Customer Rating: 
Summary: Can't play videos in Linux but good still photos
Comment: Still picture quality is equivalent to $10 disposable cameras from 1997. Just remember that a 1 megapixel digital camera was $1000 in 1997.
Still photos are 1248x960 and can be downloaded in Linux, but video can only be downloaded and decoded in Windows. Not a big problem because it only records 30 seconds of video at 624x480 9fps. Can be powered off USB or internal AAA batteries. Has auto shutoff when running on batteries but stays on when powered by USB.
Still photos are stored in flash. Video is stored in SDRAM, so you need those AAA batteries to keep your videos from getting erased.
Very flimsy, like all Chinese products. Different icons on the LCD panel wink off if you squeeze the case.
Not as small as it looks in the picture. Really 1" deep. Very light, however.
Customer Rating:
Summary: good camera for the price
Comment: this camera takes good pictures out of doors & with a flash or bright lites could take pretty good indoor pics, I think-----batteries can be removed after snapping pics without losing images, in order to save battery life----pics are still bright & clear when enlarged-----main problem is the same as with most cheaper cameras of any type: the view finder is not in same position as the actual lens, so resulting pic is slightly different than what you see (or significantly different for close ups), so you have to adjust & experiment a little. I found instruction booklet somewhat confusing.--------but pretty versatile, all in all-----definately not a rip-off, for the casual phtographer
Customer Rating:
Summary: Sharp little camera
Comment: A simple camera that takes great pictures under limited conditions--no flash,no zoom,but wonderful for the money!Very easy to carry and use.
Customer Rating:
Summary: a good product could be superb
Comment: A wonderful camera is now a super bargain.
I, too, experienced the broken shutter button (mentioned by others) just before 1yr warranty. I got return auth from 1-800...and soon received repaired unit back in usps priority box. the button failed again, later--out of warranty. so I found the secret scrows and taking the neat 3 layer case open...it was easy to repair. Finally the switch-circuit-board connection gave way. The unit still works... as a pencam and retains 24 pics even w/o batts.
I bought a 3.1 mpix digital brand w vga color screen/view finder (walmart again 59$ plus a 20$ chip to retain time-date and pics during batt change...
it's a nice unit but I'm still unable to get time-date memory to sustain...and the vga display is really an impractical batt hog.
SO--I started shopping, reading the other reviews and anticipated the 39$ MINICAM Replacement ...(I had paid 59 at walmart).
Then, after finding the AIPTEK manufacturer's discouraging ad that the minicam was "not available at this moment" I ordered a couple larger 1.3 models with free caps, dolls and cases and a vga model at 9$...
next day I found 2FIDELITY.COM a subsidiary of aiptek had my mini pencam at the new 19$ price (9$ refurbished)...I ordered a new one and all 4 cameras came quickly in 3-4 days...I like all of the aiptek models for their good battery use...1.3 mp resolution. The mini pen cam is my favorite. It has the best design and good looks. The shutter button, however, should be a durable spdt switch attached to the case-not c-board-and the time-date stamp would make it a perfect camera. They might boost resolution to 2mp. More is useless, takes longer to transfer and wastes memory.
Secret to good pixs is steady hand and good software...try polaroid photomax. The flash attachment is unnecessary and wastes batts...some minicam pix are dark-but photomax' one step correction with enlargement and cropping produces excellent results on lexmark x3350 scanner-printer. The stand-alone printer makes beautiful copies of color photos...has its own usb port to download the camera...serves well as a photo copier b/w and color for 69$ (walmart) you only need the computer to edit w/photomax and email the results...
this good company can & should prosper it's sad to see AIPTEK subsidiary giving away the mini pencam...with a little more resolution, time-date memory (keep the LCD screen-no color displays) this model CAN survive. Who will pay $300+ for kodak features...when an improved UNIQUE MINI pencam justifies a $75-125 pricetag & a 2-yr warranty.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Hmmm...maybe better as a web cam
Comment: This may be more of an issue of wanting to get the right first digital camera for a youngster (a mature 8 yr. old). This is not the camera for this purpose. Image quality was poor. And the build is not ready for young boy energy. Furthermore, if you are lucky enough to find this out within the 15 day return grace period, you will still pay a 15% restocking fee (from Computerbrain.com). It was worth $7.50 to have it out of my life. I guess I'll just need to fork it over for something a bit more robust. This may be a fine camera for very limited applications like a stationary webcam.
