Ezonics EZ-802 EZMega Cam Dual-Mode PC Camera (USB)

Rating:
Summary: Great Camera, with an exception
Review: Camera works pretty good, however ezonics does not include the correct driver in the software package so you have to find it online, which is not a problem.

Since Windows has been updating their os files, if you run win2k and have service pack 3 or higher, the camera will only function as a webcam as you will be unable to retrieve your pictures from the camera if you use it as a digi cam, which I found incredibly annoying. this has been a problem for several months, and only because of this am I thinking of getting another camera.

I do like the camera, like the size, not to big nor too small.

Rating:
Summary: Solid Camera for the Price
Review: I agree 100% with the previous comment.

I just wanted to add a few pointers:

- This is a nice interim camera at a reasonable price until the higher resolution stuff (2Mb and over) comes down in price.

- After some testing I decided that the highest resolution (1200 x 900, interpolated) looked much better than 800 x 600 so I'm only taking pictures in this highest resolution.

- As the camera doesn't save (all?) the defaults, every time I switch it on I have to press a button 3 times to go to the highest resolution. (Annoying)

- In highst resolution mode the built-in memory can only store up to 12 photos, so I bought a 64Mb CF memory card... that boosts capacity to 128 photos. (64Mb was probably not necessary []but 32Mb cards were only slightly cheaper)

- If you add CF memory you cannot use the video recording feature (I never intended to use it anyway)

- This camera has a solid feel, and fits nicely in the palm of my hand. I take it everywhere, and I take photos I usually wouldn take with a film camera, (thinking about developing, printing, etc.) once at home I download them using the provided USB cable and keep the ones I like. Quality is still short of that of a film photo, but I can place them quickly, and easily, in a web page for my extended family to see them.

Rating:
Summary: Good camera.... but with a few quirks
Review: This is a very good camera for its price. The CMOS sensor has 0.5 million pixels and is NOT a true megapixel camera as the name suggests. However you can shoot megapixel images (which it does by interpolating the pixels) and print them in 8x6 size. I haven't tried it yet and there might be pixels visible. The prints come out good in 5x3 (postcard) size though. So if you want an inexpensive digital camera and want prints from that too then this one is the best.

About the quirks.... the camera shuts itself down after 60 sec of inactivity and all the settings are reset to default. After switching it on, the settings have to done all over again. Not to mention the 3 second self-check that it does everytime you switch it on. Big pain!

The viewfinder is bright and has framing guides. But there is no macro mode for close pictures and they all turn out blurred. When using this camera as a webcam make sure you place it at least a meter away.

The picture quality is good considering that it is a CMOS sensor. Use flash liberally to avoid dark pictures. I got best results outdoors.

The bundled software is easy to setup and I got it working in a single attempt. If you have Paint Shop Pro or any other image editing tool that supports TWAIN you need to install only the camera drivers. The camera gets listed in the list of TWAIN sources and you can use your existing software to acquire the pictures.

Overall a good buy. This camera may not replace your regular film camera but is a great accessory when on field trips and to places where you might risk damaging your expensive SLR.