Aiptek MPVR 6MP

by sammy
(nj)

I was skeptical of an all-in-one camera at this price (just over $100 in Jan. 2009), but my purchase allayed all those concerns.

As with most relatively low-priced things that claim to 'do it all' I expected a compromise among features and performance.... not so with this little gem. The still picture quality is great (the only thing that I found to mess up stills is shaking while taking the pic). No, the video isn't like a high-end camcorder, but for the price the video is great, and doesn't seem sensitive to shaking.

The flash performance with stills is impressive, taking good pics even in a pitch-black totally dark room.It is as simple as dirt to use - after a few uses, you can put away the instructions for good.

Although software is provided, you don't need to install any programs - Just use Windows Explorer to transfer pics and movies to your personal computer just like moving files between folders. There's nothing to switch when going from still to video mode. The exposure can be adjusted for various lighting conditions, which I almost never need to do.

All of this is in addition to being an MP3 player, voice recorder, and micro-VCR to record directly from TV (haven't tried that yet). Performance, simplicity, inexpensive, compact, and lightweight..... what else is there? I wish I could score it a 4.5 - I can't give it a 5 because:

- No lens cap included (gasp!), and the lens is right out there so it's easy to smear.
- Zoomed images get fuzzy beyond 1.5 to 2X or so, but that's typical with digital zoom.
- Battery doesn't fit snugly in the charger, so it's easy to jar loose.