Customer Reviews

Logitech Pocket Digital USB PC Camera

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

This is a neat little camera if you want an inexpensive digital camera and don't need high quality pictures.

Picture sizes are 640x480 or 1280x960. It holds 53 pictures regardless of size. Each image takes 2 to 6 seconds to download on my 700 mHz machine; it varies with picture size and complexity. The 1280x960 pictures do indeed have better resolution than 640x480.

It's the size of a credit card, but about 3/8" thick so it won't fit in a wallet. At the lens, it's about 1/2" or 5/8" thick. It's light enough that I forget I have it in my pocket. I plan to keep one in my laptop briefcase, to take pictures of whiteboards before they get erased. (I won't be able to read all of what's written; the image quality isn't quite good enough.)

Very easy to install and use. Once the software is installed, just plug the camera in. If there are any pictures in the camera a popup appears. Just click OK or hit space to move them to your computer (or click Browse to navigate). Fine for even techno-challenged folks, if they can find the USB port. The unreplacable battery recharges through the USB cable.

The biggest limitation is no flash. Takes OK pics in a typical well-lit office setting, but you have to hold it very still. Fine outdoors even on cloudy days.

Optics are not great (what do you expect from such a tiny lens?) There is very noticeable radial lens distortion (straight lines near the picture edge bow outward). Resolution problems are noticeable when you display the images at full size, but images are fine up to a print size of 4x6" -- like an Instamatic or a disposable.

Of course, it doesn't have any of the nice features we expect from bigger or more expensive cameras. No zoom, no image display.

For example shots, see ...". The first image is 640x480, the second is 1280x960.

It's a great novelty or convenience, and it's very affordable.

This item is advertised as 1.3 MP. Very misleading. When you measure pixels the TRUE measurement is the CMOS sensor resolution. For this camera, the CMOS sensor resolution is ONLY .35 MP. Yes, that is right -- .35 --. The 1.3 MP this camera markets on the outside of the box is INTERPOLATED pixelization -- this is an algorithimic method of "blowing up" or "magnifying" the image -- often making the image look very pixelated. For a small pocket sized inexpensive digital camera with TRUE CMOS sensor resolution, look to the Aiptek PenCam SD 1.3-Megapixel Digital Camera. This is actually cheaper priced, allows you to take video, and has a memory expansion slot. By the way, if your batteries run out, you can replace them -- unlike with the Logitech which comes with rechargeables BUILT IN -- guess you have to throw the camera away when it stops holding a charge?!

Let's face it, mini cameras like the Logitech Pocket Digital are not intended to give you top quality pictures. They are intended to be small enough (and cheap enough) to be taken to places where full size cameras would not normally be taken. People need to stop comparing them to cameras that cost hundreds of dollars more or cameras thatare 3 times its' size! That said, this a good mini camera, compared to other cams I've used- I compare the Logitech Pocket Digital to the Sipix Blink, and Spypen Luxo. Under day light conditions-- Colour balance: a little off, slightly worse than Spypen Luxo, much better than Sipix Blink; visual lens distortion - slightly better than the Luxo, much better than the Blink (bad distortion); White balance - same as Luxo, better than Blink; battery life/ battery circuitry- far better than either the Luxo or Blink. The The Pocket digital does lack the Web cam and contiuous mode that the Luxo and Blink both have, and has a slower shutter, but more than makes up for it with a solid housing, twice the memory, flawless WinXP connectivity and Big name support. Ranking low light performance from best to worst: Blink, Spypen, Logitech Pocket Digital. The Pocket digital is the worst performing low light camera with the most underexposed and dark shots. Under poor lighting conditions- all the cameras perform exhibit chromatic aberration, colour balance, exposure and white balance problems. Just make sure there is plenty of ambient light if you want your pictures to turn out. Especially in lower light you need to be very STEADY as you press the shutter, otherwise you'll have a blurry picture. Go [online] to check out sample pics.

