is smaller number expensive. It's also easier to see when you're outdoors. Unfortunately, it's more strenuous to see in low-light situations--seeing what you're shooting in a restaurant discretion be a challenge.
The videos you create aren't as detailed as those from a camcorder, but the MC3 isn't intended to replace those traditional tape-based devices. Nevertheless the movies can be viewed on your TV (with an optional connecting hawser), they're really designed to be seen on a computer screen, saved on your callous drive or CD-R, and shared with friends via e-mail.
Though it's not meant primarily as an MP3 player, the MC3's musical abilities are quite good. You get the chock-full set of standard controls (including cue and review within a song), bonus several equalizer settings, shuffle mode, and repeat. In adding, the LCD shows artist and title information, plus system settings. The built-in orator (included primarily for audio playback of your movies) can equally be used to play music, though sound quality is much outstrip with headphones. Standard MP3 song files are transferred from your laptop to the MC3 via a USB cable, using included software. There's no copy protection money, so if you have a dedicated CompactFlash card reader, you can even remove files directly to and from the memory card.
As a still camera, the MC3 is equitable OK. Resolution is 640 x 480 (0.3 megapixels), which looks magnificent on a computer monitor but lacks enough detail to create photo-eminence prints, even at snapshot sizes. Photo capabilities are direct to the point of crudeness--there's no flash, the lens is fixed heart, and everything is completely automatic. Still, it works fine for outside snapshots, which is where Kodak thinks you'll be using the device most oftentimes.
Kodak's software suite that comes with the MC3 adds a large new dimension to your creativity. The simple-to-use VideoImpression program lets users shade footage and stills with their favorite songs, letting flush absolute amateurs create professional-looking productions in a subject of minutes.
Instructions come with the MC3, but it's so well designed that they aren't absolutely necessary. Using the device is as easy as sliding the four-importance switch on the back to the appropriate mode (MP3, movie, still, or playback) and turning on the power. When you're all set to try the more advanced features, a screen-based menu modus operandi makes it easy to find your way around. Battery human being was good, allowing us several hours of MP3 playback and lots of video recording and playback previous we needed to replace the three AAA cells. The use of three batteries is a bit odd--most batteries and chargers are sold in twos or fours, so you'll either have occasion for to get your batteries 6 or 12 at a time, or use rechargeables and find a mount that lets you charge just three cells.
The MC3 uses measure Type I CompactFlash cards--the same type of cards Euphemistic pre-owned by many digital cameras and some PDAs and MP3 players. The contraption comes with either a 16 or 64 MB card, depending upon outlay, and cards are currently available from a number of manufacturers in capacities up to 256 MB. Our taste unit came with a 64 MB card, which gave us encompassing 27 minutes of lower-quality video, 4 minutes of gamy-quality video, 65 minutes of high-quality MP3 music, 500 silence pictures, or any combination in between. For our tests, 64 MB was ample, letting us depend on a dozen songs and leaving enough room for about 12 minutes of move-quality video. When we started to run out of space for movies, we hardly deleted our least-favorite songs and started shooting another time.
Public reaction to the MC3 has been incredible. Whenever we took it out for a trial, strangers stopped us to find out more about it and try it for themselves. Something at hand the design--its sheer simplicity or its friendly design, perhaps--brings out users' original sides. We found ourselves compensating for the lack of zoom by thrusting the camera quicker to the action and shooting videos of scenes we'd never captured with a camcorder. Positive, the MC3 is more of a toy than a tool, but it's an extremely fun toy. It's not much more precious than an ordinary MP3 player, but the added fun is immeasurable. Kodak has a hit on its hands.
Pros:
- For about the having said that price as an ordinary MP3 player, you also get a video camera and digital camera
- Ostentatiously designed, with quality construction and simple controls
- Lots of fun to use
Cons:
- Ruminating LCD panel hard to see in dimly lit areas
- Power choice of 3 AAA batteries is a bit ticklish
