PCSTATS     
[X]   Directory of
Guides & Reviews

Beginners Guides
Motherboards by Brand
Weekly Newsletter
Archived Newsletters

+70 MORE Beginner GUIDES....
D-Link DSC-350 Digital Camera Review
D-Link DSC-350 Digital Camera Review - PCSTATS
Until fairly recently, digital cameras were often dismissed as mere tech toys that only a few people (such as real estate /insurance agents) would use. This was no surprise, as a $10 disposable camera offered substantially better quality than a digital camera costing over 100 times as much.
 85% Rating:   
Filed under: Digital Cameras Published:  Author: 
External Mfg. Website: D-Link Jan 27 2000   D. Deveaux  
Home > Reviews > Digital Cameras > D-Link DSC-350

D-Link DSC-350 Digital Camera Review


Until fairly recently, digital cameras were often dismissed as mere tech toys that only a few people (such as real estate /insurance agents) would use. This was no surprise, as a $10 disposable camera offered substantially better quality than a digital camera costing over 100 times as much.

With the introduction of ultra high resolution cameras capable of cramming over 3 million pixels of information, digicams are beginning to enter the mainstream market. While still expensive, they are slowly approaching the feature set and price of a top quality 35mm SLR camera.

With this in mind, it's no surprise that lower resolution cameras are becoming quite affordable, with some costing as little as $100. These cameras typically offer resolutions of 640x480 (VGA) and forgo extra features such as zoom, an LCD display for viewing captured pictures, or removable memory cards.

Due to these limitations, these cameras are designed not for professional level photographers, but rather for those who wish to post images to the web.

The latest entry into this emerging market is none other than D-Link. As has been evident in past reviews here at PCstats, this company is making a name for themselves in the home consumer market. For the most Their DSC-350 camera functions not only as a digital still camera, but is also a webcam and video camera all rolled into one.


Features & Specifications

· 350,000-pixel CMOS Sensor (320x240, 640x480, 1024x768 resolution)
· 8MB internal flash memory (non-removable)
· User-adjustable focus ring
· Ability to store 145 images in high-quality mode, or up to 4 minutes of video
· 30 fps @ 640x480, 32 fps @ 320x240 in webcam mode
· 4 fps @ 320x240, 20 fps @ 160x120 in video camera mode
· USB Port for connectivity to a desktop or laptop computer
· Operates on 2 AAA batteries


A few points to note regarding these specifications: 1) To achieve the claimed 1024x768 resolution, the camera uses interpolation. While not necessarily a bad thing, it won't produce pictures as good as a camera that natively supports this resolution. 2) The camera does not have a built-in flash. This severely limits its usefulness indoors as you will soon see.

Package Contents

· DSC-350 Dual Mode Camera
· Drivers on CD-ROM
· 2 AAA Alkaline Batteries
· Camera Pouch
· Cradle
· USB Cable
· User's Manual
· MGI Photosuite III SE CD-ROM
· MGI Videowave III SE CD-ROM
· Tilt/Swivel Base
· Hand Strap


Upon opening the package, the first thing that shocked me was how small the actual camera was. At 96mm(W) x 58mm(h) x 31mm(D), it is perhaps one of the smallest cameras I've ever seen, and makes my Nikon Nuvis A20 APS camera seem large in comparison (that camera is quite small as far as film-based cameras go).

The user's guide was concise and to the point, but did manage to go through all the camera's functions, which is a definite plus. Unlike with some products I've looked at, I can honestly say that most people should have no problems using the camera's functions after reading the manual.

The included MGI Photosuite III and Videowave III SE packages are surprisingly efficient programs for working with photos and digital video respectively. For occasional editing tasks, these packages provide reasonable results especially if you don't want to mess with a ton of settings. Serious photo manipulation however, would still require more sophisticated options such as the full versions of these packages, or something like Jasc's Paint Shop Pro (my favorite editor by far). For the cost of the camera however, D-Link's decision to bundle the MGI utilities was definitely a good one.

© 2023 PCSTATS.com Next Page >

 

Contents of Article: D-Link DSC-350
 Pg 1.  — D-Link DSC-350 Digital Camera Review
 Pg 2.  Installation

 
Hardware Sections 


 
PCSTATS Network Features Information About Us Contact
FrostyTech
PCSTATS Newsletter
Tech Glossary
Technology WebSite Listings
News Archives
(Review RSS Feed)
Site Map
PCstats Wallpaper
About Us
Privacy Policy
Advertise on PCSTATS

How's Our Driving?
© Copyright 1999-2023 www.pcstats.com All rights reserved. Privacy policy and Terms of Use.