If you want a camera to take VGA quality pictures that you can carry easily in your pocket, this is a good choice. I had researched this camera long before it came out, and was excited that it purported to have 1.3 megapixel resolution, but after I bought it and read some more reviews I found the fine print saying the 1.3 megapixel resolution is "interpolated" from native VGA resolution (VGA is 640x480 pixels, or about .31 megapixels). All that means is that the camera "dithers" or basically breaks up the captured pixels into more pixels, which doesn't really do much to improve picture quality. Despite that disappointment and my view that the advertised quality is very misleading, I kept this camera because it does what I wanted -- it lets me very easily carry around a camera that takes pictures in daylight that are good enough to e-mail. If that's all you want, and the price is acceptable, you'll be happy with this camera.

This item is advertised as 1.3 MP. Very misleading. When you measure pixels the TRUE measurement is the CMOS sensor resolution. For this camera, the CMOS sensor resolution is ONLY .35 MP. Yes, that is right -- .35 --. The 1.3 MP this camera markets on the outside of the box is INTERPOLATED pixelization -- this is an algorithimic method of "blowing up" or "magnifying" the image -- often making the image look very pixelated. For a small pocket sized inexpensive digital camera with TRUE CMOS sensor resolution, look to the Aiptek PenCam SD 1.3-Megapixel Digital Camera. This is actually cheaper priced, allows you to take video, and has a memory expansion slot. By the way, if your batteries run out, you can replace them -- unlike with the Logitech which comes with rechargeables BUILT IN -- guess you have to throw the camera away when it stops holding a charge?!

After reading so many reviews from different sites not to mention all the personal reviews, I decided to purchase the camera.

I received it today and took 40 pics: indoor and outdoor, during different times of the day, being very still and just casually holding it. Only 5 out of the 40 pics came out bad b/c they were taken indoors in the early evening. All my other pics came out great! I guess I was expecting so little I can't get over how cool this camera is.

If your considering buying this camera you have to know what it is for and that you can't compare the picture quality to a Nikon 3 megapixel. Everyone who complains about the camera didn't do their homework before purchasing it and was expecting something its not.

- It's not for indoor use although with decent lighting pics come out fine
- It's not for printing out pics on your inkjet
- It's not for someone who can't take the time to be relatively still...really you don't have to be THAT still!

- It's for FUN! Carry it to the park or baseball game... Email the pics you take (use the lower setting)

I am happy with this Logitech Pocket Camera because:
It's simple to use.
It's light, small and it looks good.
It's easy to load to PC with it's software.
It takes excellent shots outdoors in sun light.

I am unhappy with it because:
It needs a flash or real bright light for indoor shots.

For the price, as you see, I have only one dislike. If you want better quality, you have to pay for it. 1.3 megapixels is minimal. 4"X 6" prints should be the largest for the best clarity and sharpness. All in all, it's a great camera for the price.

I have found this camera to be very easy to use and the pictures are good enough to share with friends. I have not missed the lack of an LCD viewer, which can drain a battery faster than one can fill the memory with pictures. This camera battery is recharged automatically every time pictures are downloaded into the computer, and the battery has the capacity to take all 53 pictures that the memory holds.

While the camera CMOS only has a 640 by 480 resolution, you have an option for the pictures to have a 1,280 by 960 image size. I am not sure how the camera does it, but the larger image size does have a higher resolution. To test this, I started with a 640 by 480 picture that I had taken with the camera and doubled the pixels using Adobe Photo Deluxe; I could not achieve the resolution of the Logitech camera when used in the 1280 by 960 mode. While the pictures may not be up to the standards of a true 1.3 megapixel camera, they are good enough, considering the convenience of this easy to carry camera.

Most of the negatives of this camera have already been discussed -- photos have a greater tendency to blur that with other cameras. Not a lot of pixels. No flash and so-so performance in low light.

BUT

This camera is small enough to keep with you anywhere, any time. It is so small and light it will fit in a shirt or jacket pocket and you will forget it's there.

One problem I had though -- and I haven't seen it mentioned in other reviews so maybe it's just my camera -- the viewfinder is not very reliable. Photos that seem well framed in the viewfinder sometimes have the top or side (depending on orientation) crowded when downloaded.

It's not a bad camera after you get the hang of it. When you first use it, pictures might turn out blurry or jagged indoors or outdoors, but after a lil practice you'll get it. Main thing is holding the camera steady. Don't jiggle the camera when pushing the picture capture button and all the jaggedness will go away =)
Not too bad of a quality either. 640x480 resolution but it's quite handy =)