Pretec DC-530 0.3MP Digital Camera, PC Camera, MP3 Player, Voice Recorder

by Pretec

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 1.4 x 3.1 x 3.6 inches ; 4.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004ZB56
• Item model number: DC-530
• Batteries: 2 AA batteries required.
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,094 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 17, 2000

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

You've decided that it's time to get a new electronic gadget--but which one? A digital camera sounds exciting, but an MP3 player would be fun, too. Of course, having a Webcam for videoconferencing might be neat, and, if you're a student, a digital voice recorder would be useful for taping lectures. With so many options, which should you choose? Thanks to Pretec, your decision-making worries are over. With the DC-530, you get all four devices in one cute pocketsize package.

The instruction manual is quite thin, but the controls are intuitive and well arranged, so most users will probably never even glance at the directions. A power button, shutter release, and mode dial are located on the top of the unit, and there's a four-way rocker switch on the front, next to the LCD status display.

Judging by the "DC" in the model name, it seems that Pretec considers the digital camera to be the most important of the camera's functions. Its 640 x 480 CMOS sensor, fixed-focus lens, automatic built-in flash, and optical viewfinder are all pretty standard fare for entry-level digital cameras. Images can be stored either in the 2 MB of internal memory or on the included 32 MB Type I CompactFlash card (which also holds MP3 music files). At this price, you don't get an LCD display for previewing and reviewing your shots, but there is a small LCD panel that lets you know how many shots are remaining, flash status, etc. Strangely, this panel is placed on the front of the camera, so you'll have to point the camera at yourself each time you want to check if the flash is on or see how many shots you have left.

To share your photos with others, you can either view them on a TV (the connecting cable is included) or transfer them to your home computer. Image transfer is quick, thanks to the USB connection. Image quality is acceptable--not particularly detailed, but with reasonable color reproduction. The fixed-focus lens means you don't have to worry about blurry snapshots, though the lens doesn't deal well with close-ups. With a resolution of 640 x 480, the images will look OK as e-mailed pictures or Web-based photos, but even 4-by-6-inch prints will be unacceptably fuzzy. As with the Polaroid i-zone or a disposable camera, this is a camera you use to capture memories, not to become the next Ansel Adams. With the exception of the flash (which can be switched between "auto" and "off"), every other function on the camera is preset or automatic: just point and shoot.

Twist the mode knob to MP3, and you're ready to start listening to music. Depending upon recording quality, MP3 files require more or less 1 MB of memory per minute, so the camera's 32 MB card gives you around a half-hour of music. If you're hoping to bring more songs along, you can either record at a lower quality or purchase an additional memory card. The unit uses standard Type I CompactFlash cards, which are available in capacities of up to 256 MB. With the included software, song transfer was speedy and drag-and-drop simple. Though most of the other combination digital camera/MP3 players employ copy protection that forces owners to use proprietary software and cables to transfer files, the Pretec will also play CompactFlash cards that were recorded on a dedicated card reader/writer--there seems to be no copy protection at all, making it much easier for people to transfer files to and from the player.

Like the digital camera, the MP3 player is quite basic, letting listeners adjust the volume, play, pause, rewind, and fast forward. You won't find any advanced features like shuffle, repeat, or tone adjustment. In MP3 mode, even the LCD display is quite basic--information is limited to volume and battery condition.

When used as an audio recorder, the DC-530 saves sounds as an 8 kHz mono PCM "wav" file. Files take about 1 MB per minute of memory (unlike MP3 files, these aren't compressed). The recorder uses a built-in microphone, and you can play back your files through headphones or transfer them to your computer.

The DC-530 comes with a comprehensive software suite, including MGI PhotoSuite III SE, Siren Jukebox Xpress, and MGI VideoWave SE. The package includes a belt-loop carrying pouch, headphones, software, two AA batteries, and cables to connect the unit to your computer and TV.

Each of the four functions is pretty basic, but they work as advertised and are fun to use. For the same price as the DC-530, you could purchase a digital camera (or MP3 player, or Webcam) with more features, but taken as a whole, it's a reasonably priced and fun little gadget.

