Coby 1.44-Inch TFT LCD SNAPP Mini Camcorder/Camera CAM3000 (Black)

by Coby

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.8 x 1.8 inches ; 13.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002DW96R6
• Item model number: CAM3000
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,543 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 15, 2009

Product Description

Shoot it, share it, SNAPP it! Introducing the Coby SNAPP CAM3000 from Coby Electronics: This pocket-sized digital camcorder lets you shoot video, take pictures, and play back your files at the touch of a button on a brilliant 1.5" LCD screen. A built-in SD card slot offers expandable memory for more than 2 hours of recording time, while easy-to-use ArcSoft video editing software and YouTube uploader let you share your videos online in minutes. Webcam capability, USB cable, and hand strap also included.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The jury is still out on this one, October 20, 2009

By 

Brian VanderBeek (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coby 1.44-Inch TFT LCD SNAPP Mini Camcorder/Camera CAM3000 (Black) (Electronics)

Managed to snag this camera for $19.99 from J&R, and purchased an 8GB memory card for $14 at the local Target. The instructions indicate the Coby camera accepts up to an 8GB card, which would give it about 2 hours of recording time. When I inserted the 8GB card, the camera froze. It would start up, then freeze, and the only way to turn it off was to remove a battery. I did this 5-6 times, with the same result. I called Coby and was told my camera might be defective and I would have to return it to receive a replacement. It would cost as much as the original price to return, so I declined. The camera worked fine with no card, but with minimal internal storage I got about 20 seconds of recording time. I tried again with a 4GB card, and the camera still froze. I had an old 512MB card around, so I tried it. Lo and behold, the Coby accepted it. It gives me nine minutes, 3 seconds of recording time. Bottom line is that my camera is not defective, but it does not accept 8GB cards as advertised. When working properly, this is an amazing little camera for the price. Very easy to use, acceptable picture quality, decent sound. Not sure the small light on the front would help in any situation, but it's nice to have. USB is true plug-and-play (no installation required) with all my PCs (haven't tried with a Mac.) I'm going to continue to find the largest memory card it will accept, since 9 minutes is not quite what the product promises.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ultra Portable Fun, October 29, 2009

By 

Avid Reviewer "A Music Fan" (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Coby 1.44-Inch TFT LCD SNAPP Mini Camcorder/Camera CAM3000 (Black) (Electronics)

Even though the Coby CAM3000 has a puny 1.3 MP pixels (1280 x 960), I'm pleasantly surprised that the quality of the video looks very descent on my 21" monitor (@ 1680 x 1050 screen resolution); it looks only very slightly pixelated. Considering how affordably priced this mini camcorder is, I'd say it's a real bargain.

- Build Quality
The build quality is really quite good -- this mini camcorder does not look cheap to be sure. Although it has a shiny, not rugged, plastic exterior, it seems to be fairly scratch resistant. All the buttons are firm, not jiggly.

- SD Card Expansion Slot
The mini camcorder has about 20 MB of built-in memory, which is sufficient for only a few seconds of recording (makes me wonder why they even bother including the built-in memory). No problem - it has an SD card expansion slot. I have no trouble getting the mini camcorder to recognize my high-capacity SD card. I'm using a Kingston 8 GB microSDHC Card with an SD card adapter (came with the Kingston package).

- Digital Zoom
This mini camcorder actually has digital zoom-in/out, as opposed to optical zoom (better). The trouble with digital zooming is the image gets pixelated when you zoom in. The zooming is also a little choppy.

- LCD Screen
The display on the LCD screen is very clear. The LCD screen is somewhat smallish, but it's perfectly adequate nonetheless.

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For the price, this mini camcorder produces some very descent 1280 x 960 videos. The quality isn't on par with that from a regular camcorder, of course, but it is more than adequate if you're planning on using your videos on y0utube. It's ultra portable and perfect for some quick and casual takes.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Can't beat it for the price, November 15, 2009

By 

Matthew Brodeur "MattB5" (Millbury, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Coby 1.44-Inch TFT LCD SNAPP Mini Camcorder/Camera CAM3000 (Black) (Electronics)

I picked this up after hearing Dick DeBartolo and Leo Laporte review it on the Daily Giz Wiz podcast. It was on a 1-day sale for 20 bucks. Can't beat that! But even at the regular price it's a steal. Surprisingly good video quality for the price - IF you're outdoors. It has a tiny little light on it, but that's useless other than to use up the batteries. But I took some videos of my kids at Halloween outdoors and they came out really great. Just right for uploading to YouTube and sharing with the in-laws in FL.
And for this price I'm not afraid of letting the kids have a go with it. They watch these inane YouTube videos and play around pretending they're making their own. Well, do it for real now!
I love that it can be expanded with a regular SD card too.
Eventually I'd like to get a nice HD handheld camcorder, but this is a nice starter.