Rating: 
Summary: Battery power
Review: Can someone tell me which Digital camera is the least power hog. I have a PDC 700 now and can't believe how much of battery power it devours. Brand new 4 AA Duracell batteries will last 2 hours, and if I use new E batteries, will last about half a day, I also use rechargeable batteries but still not long enough to last all day. I am looking for a digital camera that I do not have to remove batteries when I am not using it, it's such a hassle. In that case why don't digital camera manufacturers include a pouch with their cameras for consumers to use. I am thinking about getting PDC PDC 2300Z but after reading what Carol Kladis said about the batteries, " It's very important to always remove the batteries when not in use, as these cameras soak them up fast.", I am not too sure now.Anyone has any suggestions? Thanks!
Rating:
Summary: does not work on xp
Review: Can't get it to work on my computer which has the XP operating system. The software cannot see the camera via the USB port. Anyone know if there are any patches available for download? Also tried it on Windows 98SE - still does not see camera. Takes great shots, easy to use, but cannot download pictures. Anyone else have these problems?
Rating: 
Summary: Polaroid 2300Z Digital Camera is just right for me
Review: I bought this camera as an upgrade to the Polaroid 1100 (my entry into the digital camera world.) The 1100 was just fine, but it didn't have an optical zoom, and I also wanted a bigger memory card. The 2300 has an optical as well as a digital zoom, and an 8MB memory card, which is plenty for me. It's a little more complicated than the 1100, but once you've got it down, everything becomes second nature. The pictures look great, but if by some chance they need a little tweaking, the Photomax Pro software that comes with it can take care of any little imperfections. It's very important to always remove the batteries when not in use, as these cameras soak them up fast. I also recommend Energizer Lithium AA batteries for longer life. And always use the AC power to upload. Another recommendation: To enhance your photos, it can't hurt to have a couple other software programs to do the job. I can still use the Photomax 3.0 that came with the 1100 (although you can't upload pictures to it directly from the 2300, but you can retrieve your photos from it). I also have Adobe Photo Deluxe, which came with my computer. It seems if one can't do what I want, I just go to one of the other programs. Another fun thing--I can connect to Polaroiddigital.com from the program and set up albums on their website for others to see and perhaps make prints of. Can't think of any downside right now, so I'll sign off. Hope this was helpful.
Rating: 
Summary: A simple flash solution
Review: I have a couple of "economy" digital cameras, and this Poraroid is the best of the bunch. I use Shutterfly.com to process the prints and they come out great .. even the 8"x10".
A simple solution to the white-out on the flash is to get some (low-tack) WHITE (because standard masking tape will produce a yellow glow to all your pictures)and place it over the flash. it will calm down that burn-out quite a bit, and since its low-tack, you can take it off easily without leaving the camera "tacky". I keep a roll in my camera bag, I usually only use one strip, but you can double up for close-ups if you are still getting burned.
I recommend this camera to anybody seeking a good entry level digital. And on another note, if you are using Photoshop to manipulate your photos, I strongly recommend the plug-in Intelihance by Extensis, it really cleans up the pictures good.(while still giving you full control).
Rating:
Summary: Overall worth its money
Review: I have had the PDC-2300Z since August, 2001. I did buy larger memory card -64MB from the onset. With the lowest resolution, which is enough for just e-mailing photos, I can take around 1000 photos. Pretty good if you have no access to a computer for a while. As for the camera, I just love it - quality of pictures (2 types of resolution and 3 modes for compression) is pretty amazing; mechanical zoom is great ( I never liked digital zoom, because it destroys the quality); ease of use is great( you can figure it out in less than half an hour); and it comes with a whole kit of software, cables, leather case, etc. (something you have to pay extra if you are buying other digital cameras). Oh, and it is pretty resistant - I dropped mine twice on the floor and it's still working well. But don't just drop it on the floor to try that.... Now for the bad side. My basic complaint is the flash- it usually "whitens" the object, I can't explain why but someone in another review did. As for the complaint that it's bulky and heavier than some other digital cameras, yes, it's true, but I like it. The software is not your dream one, but you can use a different software - I am using PhotoImpression 2000 (comes with HP digital cameras) and thus I get arounf the tedious task of saving each picture individually. You can download the latest driver for PDC-2300Z from Polaroid website. Finally, let me finish on a positive note - Polaroid technical support is pretty good and their website has a good Q &A section to help you with any problems that might arise. My review is featuring 5 stars since the disadvantages are really minor in comparison to all the other great features of the camera. ( I have used HP 315 and Kodak DX3500 and find PDC-2300Z so much better).
Rating:
Summary: Great Digital: I Went Through 3 Others To Find It!!
Review: I've been using this camera for a couple of months and find it easy to use, easy on the batteries, and takes some great photos (be sure to stock up on glossy photo card stock to print them out). You won't buy 35 mm film again (unless you're a total professional photographer). The zoom gets you in for most shots; the selectable resolution will stretch the life out of the memory (buy more than the 8 MB installed to make the most of it). My only regret was that I had to go through 3 lesser cameras to get the right one = don't make the same mistake.
