The Aiptex Pencam VGA: A Digital Camera Review

I had purchased an Aiptex VGA pen cam because it's a webcam and digital camera in one. Once I got it home, I opened it up to find it has a digital picture editing software and Ulead video software. The application software has video mail e-mail, digital camera manager, photoexplorer, photo express and video kanoid.

The digital camera offers a 10 second timer, 15 second camera video clip. Low and high resolution. The low resolution has the ability to take 99 pictures while the high resolution has only 26. Be careful not to take the batteries out until after you have uploaded your pictures. If you don't, you lose all the pictures previously taken. It's a good idea after you have saved your photos to remove the batteries because when they just sit in your camera they are sucking up the juice. To upload your pictures you connect a usb port and use the uploading software. You must have a working CD-ROM for software installation. If you don't like it, you can always uninstall it later. It displays small thumbnails of your photos. When you click on one of the images it opens in the paint application.

It uses 2 triple A batteries that aren't included. Once a picture is taken you can't see what it looks like until you upload it. There's no picture display on the back. When you're running low on battery power the digital LED screen tells you by blinking. You can still take pictures but they usually come out pretty crummy. If there isn't sufficient lighting in the area , the camera will refuse to take a photo. It alarms you by making a noise.

If you decide to use the webcam, make sure to save your photos first because the camera does delete all pictures once going into webcam mode on the photo uploading application. When you're running the video clip on batteries you're limited to seconds. But when your camera is on and connected to the computer, you can have no sound video for as long as you want. If you want to chat with others via webcam with sound, you have to have a microphone either in your computer or a separate one.

The software bundle is okay for a beginner. Though if you plan on taking and treasuring many photos, it's a good idea to look at other photo editing software. Many have free trials. There's even some free software that can help enhance skin clarity and tone. The Ulead Video Software can be fun for a beginning film maker, but don't expect Oscar winning results. The camera has a stand for when you're not using it and a clip in the front. Overall this is a pretty basic digital cam that can also be used as a webcam. It may be an okay choice for someone starting out who only wants the basics. The cost: around 39.99