Customer Reviews

Polaroid PDC-5080 5.1 MegaPixel 4x Digital Zoom Digital Camera

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

 

 

I've had a few digital cameras and was getting a camera for my daughter.
I picked up the PDC 5080 for the price ($119) which I thought was affordable enough for my budget, but not so cheap as to be in the poor-quality range.
I was sadly mistaken.
I'm not a professional photographer, just a regular end-user taking pictures for personal use and am not a finicky consumer.
I'll give a product a chance and not nit-pick about minor things.
But when it comes to a camera, the color and quality of the pictures are kind of what it's all about.
On the "pro" side of the camera, it is very easy to use, takes lots of pictures and video without draining the 2 AA batteries too fast, the video capture had good sound quality and (like most cameras these days) you can just drag and drop the files to your computer and don't need any special software.
However...
The delay when taking a picture was so incredibly long - 4-5 seconds, at minimum. I haven't ever used a digital camera that took so long to save a file. 4-5 seconds may not sound like a long time, but when you're taking pictures it seems like forever. Especially if you need to take several pictures quickly.
But, the biggest issue with the PDC 5080 was the picture quality. It was just awful - blurry and horrible color. I did find that if I didn't use the zoom or didn't shoot up close I could get some pics that were not blurry. But I felt that being able to shoot up close and being able to zoom were both rather important.
I tried indoor & outdoor, with & without flash, but none came out with true colors. I took a pic of our building with trees in front and blue sky & clouds in the background and it came out with the colors of the building & trees faded and the sky was all white, as if it were completely overcast - not a hint of blue showed up in the pic whatsoever and you couldn't see any clouds.
I tried adjusting the exposure, ISO, etc. but nothing could get a true-life color to come out.
So - off to the store to return the Polaroid and pick up an Olympus.

I bought this camera despite the review that the other customer wrote saying hers was defective. The one I received from Ceylan Electronics works just fine and the pictures look just as good as ones on my brothers more expensive camera. I am very pleased with my purchase at this great price. Paul

I purchased the PDC 5080 because I was looking for an affordable 5 megapixel camera. When I received the camera within 2 hours I discovered the microphone for the video feature did not work, the flash whited out everything unless I took a picture in pitch black conditions and the camera completely froze (i.e. could not take/view pictures, turn on or off, nor see anything in the lcd screen) twice. I contacted Polaroid and Computer Geeks (the company from which the camera came) by e-mail 4 days ago and neither contacted me. I had to call Computer Geeks and set up a return which went smoothly. So all in all, great price but far from a good deal.

This was my first digital camera -it was bought in kind of a hurry because I wanted to get one before I went on a trip. IT'S HORRIBLE! I guess it's sufficient if you really just want a camera, but besides that, it's just bad. The flash is the main problem. Without the flash you have to be in perfect light to get a decent picture (meaning in order to see anything) and with the flash you have to be at the perfect distance (in order to see any faces). Most of my pictures taken with this camera are either too dark to see anything or extremely bright so everyone/ everything is washed out. I went to a banquet at a hotel and out of about 20 pictures,maybe 5 look good -I finally just gave up: it was ruining the banquet for me because I was constantly fiddling with this, trying to get decent pictures. I took it to prom and even with the flash, all the pictures in the limo and inside the actual prom are pitch black. Also, at the after-prom event, where there was florescent lighting, the backgrounds are all dark and most faces are either washed out or really dark. I've tried everything -fiddling around with all the settings and different lightings -like I said, you pretty much have to be in perfect conditions.
The second main problem is that it takes FOREVER to take pictures. From the time you take the picture to the time it actually shows up on the screen and you can take another one is easily almost 10 seconds (at least more than 5 sec). Because I bought it from Target, opening the package rendered it unreturnable, plus it is better than no camera at all. My camera phone literally takes pictures as good if not better than this camera. What was good about this camera? It was cheap (even though its still not even worth what it costs) and it taught me, you truly get what you pay for. I'm finally getting a new camera -I decided to go ahead and shell out some cash this time -hopefully it will turn out better. So to sum it up:
1. Horrible flash -needs the perfect conditions to take decent pics
2. Takes forever to take pictures
3. You're better off with a camera phone
I really expected more from such a big, well-known company, despite the price. Hopefully you won't make the same mistake I did. Pretty much thanks to this camera, I have hardly any pics of some the most important times of my life (graduation, prom, and my last school banquet).

We got this camera for a very low price, but never have I stayed so bitter about a purchase for so long. Photos without flash are invariably blurry, photos with flash or outdoors are ridiculously overexposed, and sometimes still blurry! Even the simplest photos in ideal conditions come out horribly. I have bought and used several different cheap/lower end digital cameras, but this is the most horrible product I have ever laid hands on. If anyone knows how to file an official complaint with Polaroid (that they'll pay attention to), let me know. I should never have opened that packaging.

I recieved this camera for by last birthday and wished that I had returned it! First off, the camera came with absolutely NO instructions. I have some knowledge of cameras so I messed with all the functions but instructions would have been helpful! Secondly, to this date, I only have been able to have it take one decent picture--which I totally had to photoshop & turn into black & white. All my other pictures have turned out blurry or too dark. Thirdly, the LCD screen SUCKS! It is slow, grainy and totally blurry so it is hard to focus on whatever you are taking a picture of. For a long time I thought that it was just me having so many problems but after reading all the reviews, I am obviously not he only one! One thing that is positive is that the software is easy to use and the pictures upload quickly but what is the point if you can get a good picture!!! I got so fed up with this camera that I had to have my sister take pictures with her Sony digital camera for all of our family get togethers or use my video camera! I am getting a Kodak that is $200.00+ for my birthday this year and am hoping that it is a better experience! Anyway, my advice to anyone thinking about this camera--SKIP IT!

The camera arrived with such poor instructions that I was baffled about all of the specifics. Everything clearly labeled on the camera was identified in the "User guide" but the more detailed functions were not described anywhere! I did some research from the Polaroid site, but it did not help either. I thought I was crazy because I could not make the pictures come out right (even though I have used digital cameras before!)-then, I finally realized that the thing was broken and the company refused to take it back because I was past my 30 day return allotment.

I got this camera as a gift and wished I could get the money back for the person who bought it. I have used better digital cameras. I have taken self-pics and they look distorted. I compare pics of friends' cameras of me and I don't like this one. The camera goes through batteries like crazy.

I purchased this camera 'on sale' as I didn't have previous experience with a digital and didn't want to spend a lot of money. Wish I had spent the extra money as I will now be doing so anyway. The picture quality is not very good. Even using a flash indoors when the lighting is not 'perfect' the quality of the photos is bad. The best pictures you can take with this camera are outdoors in the daylight, and don't think of using at night -- even with the flash, pictures don't show. When using a flash indoors, don't get very close -- they come out way too bright; however, without you can't even see one's face! Just don't buy a Polaroid, look for another make.

I bought this camera because it was cheaper and thought that a company such as Polaroid would put out a decent camera. Nope. As everyone has stated the picture quality is HORRIBLE. Unless you have the perfect light then don't bother taking the picture. The flash (like stated) washes out faces or it's dark. The time between flash and actual picture is crazy. I have bought brand new batteries only for it to shut off 30 seconds later. The settings reset with every picture. It's a horrible, horrible camera. I have lost many photos with this camera and would do better with a disposable. Do not waste your money.