Customer Reviews

Panasonic SV-AS10A D-Snap 2MP Digital Camera (Blue)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I would rank its 3 functions in this order: camera, MP3 player, video recorder. Details on each follow:

Camera: As a 2 Megapixel camera, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the pictures. This won't replace a dedicated camera, but as a device you can always have with you, it does a good job. Its primrary limitations are the very short range of the flash (making group photos tougher than you would like) and the lack of zoom (it's a fixed-focal length lens set at a pretty wide angle).

MP3 Player: First the bad news - you have to use the supplied software to upload music to be played. The Jukebox software "locks" your music in an attempt to add some sort of digital rights management. Which means if you already have a large library of encoded music, you still have a slow import process to go through before you can put music on the device. Painful and unnecessary. However, the quality of the playback is good. I wish the cord on the headphones was longer. If you put a large SD card in this, you can have a 512mb MP3 player that is also a decent camera for not much more than a 256mb dedicated MP3 player.

Video recorder: This is pretty nominal. Resolution is fixed at 320x240 with a fixed (no zoom) wide angle lens. And you cannot move very quickly or the image immediately blurs. So it's OK as a quick use item and marginally better than the short video functions on most digital cameras. But don't buy this for its video ability.

Overall pros and cons....

Pros: Great form factor and design. Like the iPod, this is a device you just have to hold in your hands to enjoy fully. It is a pleasure and a delight (it is also smaller than the iPod!). It is really impossible to convey how petite, yet right-sized it is without seeing it in person. Camera is better than you expect and MP3 playback is decent.

Cons: At less then $200, this would be a deal. At current prices, it is slightly steep. Since they only throw in an 8 Mb SD card, count on getting a 128/256 Mb card yourself for photos/music (another $60-120). Or even 512 Mb if you want to do video capture. But be aware that the video mode is pretty nominal. The lack of any optical zoom hurts as well.

Overall, I would recommend to those lookng for a small, all-in-one device. Particularly if you already have invested in SD cards for other devices. Shop around and aim for as close to $250 as possible.

I got this camera about 6 weeks ago. I have heard that the best camera is the one you have with you when you need it. So that would make this a good camera. I take it with me everywhere because it is so small and fits in my pocket. It is no more inconvenient to carry than a cell phone.

A couple problems I have with it are that the lens rotates so you can take a pic of yourself....but the flash does not rotate with the lens. So if you are in a poorly lit area and want to take a pic of yourself, all the benefits of having a rotating lens are lost. This is only a minor problem to me, but I think it is poor design.

The second problem is that the SD card it comes with is small...very small. 8mb. Is that some kind of joke? Most digital cameras come with small memory cards, but they are promoting this thing as a multi function device: camera, camcorder, mp3 player. My Panasonic mp3 player came with a 64mb card, why does this come with only 8mb? It is supposed to be an mp3 player too. They might as well have not included any memory with this camera. I was lucky that I bought it while Panasonic was having a promotion and they sent me a free 128mb card. Which only took about 1 week to arrive, not 6-8 like they said.

I only use the camera function, so I cannot comment on the other functions, but overall I am happy with it. However I would not want this to be my only camera. When I go on a trip or someplace where I know I will be taking a lot of pics I will bring a different camera, as this camera is only 2mp and does not have an optical zoom. If you want a small camera you can carry with you at all times then this one is good. If small size is not the most important thing to you, then you should look at something else.

Picture quality is just OK for email or memo.
It is not good for print out.
But I always can carry and easily take a photo as memo.

Music player function is very good.

It's useful, and 256 is a good price i almost paid double that. Anyway I would like to give you some good info on it, if your planning yo put music on it record it manually, yes the sound quality isn't as good, and it takes longer, but... you can have about 5x more music on it, i recorded 5 songs onto a 8mb card.
just some useful info.

I had pretty low expectations when I first tried this camera. I had no idea how much it cost as it was a gift. It actually worked pretty well. Picture quality is decent for such a small camera. If you take the time to focus on an object, the picture comes out in focus and with decent color composition.

Plus batter life seemed very good considering you have to use the LCD(no view finder).

Recommended for someone wanting an on-the-go 2nd digital camera for snapshots.