Rating:
Summary: In answer to bldragon
Review: It's not the hardship you might think to remove the batteries when not in use. I get so much more life out of them than if I don't. I wouldn't let that stop me. Also, I got my camera at ubid.com (it's not like ebay, it's new merchandise sold by a vendor for the manufacturer). I bid as high as I wanted to go, and I won!
Rating:
Summary: The Polaroid PDC 2300Z has replaced my standard camera.
Review: Okay, I've had this camera for about 2 months or so. I can't complain, not at all. It came with everything I could have asked for, and then some things I wouldn't have thought about. It came with software, picture-on-TV display cable for viewing pictures on any normal TV, both USB and serial cables for transferring pictures and an 8 meg memory card (which holds 11 pictures at max res). I must say that this camera was straight up easy to use. I had no problems with it at all and I didn't even read the manual until days after I bought it. For a 2.3 megapixel camera, I was surprised at how nice the pictures looked; so were my friends who also have digital cameras. The HP digital cameras in the same price range didn't come with half the stuff and didn't have optical zoom at all; nor did any other camera I looked at that was under $300.00. The LCD screen is very nice on the eyes and is bigger than most in the price range. While when I first got the camera I was worried about breaking it, etc, I've taken it out on hikes a lot and it seems to be holding up well. Two complaints that can't really be helped. This is true on all digital cameras right now, even the most expensive. A: All digital cameras eat batteries. B: This camera only came with an 8 meg memory card. Two solutions I offer for anyone buying this or any digital camera: 1.) Buy one of the new battery recharging units and 8 rechargeable batteries for it (Rayovac has nice batteries out now that recharge in under an hour and can be recharged 1000 times, making them perfect for digital cameras. 2.) Go to a pricing service like pri ce wa tch and get a new memory card for the camera. You can get a 128 meg compact flash card for under $50 that allows you to take a great deal of pictures. Also, all digital cameras from amazon.com come with software for one of amazon.com's partner's, ofoto.com. I've done a lot of my prints through them. What can I say?; they rock. ofoto has brought the best aspect of normal film photography to the digital world. I love my new digital camera. It has already saved me a great deal of money and has replaced my old standard film camera. I'll never go back.
Rating:
Summary: 2300Z Great camera
Review: Polaroid came out with a 10! Great camera, takes great pictures.
Rating:
Summary: Specifics on this 4.5 star product.
Review: Re. photo quality: Darn good for 2.x megapixel. Great colors.
Re. flash: Marginal to ok/good. They should have put a hot shoe on it, for a large (aftermarket) flash unit. Flash is not evenly distributed. Flash photos at distance=10ft yield burnouts (i.e., bleached centers). I bought a slave flash unit for better coverage.
Re. limitations: Don't expect to take action shots in dim lighting. The camera will hold the "shutter" open in order to acquire enough light and the photo will turn out blurred.
Re. software: After 50 hrs of use, it still feels kind of odd. Re. batteries: The optical viewer is super. I rarely use the LCD screen... especially since one set of top grade alkalines lasts for about one shooting (i.e., a "roll" of 24 or 36 pics) with the LCD on. With the LCD off, I have shot about
1000 pictures with one set of high-quality alkalines (the copper colored ones). Of course, being the thrifty sort I recharged my non-rechargable alkalines four times now. (I am not recommending that you do this risky thrifting but I have been getting away with it for years.)
Re. size: Feels too thick even though my hands are slighly larger than an average adult male. Fortunately, Polaroid added some well positioned rubber grips - they have kept the camera from falling several times.
Re. zoom: The optical zoom is a real life saver. My first camera was the PDC1100 and what a difference! There is NO WAY I would get a camera without a zoom. Note: Zooming to 1/2 the distance results in (effective) 4x the resolution.
So, the difference between the PDC1100 (1 megapixel) and a PDC2300Z (2 megapixel) using the 2300's zoom is MUCH better than just twice as good.
A main reason for my buying the 2300 was the dual output (serial and USB). Presently, my "old" 200MHz computer does not have USB.
Without USB downloading is tedious if you have dozens of high res pics. I bought a 256M compact flash card and would recommend against it if you have serial only. 128Meg would have been more than adequate.
Oh, I take out the batteries from my camera when not in use to help extend their life. The disadvantage is that the clock needs to be reset upon reinstallation.
How could it be better: A wrist strap, a hot shoe, better distribution of the flash, computer controlled activation of pictures, more ease in automatic labeling of pictures when downloading (e.g., autonumerical sequencing available), hands off (i.e., single click) download-save.
Was it worth the money? Yes.
The areas where the camera could have been made better probably would have cost the company $40 more but would have been worth 80 to me.
|
