38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Lousy Picture Quality, January 18, 2008
This review is from: GE E1030 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Black) (Electronics)
I bought this based on the stylish looks and features it offered at a good price including face detection technology and MPEG video.
I was so disappointed at the dreadful quality of the photos I took with this, I went out and took a bunch more.
I took some in daylight, sunlight and using the flash.
While the photos appear bright and colorful, they look almost cartoonish in appearance.
The face detection did not seem to offer any improvement and sad to say I had to return it to Amazon.com (who made the process really easy).
I have several digital cameras from 3-7 MP and even my 3MP Canon had better quality than this.
Too bad, because it is a neat camera, well laid out and easy to use.
It does not get my approval... the most important thing you expect from a camera is decent prints and it just does not deliver.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Could Be Better, Though It Serves Its Purpose, March 2, 2009
This review is from: GE E1030 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Black) (Electronics)
This camera works pretty well if you manipulate and use the environment and different features to your advantage. I had to learn to do that with my really old 3 mp HP camera so I'm somewhat familiar. Like the HP, when it's not using flash, it collects light from the environment in order to get the picture. Sometimes it's a good thing--you just have to be sure you're mostly still while it's doing this.
I bought this camera under the mistaken presumption a greater number of megapixels meant better resolution. In some cases this is true. (I also bought it because it uses Li-ion batteries and was still pretty cheap.) I've only had this camera a couple of days, but I'm already getting the hang of some things. I've learned the best quality is obtained by using the "leaf" mode--that button labeled with a flower on the right on the bottom wheel. Also, it's best for me not to use the flash; I've never liked flash on any kind of camera. Anyway, in a couple cases I used the flash (several versions of the flash and SCN mode) and the pictures actually turned out far less clear than without the flash. Queer.
Random, but a review read it's not a brand name. GE is a brand name: General Electric. They make a variety of products, and I suppose my general satisfaction with its other electronics also propelled my decision to get this camera.
For some reason my camera can't seem to keep track of date (it's been about a month off--I have to make sure the date is correct each time I turn it on, though I guess it doesn't really matter. They don't show up on the pictures, but it's annoying to see it in the corner when viewing on the screen). It can keep track of the time, though it does seem to be lagging by a couple minutes. It also doesn't seem to understand I don't like using the assist beam because after a couple pictures without it, it will revert back to using it.
Specifically I go into stabilization mode, no flash, leaf mode in order to get the clearest pictures. When I put the pictures on my computer, I was surprised by the clarity--I could see the threading of my pillowcase, nearly each individual eyebrow and eyelash hair, individual red threads which had found their way from my hat to my bandanna, and other tiny lint.
The zoom on it is wonderful. It may look pixelated and terrible on the screen when its at its tightest, but when it actually takes the picture, it turns out very clear. It actually excited me to use it, taking pictures of cars in a parking lot from behind a sliding glass door yards away. Couldn't even tell the picture was taken from behind a glass door.
Movie mode is functional and acceptable. (I'm not much for movies). It comes out in MOV format; I downloaded a converter to see it in mpeg.
Panoramic mode works fairly well. It does its best to match up what you take pictures of (you have to match it up to a degree, also, of course) and connects a set of three pictures. I guess the problem lies in the user, getting the shadow of the image you already took to match up as much as possible with the image you're about to take.
Portrait mode, as far as I can tell, sucks, simply put--I can't get clear pictures using it--leaf mode isn't usable in this mode. Face detection doesn't seem to be anything more than a smiley face in the middle of the screen. I've used cameras which actually detect multiple faces and keep a small box around them even as you move the camera and change focal points.
It is pretty loud when it focuses to take pictures.
The user manual booklet is rather vague and doesn't help much. I haven't used the CD yet. I haven't used any cords except for the charger since I have a memory card reader; I can't say much about the other cords just yet.
Some aspects could be much better, such as portrait mode, auto mode; it'd be wonderful if it had come with a case. The SCN mode isn't even really necessary. Overall it's a decent camera, easy to use, functional. For the most part it serves its purpose with me.
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