Pros:

• All-in-one design means fewer items to tote around.
  
• Compact, lightweight, and stylish.
  
• No proprietary file formats or copy protection on MP3 player.

Cons:

• LCD can't be seen when taking pictures.
  
• Minimal features in all modes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One gadget is better than 5, December 26, 2000

By 

Grant Osborn (Monroe, NH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pretec DC-530 0.3MP Digital Camera, PC Camera, MP3 Player, Voice Recorder (Electronics)

I just recieved this gift for Christmas and was amazed by all of the features available with the Pretech DC-530. It can give you great quality with MP3's, digital pictures, voice recorder, web cam, and tv pictures. It's a little bit overwhelming at how all of these gadgets fit into a product that is about 2.5" x 4" x 1". My only critiques are that the pictures are in black & white, you have to have a computer or tv on hand to view the pictures, and you cannot choose the color of the DC-530 that is sent to you. Besides these minor faults, it's a great gadget to have and will save you lots of space and hundreds of dollars if you were to buy all of these items separately.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love and Adoration in Italy., May 17, 2001

By 

"mikematera" (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pretec DC-530 0.3MP Digital Camera, PC Camera, MP3 Player, Voice Recorder (Electronics)

I bought the pretec 530 for my trip to Italy. After reviewing the features I've decided that I absolutely adore this camera. The pictures are 640x480 which is perfect for my online photo album, the color is excellent and the pictures are sharp.

One of my biggest reservations when buying the camera was wether or not I would be able to take good pictures in any conditions, indoor, outdoor, candid, etc. So far I have been able to capture very good pictures in both low light and direct sunlight. My only warning would be that the flash has a limited range (2 meters or so). If you are using the camera in low light, be sure to get friendly with your subjects or they may come out somewhat blurry.

The camera is smaller than I pictured it, which is a real plus. Also, it's perfect for travelling. I bought a 90Meg compact flash for it, which will hold over 1000 pictures (in high quality mode). This is really handy for a vacation, because all I need to carry are spare batteries. Also, the capacity makes it easy to sacrifice some room for music to listen to on the train.

As a final note, I really like the driver software. The other small usb camera I have (Creative WebCamGO es) has very elaborate software just to get pictures on and off of the camera. Pretec's software is less flashy but more stable and way more useful in my opinion. When you load the camera driver the contents of the camera open like a folder on your disk. From the folder you can load, store, or delete pictures, audio files, and mp3s just like any other file. This, in my opinion, relly beats having to go through some multistep process just to get the files onto a floppy or into your email.

Great Camera... buy ten!

/mike

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Suprisingly good multifunctional gadget for the price, May 13, 2001

By 

Tony - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pretec DC-530 0.3MP Digital Camera, PC Camera, MP3 Player, Voice Recorder (Electronics)

I found this unit while looking for a combination webcam digital camera. I had also desired to purchase a compact flash MP3 player. Double bonus, and a audio recorder to boot, what a deal.. The pictures are suprisingly detailed and with accurate color reproduction, something I would expect in a higher echlon camera. It is not a multi-megapixel unit, but can hold its own in its class. Detail on images taken inches away lacks resolution, but anything taken with more than a foot has enough definition and will suprise you. The USB connection transfers images quickly and the TV display connection is nice. It does not have a LCD screen on the unit, but its price is enticing to say the least. The mp3 player works great. Another bonus that both pictures and mp3 songs exist on the same memory card. The camera creates a folder on the card for its images. Triple mega bonus, both the mp3 songs and jpeg pictures are immediately accessible on my Windows CE PDA!!!! Unbelievable... My friend just spent $300 for a Sony mp3 player and an absorbant amount on a Sony maciva digital camera and is disappointed that the memory sticks are not readable by both and his files are not transferable to his PDA.

If have the need for a digital camera, mp3 player and webcam look not further as this is the unit for your. It will work great in capturing moments and memories while providing countless hours of music entertainment.

If you are looking for a digital camera to produce high quality prints to display and frame, you will need a higher end mega pixel unit and some good digital imaging software.