Customer Reviews

Philips Key Rink 007 VGA Wearable 64MB USB Key Ring Camera

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

 

 

Buy this if you want a cool-looking and very portable, digital camera that you'll use primarily outdoors to take low-quality, low-resolution pictures which you'll never print.

As I write this, the product description says that it stores 400 "high quality photos" and that the pictures can be converted to "1.3 Megapixel quality." Both statements are dishonest. Philips itself never makes these claims in its documentation or on its website. While it can store 400 photos, this camera does not take "high quality photos."

It takes VGA pictures, which is 640x480 (307,200 pixels, or 0.3 Megapixels). And while the included software can enlarge the photos (to 4 million pixels) and soften the pixelation, the quality is still that of a 0.3 Megapixel camera.

This is the cutest camera, but that is about it. The pictures are not very clear--lots of pixels. You can't take pictures in moderate light. You must not twitch or the picture will blur. The focus is off. The lens isn't dead center, so you have to adjust your position for a centered picture. The print out is low quality. But again, it is cute and very James Bond looking. It also works like a jump drive and you can transport files (word docs, pictures, etc.). I would have preferred to pay about half of what I did, but it will make a fun gadget on Christmas day and to keep in the car as the just-in-case-camera.

This seemed great...portable and compact, recharges via the USB port. But the picture quality was way below sub-par and no flash makes it hard to take a good photo anywhere but in extremely direct light. Very disappointing, and with photophones coming down in price, it is not a streach to buy a camera-phone and get something more usefull. The only reason I gave it two stars was the looks and the size.

First, if you need a digital camera, don't choose this unit as your first purchase. Get yourself a 2-3 megapixel camera. Second, it's a 640x480 ultra (repeat ULTRA) compact digital camera. Because of the size of the lens, the quality of the pictures are much lower that you'd get with almost any other camera, even at that low of a resolution.

However, it's super portable (smaller than a pack of gum), rechargable via USB, holds 80+ pictures, and is great for taking thumbnails of items for later viewing. Picked mine up on discount elsewhere for $30, which is a deal for anyone who want to always have the opportunity to take small digital pictures. Wait until you can get this cheap.

If you are looking for a hi-rez digital camera with lots of bells and whistles and beautiful photos, then you're going to be pretty sore if you purchase the Philips 007 Keyring Camera. If, however, you're looking for something that truly is pocket-size, portable, and a lot of fun to use, then you should be delighted. I was. Claims that this camera can take (or convert to) 1.3 megapixel quality photos are misleading and should simply be disregarded. Pictures are taken at 640x480 vga, which is most definitely low quality but still quite useful for outdoor and close-up photography that you plan to use primarily online. Foreground focus is fairly sharp, although you have to figure out the quirks to the tiny viewfinder, the curvature of which can cause you to shoot higher and more to the left than you might think you are. You also have to watch where you put your thumb. On a toy this small, blotting out half your shot with a finger can happen easily. All in all, as a novelty camera, the Philips is a load of fun, and fans of funky, quirky cameras should be overjoyed.

This camera is obviously not designed to be used for professional studio shots. There's no flash, and the resolution is comparable to that of an average cell phone camera. That being said, I highly recommend it if you want a VERY small camera for capturing serendipitous moments throughout the day. With 64 MB of flash RAM, you can snap at least 500 photos - weighing in at about 100 KB or less each - before you have to empty it out onto your computer. The built in lithium ion rechargeable battery does a great job as well, and the camera merely has to be connected to your USB port to recharge - no wall adapters to lose! And as if all of this isn't enough, it doubles as a perfectly competent USB flash drive. Plug it into your computer, and start copying.

Overall, I'd give this little beast 4 stars. The only thing holding it back from a perfect 5 is its susceptibility to pocket lint. The view finder can become a bit cloudy after a few months in your back pocket. But don't worry about the camera CCD - it's quite safely sealed off behind the lens assembly.

It's small, sleek, and cool. You can take it with you where ever you go. No more wishing you had a camera with you when your kid makes a funny face or you get in to an accident. No batteries or memory card to buy. Just plug it in to your usb port to charge and view your PICS. The picture quality is not to bad for the size of the camera. people I've shown it to are actually surprised that pictures that good come from a camera that small. This camera is mainly for outdoor use, as the indoor lighting just doesn't cut it. Pictures taken indoors are very dark and just don't turn out. Even in well lit rooms. I like that the PICS are stored in JPEG format on the camera. They are a small file size and I don't have to convert them. It can hold 400 640x480 PICS at a time on its 64mb of space. You can view the PICS using the software or using windows explorer window. It shows up as a removable drive like a zip drive. I am having some trouble getting the camera to work with Win98, however. It probably works better with WinXP but I have not tried it yet. The camera can be used on a key chain or a connectable necklace. however the connector on the necklace is not durable and leaves you constantly worrying about the camera falling off. The Camera has a nice magnesium case. Unfortunately the plastic usb cover is not connected to the body via a string or something, and can be easily lost when taken off. The camera has three led lights for memory, power, and light sensitivity. The eye piece is a little small and kind of hard to look through. This camera has room for improvement. I think the new usb 2.0 version will be better. This stile of camera has a future with today's on the go life style. This is a small portable point and shoot camera to take with you and capture those unexpected or forgettable moments.

I bought this camera about a month ago and have taken several hundred photographs for my website at http://www.gift-ideas-for-women. So long as I take the photos in bright sunlight they turn out fine. The pictures have turned out so well that I have not even had to use the included software to enhance them. If you are looking for an inexpensive, easy to use camera that recharges while plugged into your PC then this is the camera you want.

I managed to get about ten pictures out of the thing before it stopped working. Probably still works as a memory key, but [$$$] for a 64meg memory key is about 3-4x too much. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

I can sum up my review of this camera with three words. DO NOT BUY!!