Mustek gSmart Mini 2 Reviews

Rating
Reviewed by:

Horror
( Intermediate)

Review Date
June 16, 2004

Overall Rating
1 of 5

Value Rating
1 of 5

Used product for
0-1 years

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
1 votes

Review 1 of 9

Price Paid: $18.00 from ebay

Summary:

This camera is SMALL, that being in my opinion the only advantage. Don’t fall for the advertised 1.3Mpixel stuff, even the pictures taken in a sunny environment have rough pixels. I can tell for sure, my 640X480 Aiptek web cam makes better pictures. What one sees trough the optic viewfinder is by no means what the objective sees and that is especially true when u want to take a close-up (found it to be more than 30% off). Forget about taking pictures indoors, they will look skewed and yellowish (NO correction for ambient light). U can’t make a portrait even in daylight because it will get also skewed.

Strengths:

Size, software, makes a usable web cam.

Weaknesses:

Can’t be used with good, reliable results. Only if u want a web cam or toy. The size is fine but don’t expect to have this camera in a tight pocket, the objective is way too big.

Similar Products Used:

Aiptek DV 3500 (2.1Mpixel) and DNT G3SD (1.3Mpixel)+ 2 good old SLR 35mm cameras used mostly for night photography

Customer Service:

Not used yet

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Rating
Reviewed by: Andrew Whaley
(Casual)

Review Date
March 17, 2003

Overall Rating
2 of 5

Value Rating
4 of 5

Used product for
0-1 years

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
2 votes

Review 2 of 9

Price Paid: $60.00

Summary:

This camera represents excellent value for money offering a reasonable 1.3MP resolution for only £40. It is also incredibly tiny and light which means that you can geniunely take it anyware in a shirt pocket. The camera is let down by the poor image quality though. The camera is virtually useless inside as there is no flash and it doesn't cope will with low light. Outside you can get reasonable pictures but you will find that focussing is a problem for this camera and it takes a bit of practice to avoid camera shake. The macro focus does work but the distance is greater than the manual says, its worth experimenting with this. I have had some shots that are sharply focussed by playing around with the macro focus but these are a rarity.

Strengths:

Incredibly compact size. Very cheap. Good movie mode that actually records for several minutes.

Weaknesses:

Useless indoors. Shots are often out of focus. Occasionally locks up.

Similar Products Used:

This camera compares very well and betters many of the other cheap digicams, .e.g. Sipix Blink, Espion etc. However it is no substitute for a 'proper' camera of around £200. The pictures are often blu

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Rating
Reviewed by: Stuart
(Intermediate)

Review Date
February 6, 2003

Overall Rating
2 of 5

Value Rating
3 of 5

Used product for
0-1 years

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
1 votes

Review 3 of 9

Price Paid: $0.00 from redstore.com

Summary:

To be honest, this camera takes good pics neither indoor or out. Handheld, the focus is always out, whether it is on Macro or not - which doesn't seem to make the slightest bit of difference - in fact I think it is just a non functional gimmick. Out doos is ONLY marginally better, so although res is good , focus is poor. As the shutter speed is auto, even on a tripod indoors the focus is out and only seems to be in with 1 in every 100 shots. In short, the exposure does not self right itself and the focus is too random (maybe I just had a naff one but...) That's not to mention the software that comes with it that ALWAYS crashes for some reason! I would not recommend buying this cam.

Strengths:

Its small and people go: Ooo! Where did you get that from?

Weaknesses:

Everything

Similar Products Used:

L'espion Digicam and various SLR film Cams

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Rating
Reviewed by: Greg
(Intermediate)

Review Date
January 15, 2003

Overall Rating
4 of 5

Value Rating
5 of 5

Used product for
0-1 years

Visitors rate this review
3.67 of 5,
3 votes

Review 4 of 9

Price Paid: $80.00 from www.kotech.co.uk

Summary:

Nice little camera for the price. Really small so you can take it anywhere, although they don't give you any kind of carry case so the lens might get damaged (no lens cover, which would have been a good idea). Image quality is good when there's enough light, but indoors most places it'll be too dark and grainy. Can take 2.5 minutes of video or 54 pictures at 1280x960.

Strengths:

Good resolution, compact, cheap, image quality is good outdoors, built in rechargable battery that charges off the USB.

Weaknesses:

No flash and doesn't work well indoors, which kinda makes it useless for gigs, partys, clubs, etc. No lens cover or carry case.

Similar Products Used:

A few second generation digital cameras.

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Rating
Reviewed by: matbennett
(Professional)

Review Date
December 20, 2002

Overall Rating
4 of 5

Value Rating
5 of 5

Used product for
0-1 years

Visitors rate this review
2.33 of 5,
3 votes

Review 5 of 9

Price Paid: $60.00 from Dabs.com

Summary:

My Gsmart mini 2 arrived just this morning and I am already in love with the thing. It's small enough to fit (easily) easily in your pocket, being slightly larger than a zippo lighter, but still really packs a punch.

Strengths:

Amazing resolution and compactness for such an affordable camera.

Weaknesses:

Seems a little fragile, although only a couple of months of knocking about in my pocket with a handful of spare change will prove that either way. As other users have mentioned a flash would be nice, but that's what photoshop is for!

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