Customer Reviews

Gateway DVS20 MPEG4 Pocket Multi-Cam

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

OK, first off, I read the reviews here, and it seems people were mislead by Gateway calling this a 'camcorder' and are upset when it doesn't do as well as a real camcorder costing a lot more, all this is is a 2 MP digital camera (lower end at that) with video and audio.. I sell cameras as part of my job (I work for Staples) and am my store Digital Camera person, I see all of the ones we get in and test all of them, yes 'some' cameras that do video will do better job, but they also cost more, and yes they have optical zoom, but it either doesn't work in video, or can only be zoomed *before* the video is started, anyway, the Gateway DV-S20 isn't a camcorder replacement, what it is is a very handy, easy to carry, camera with an adjustable viewscreen, flash, and a much smoother vdeo mode than most of the other cameras on the market (most only do 15 fps, this does 22-25)with audio (most others have audio, but not all), I bought mine for use when I dont wanna carry my regular digital 8 camcorder, or places where a camcorder isn't allowed, since this is a digital camera it is usually allowed in, and then I get to have videos of the things I am watching, not perfect, but still, I have something *smiles*
there are some things I wish this had, a focusable lens for one, so it could get closer than the 1.2 meters it is rated for (there is a way around this, if you have close up lenses from another camera, you can hold them in front of the lens, and then you get closer focus). People complaining about Battery life, what brand batteries are you using? I have used Rechargeable NiMH, Duracell Ultra AA, and CRV3 batteries, and Everready Titainium, and Photo Lithium AA batteries, I have yet to get less than the rated ammount of time on any of them, you can't use cheaper batteries in this camera or it won't last the rated time. (Kodak CX and DX line of cameras have this problem also, which is why Kodak tells you NOT to use Alkaline AA batteries, only AA Lithium, NiMH, or CRV3 batteries).
anyway, as for the DV-S20, I am VERy happy with it overall, once you learn the limits of what it can do, it will do well, just don't expect miracles lol

The small camcorder is great. You can take it anywhere. [I recommend getting the accessories--to have 90min of [rechargable] battery power. You should also get the 512mb sd--2 hours of recording time with it. If not the five twelve, get 256, but nothing less, for you won't have enough recording time.] The zoom is not powerful, but it gets the job done just fine. The size, 2 megapixels, and extremely low price are the best reasons to purchase this product. The camcorder is a fine product and is great for anyone who wants small size, good clarity, and low price. [ You should check the Gateway website from time to time, if you are thinking about buying this. They have recently released a free shipping coupon and $100 rebate (12/12/03)--just $99 after the purchase. Gateway has made a great offer.]

The small camcorder is great. You can take it anywhere. I recommend getting the accessories--to have 90min of [rechargable] battery power. You should also get the 512mb sd--2 hours of recording time with it. If not the five twelve, get 256, but nothing less, for you won't have enough recording time. The zoom is not powerful, but it gets the job done just fine. The size, 2 megapixels, and extremely low price are the best reasons to purchase this product. The camcorder is a fine product and is great for anyone who wants small size, good clarity, and low price. ..........

I purchased a DV-S20 last week. Well, I have to agree with what the people who give this product one and two stars have to say. I really cannot add much more to what's been said about it, but I can confirm that it performs poorly in pretty much all aspects of operations. The one thing that I truly did not care for, is that the camera insists on taking pictures at 1/30 of a second, no matter how much light is available. I adjusted the ISO by bumping it up to 400, but to no avail. In some cases, the shutter operated at 1/6 of a second! With shutter speeds that slow, it's no wonder that most of the pictures were fuzzy. Once in a great while, I was able to get a good, clear picture. But that was only achieved by holding the camera perfectly still with two hands and leaning up against something solid. Unfortunarely, this method isn't very practical in the real world. I used up the batteries very quickly because I spent so much time deleting a lot of bad pics. The video I took of my normally graceful gray tabby made her look as if she was in an earthquake. It was very jerky.

This camera is just great. The quality of the videos and pics aren't perfect like you would see from an 1000 dollar camera but I love them because I just want a camera that I can have fun with and not get real serious about it. First of all it's inexpensive so if it breaks, it isn't the end of the world and since it's so small you can take it anywhere. It includes software that you can use to edit and create your own movie masterpiece. It's zoom is a little weak but having a great zoom is too high above the price range of this product. Its battery life is about one hour but if you get the accessory pack it will turn into 90 minutes if you use the batterys included in it. The vidoes do include sound since the camera has a microphone. Another great quality it has is the fact that it can record up to 18 minutes and 700 pictures with its 64 MB internal memory. I would recommend this to someone who doesnt want the top of the line camera (if you do than spend more money) but wnats something that will be easy and fun to use. Really, anyone who wants to make movies should buy this. That's what my intention was and I love it.

