Managed to snag this camera for $19.99 from J&R, and purchased an 8GB memory card for $14 at the local Target. The instructions indicate the Coby camera accepts up to an 8GB card, which would give it about 2 hours of recording time. When I inserted the 8GB card, the camera froze. It would start up, then freeze, and the only way to turn it off was to remove a battery. I did this 5-6 times, with the same result. I called Coby and was told my camera might be defective and I would have to return it to receive a replacement. It would cost as much as the original price to return, so I declined. The camera worked fine with no card, but with minimal internal storage I got about 20 seconds of recording time. I tried again with a 4GB card, and the camera still froze. I had an old 512MB card around, so I tried it. Lo and behold, the Coby accepted it. It gives me nine minutes, 3 seconds of recording time. Bottom line is that my camera is not defective, but it does not accept 8GB cards as advertised. When working properly, this is an amazing little camera for the price. Very easy to use, acceptable picture quality, decent sound. Not sure the small light on the front would help in any situation, but it's nice to have. USB is true plug-and-play (no installation required) with all my PCs (haven't tried with a Mac.) I'm going to continue to find the largest memory card it will accept, since 9 minutes is not quite what the product promises.
Build Quality
The build quality is really quite good -this mini camcorder does not look cheap to be sure. Although it has a shiny, not rugged, plastic exterior, it seems to be fairly scratch resistant. All the buttons are firm, not jiggly.
SD Card Expansion Slot
The mini camcorder has about 20 MB of built-in memory, which is sufficient for only a few seconds of recording (makes me wonder why they even bother including the built-in memory). No problem it has an SD card expansion slot. I have no trouble getting the mini camcorder to recognize my high-capacity SD card. I'm using a Kingston 8 GB microSDHC Card with an SD card adapter (came with the Kingston package).
Digital Zoom
This mini camcorder actually has digital zoom-in/out, as opposed to optical zoom (better). The trouble with digital zooming is the image gets pixelated when you zoom in. The zooming is also a little choppy.
LCD Screen
The display on the LCD screen is very clear. The LCD screen is somewhat smallish, but it's perfectly adequate nonetheless.
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For the price, this mini camcorder produces some very descent 1280 x 960 videos. The quality isn't on par with that from a regular camcorder, of course, but it is more than adequate if you're planning on using your videos on y0utube. It's ultra portable and perfect for some quick and casual takes.
Buy Coby 1.44-Inch TFT LCD SNAPP Mini Camcorder/Camera CAM3000 (Black) Now
I picked this up after hearing Dick DeBartolo and Leo Laporte review it on the Daily Giz Wiz podcast. It was on a 1-day sale for 20 bucks. Can't beat that! But even at the regular price it's a steal. Surprisingly good video quality for the price IF you're outdoors. It has a tiny little light on it, but that's useless other than to use up the batteries. But I took some videos of my kids at Halloween outdoors and they came out really great. Just right for uploading to YouTube and sharing with the in-laws in FL.And for this price I'm not afraid of letting the kids have a go with it. They watch these inane YouTube videos and play around pretending they're making their own. Well, do it for real now!
I love that it can be expanded with a regular SD card too.
Eventually I'd like to get a nice HD handheld camcorder, but this is a nice starter.
Read Best Reviews of Coby 1.44-Inch TFT LCD SNAPP Mini Camcorder/Camera CAM3000 (Black) Here
I also bought at a lower price from J&R, and am now waiting on my return shipping label... this thing is a piece of junk! All I wanted was YouTube-quality video, and the CAM3000 doesn't deliver. Details follow:Pros:
Inexpensive.
Small and light.
Fast wake up.
Control buttons seem sturdy.
Incredibly simple to operate.
Impressive 4X digital zoom.
The LCD display is bright.
Video quality is adequate when recording outdoors.
Cons:
Feels like cheap plastic... I fear breaking it when opening the battery compartment, etc. I wouldn't trust a child with it.
The memory card and USB covers are difficult to open.
Requires 4 AAA batteriesno internal or rechargebale battery.
An additional SD memory card must be purchased; the 32MB memory is good for only a few seconds of video (a 2GB card records 35 minutes of vid.)
Low light/indoor recording is very, very dark... to the point of unrecognizeable video.
Without operator narration, the mike picks up ambient noise ("wind" noises and unknown clicking) very loudly.
The specific reasons for returning this camcorder are that the recorded video is choppylots of starting and stopping for no reasonand sound cuts in and out. Some video was even "damaged " (?) and unable to upload to my PC. Basically, it doesn't work as advertised, and I'm not sure I would have kept it even if it had.
Want Coby 1.44-Inch TFT LCD SNAPP Mini Camcorder/Camera CAM3000 (Black) Discount?
I picked up two of these for family members and they love them. Really good value for your $$. Easy to use and decent quality videos. Don't expect HD for $30, but you can't beat it for the price. Will take up to an 8GB SD card which will record over 2 hours of video. Also will take stills. Small size makes it easy to carry around. Do your kids always want to use your expensive video camera to make their own videos? Does that make you nervous? Get them one of these instead. Simple to use, even young kids can operate it and it is fun to see the videos that they make. Putting the videos on YouTube could not be simpler. I took a video and then put the SD card into the card slot on my computer and uploaded directly off the card to YouTube. Easy peasy!
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