Summary: Can't play videos in Linux but good still photos
Comment: Still picture quality is equivalent to $10 disposable cameras from 1997. Just remember that a 1 megapixel digital camera was $1000 in 1997.
Still photos are 1248x960 and can be downloaded in Linux, but video can only be downloaded and decoded in Windows. Not a big problem because it only records 30 seconds of video at 624x480 9fps. Can be powered off USB or internal AAA batteries. Has auto shutoff when running on batteries but stays on when powered by USB.
Still photos are stored in flash. Video is stored in SDRAM, so you need those AAA batteries to keep your videos from getting erased.
Very flimsy, like all Chinese products. Different icons on the LCD panel wink off if you squeeze the case.
Not as small as it looks in the picture. Really 1" deep. Very light, however.
Customer Rating:
Summary: good camera for the price
Comment: this camera takes good pictures out of doors & with a flash or bright lites could take pretty good indoor pics, I think-----batteries can be removed after snapping pics without losing images, in order to save battery life----pics are still bright & clear when enlarged-----main problem is the same as with most cheaper cameras of any type: the view finder is not in same position as the actual lens, so resulting pic is slightly different than what you see (or significantly different for close ups), so you have to adjust & experiment a little. I found instruction booklet somewhat confusing.--------but pretty versatile, all in all-----definately not a rip-off, for the casual phtographer
Customer Rating:
Summary: Sharp little camera
Comment: A simple camera that takes great pictures under limited conditions--no flash,no zoom,but wonderful for the money!Very easy to carry and use.
Customer Rating:
Summary: a good product could be superb
Comment: A wonderful camera is now a super bargain.
I, too, experienced the broken shutter button (mentioned by others) just before 1yr warranty. I got return auth from 1-800...and soon received repaired unit back in usps priority box. the button failed again, later--out of warranty. so I found the secret scrows and taking the neat 3 layer case open...it was easy to repair. Finally the switch-circuit-board connection gave way. The unit still works... as a pencam and retains 24 pics even w/o batts.
I bought a 3.1 mpix digital brand w vga color screen/view finder (walmart again 59$ plus a 20$ chip to retain time-date and pics during batt change...
it's a nice unit but I'm still unable to get time-date memory to sustain...and the vga display is really an impractical batt hog.
SO--I started shopping, reading the other reviews and anticipated the 39$ MINICAM Replacement ...(I had paid 59 at walmart).
Then, after finding the AIPTEK manufacturer's discouraging ad that the minicam was "not available at this moment" I ordered a couple larger 1.3 models with free caps, dolls and cases and a vga model at 9$...
next day I found 2FIDELITY.COM a subsidiary of aiptek had my mini pencam at the new 19$ price (9$ refurbished)...I ordered a new one and all 4 cameras came quickly in 3-4 days...I like all of the aiptek models for their good battery use...1.3 mp resolution. The mini pen cam is my favorite. It has the best design and good looks. The shutter button, however, should be a durable spdt switch attached to the case-not c-board-and the time-date stamp would make it a perfect camera. They might boost resolution to 2mp. More is useless, takes longer to transfer and wastes memory.
Secret to good pixs is steady hand and good software...try polaroid photomax. The flash attachment is unnecessary and wastes batts...some minicam pix are dark-but photomax' one step correction with enlargement and cropping produces excellent results on lexmark x3350 scanner-printer. The stand-alone printer makes beautiful copies of color photos...has its own usb port to download the camera...serves well as a photo copier b/w and color for 69$ (walmart) you only need the computer to edit w/photomax and email the results...
this good company can & should prosper it's sad to see AIPTEK subsidiary giving away the mini pencam...with a little more resolution, time-date memory (keep the LCD screen-no color displays) this model CAN survive. Who will pay $300+ for kodak features...when an improved UNIQUE MINI pencam justifies a $75-125 pricetag & a 2-yr warranty.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Hmmm...maybe better as a web cam
Comment: This may be more of an issue of wanting to get the right first digital camera for a youngster (a mature 8 yr. old). This is not the camera for this purpose. Image quality was poor. And the build is not ready for young boy energy. Furthermore, if you are lucky enough to find this out within the 15 day return grace period, you will still pay a 15% restocking fee (from Computerbrain.com). It was worth $7.50 to have it out of my life. I guess I'll just need to fork it over for something a bit more robust. This may be a fine camera for very limited applications like a stationary webcam.