While the DVS20 doesn't provide high-quality video, it's very adequate, especially considering the price. I am a college tennis player and use it to tape my tennis matches. The quality is just fine. The DVS20 takes decent pictures as well. I'm happy with this product and would recommend it to those who don't need serious, high-quality video.

A must buy if you want a 2-megapixel camera.
Amazon's review of this camera is very accurate.
I have had this camera for 4 months now, and it goes everywhere with me. I Just keep it in my jacket or backpack. I love it. For the cost, it has paid for itself in pure ease of use and convience, and the video, although mpeg-4, helps capture those moments hard to get with a single picture.
I found that using rechargable Ni-mh batteries last much longer per use than Alkalines, especially when using the flash. Outdoor picture are remarkably crisp, but indoor pictures in average or less light are a little less desireable.
The other plus, and deal sealer for me, was the 64mb internal memory. That is alot of pictures, 350+ at a more than decent medium quality, and 100+/- at high quality.

Gateway calls the DV-S20 a "multi-cam". I think it is a brilliant idea to combine digital camcorder and camera into one unit -- that is, if Gateway could only deliver it. It turned out that the DV-S20 is not suitable for either role.

The biggest flaw -- and a fatal one -- with this DV-S20 is lack of picture quality. The video is recorded in MPEG4 at 320x240 resolution, similar to digital cameras with movie mode, albeit at a higher speed of 25 frame per second. Video is blur at best, even with the super-fine mode. The picture is nowhere near a regular camcorder quality, but also has severe color shifting problem. At super-fine mode, a 512MB secure digital card, which costs about $150, will only yield 40 minutes of video.

The quality of still image is the worst I have ever seen. Clarity was poor and the colors came out unnatural and weird all the time. About 1/3 of pictures were out of focus. When using the flash, the object was often washed out. My son¡¦s HP 1MP digital camera takes much better pictures.

There are also weaknesses in design. Because of its boxy shape, it is hard to hold steady with only one hand while shooting video. To prevent blocking flash, sensor, and microphone in the front panel, you need to hold the unit at its lower half; however, that make using those control buttons (located at the upper half of the unit in the back) inconvenient. Beware of the 2.5X digital zoom, it only works for video, but not for still image. Worse, the image in the LCD depends on the zoom setting, so if you forget to set zoom back to 1X after shooting video, what you see is not what you get when taking still images. The time lag is about 1 second. It is hard to catch the moment you want. The power consumption is way too high. Using 2 AA alkaline batteries, I had to change batteries every 30 minutes. Rechargeable NiMH battery is a must.

To be fair, the DV-S20 does have some good points. Its size is small enough to fit into a pocket or purse easily. The flip-open LCD provides decent quality. The menu is easy to maneuver. And it comes with a generous 64MB internal memory, as compared with the 16MB comes with most digital cameras in the market. However, all these become irrelevant when the picture quality is so poor. After all, what you want it for is to take at least acceptable quality picture and video.

Gateway had a brilliant idea but came up with a terrible product. In my opinion, Gateway shouldn¡¦t even have released it to the market with this kind of quality. Needless to say, I returned this junk to Gateway, even though it would have cost me only $99 after rebate, and even though Gateway charged $36 restocking fee (based on its regular price plus accessory kit). There are plenty of choices for quality 2MP digital camera with 3X optical zoom and movie function for less than $150, such as Kodak CX6230, FujiFilm A205, HP PS-635, to name just a few. You will be much better off with any of these than Gateway¡¦s so called multi-cam.

This is a great little gadget for capturing spontaneous stuff. It is so small I take it everywhere and it's not obnoxious when you start shooting. You know how people freeze up or start "acting" whenever the camcorder starts recording. The DVS20 is less intimidating so you end up getting unbelievable bits.
Don't be confused, it is not a camcorder, but then it's a fraction of the price too.

First off, this camera is FAR from professional quality. If that's what you're after, then this really isn't the camera you want. However, if you want a fun little toy that's relatively inexpensive to take some decent quality videos, then I definitely recommend purchasing. It's best suited for very well-lit settings, such as outdoors. Medium-lit indoor settings are usually pretty crappy. At 2 MP, it doesn't offer top of the line megapixel resolution. There are a lot of similar pocket dv devices out there that offer up to 4 MP resolution! However, where those products fall short is in the speed of recording frames per second, mostly offering between 5-15 frames per second. Talk about jerky, web-cam quality videos! This little toy, however, offers a nice 22-25 fps recording. It's not perfect, but the videos I've taken so far aren't total web-cam quality crap! [...]