Polaroid PDC 2000/40

The camera takes extremely sharp pictures and is extremely easy to use. THe fact that it doesn't have a preview mode on the camera is a negative but the availability of flash cards make up for it. Overall I am very satisfied with the camera performance.

Very sharp clear pictures. Good flash fill. Large flash card capacity standard. Rechargeable batteries standard.

No preview LCD. No zoom capability.

Sony Mavica

NA

The PDC-3000 is well worth the money at auction or private purchase new at $400-500. Though obsolescent in some ways (no zoom, no LCD screen), the camera's overall performance rivals more expensive offerings from other manufacturers. Note that the camera was discontinued by Polaroid in the spring of 1999, but they still provide support.

Sharp, detailed images with a wide range of color. Proprietary initial format yields a high number of pictures per Compact Flash card but must be converted to a standard form (TIFF or JPG)for image editing software. Bright, accurate optical viewfinder. Flash has a good range and illuminates evenly.

Users must use included software to convert format for most image editing software. Need a SCSI card for downloads, which are blindingly fast. No zoom lenses available. Does not have LCD screen.

Sony Mavica

Very helpful.

Easy to stabilize with lens all the way zoomed due to the horizontal configuration of the camera. Sharp & contrasty images. Versatile lens. A bit pricey though.

None

None

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A great camera if you want great image quality, the lens is top-notch...I do experience some 'greenish-tinges' on the left side of some images (mostly scenic shots), Polaroid said the camera had to be serviced, but the problem is intermittent and I've seen similar problems on other digicams...I use the camera to photograph my new son, the 2 million pix Tiff images are outstanding, the Canon A50 could not come close and the Kodak was terrible...It's large and heavy, the viewfinder is tricky to see out of until you master the technique, there is no lcd for previewing and no zoom, but the camera is fascinating in a 'Buck Rogers' kind of way, definitely durable, point-and-shoot and the bottom-line, great images that print out to 8x10 well...

image quality, construction, file format (TIFF), battery longevity, compact flash

size, no lcd, greenish-tinge on selected spots of certain images, lens cap (not attached, easy to lose, also easy to take photos with cap on, resulting in no images...)

Canon a50, Kodak dc120

okay

Excellent images and well worth the $420 to $450 at ubid.com and other auctions.

Very sharp images. Bright viewfinder. Kind to batteries, but no LCD review screen. Large image capacity even in high-res mode. Easy to operate. Fast downloads via SCSI cable and board. If connected to a computer, allows the monitor to be used as a viewfinder -- excellent for product and critical macro work. Accepts filters.

No LCD review screen. No zoom lens is available.One must become used to the proprietary software and use a program to convert TIFs to JPGs for Internet use, and there is a learning curve (but not a steep one). Accessories are becoming hard to find at places other than Polaroid, which charges high prices.

Mavica series. many others.

Polaroid 800-line personnel are helpful. Software probably will not be updated, but this is a minor consideration -- it works well now.