Comments on: Coby CAM3000 1.44-Inch TFT LCD Mini Digital Camcorder/Camera

By: Collector

Collector — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:48:11 +0000

I bought this camera because I liked how it looked and it was listed at a very low price. I’ve bought other Coby products so I was pretty optimistic about it. Unfortunately, I found to my disappointment the picture quality is pretty bad. The camera has no flash, only a little light on the front that does nothing to brighten the picture. The pictures came out very dark, grainy, and blurry. On the other hand, I just purchased a Coby mp3 player and it works great for the price. Too bad this camera wasn’t the same way. If you want to buy a cheap camera for your kids to dink around with this would be an okay choice. If you want decent quality pictures I recommend going for a better known brand.
Rating: 2 / 5

By: Robert M. Zumatto

Robert M. Zumatto — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:42:39 +0000

I really wanted to like this product. I truly wasn’t expecting too much at this price point. I have other Coby products that I use and then write reviews, just to see what people are getting at Coby’s low low prices. Despite their reputation for making crappy products, some of them I think are quite good. Unfortunately this isn’t one of them.

First off, I like the appearance…jet black glossy, looks good although its prone to fingerprints which I was constantly wiping off. The few times I pulled out the Coby at work, people were really curious about it! It couldn’t be simpler to operate…it’s every bit as easy to use as the Flip Mino. You essentially use the L/R buttons to scroll through 3 menus: Video, Picture, Review. The center OK button secures your choice. I especially liked that it takes 4 AA batteries, since I have lots of rechargeables. The playback screen is tiny but serviceable, and there’s even a small speaker to listen to playback audio. As for video, it’s about what I expected…very low quality picture, even for youtube, although in a brightly lit room or sunny day, the quality was at least decent. The real problem for me is the sound quality, both on the unit itself, and when playing back on a computer. The onboard speaker is absolutely useless-it’s basically impossible to hear anything clearly. Then, when played back on a pc, there is a high pitched sound in the background which actually hurt my ears. In fact, the sample video posted here contains that same high pitched whine…there was no way to use the video without this sound, which is I guess, like microphone feedback.

Still photos were possible, but not practical. There is at least a 3 second delay between the time you push the button and hear the shutter click. Pic quality was again about what I expected. Not great, but not too bad with practice.

The LED light is completely useless.

I’m returning this camcorder in the next few days, and I hate to see it go. Because it is kinda fun to take instant video on the go for $30. Perhaps the Cam4000 or 5000 are better?

Rating: 2 / 5

By: R. Policella

R. Policella — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:16:49 +0000

Bought this for my 10 year old for Christmas. It’s perfect for her! We bought a 8G memory card and it’s plenty for her anf her friends. It’s a great 1st camera!
Rating: 4 / 5

By: Darwin A. Westerlund

Darwin A. Westerlund — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:53:10 +0000

I bought 2 of these for my kids and one of them died the 2nd day , i looked into there RMA procedure and they want you to call them to get an RMA # which is ok but then they state that you need to include money for the return postage . It was a 3rd of what i paid for the camcorder . so just threw in the garbage and wont purchase from them again.
Rating: 1 / 5

By: R. Branker

R. Branker — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:20:21 +0000

This camera has the worst picture ever. Its more of an outdoor camera because shooting in my home, I couldn’t see anyones face. I sent it back and bought the Polaroid. The software is easy to install.
Rating: 1 / 5