9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
An inexpensive digital camera.
Date of Review: Jul 30, 2007
The Bottom Line: The vivitar 3350 is not a film camera replacement. It has a lot of features and has good quality for a camera in this price range.
I have owned several digital cameras. The purchase price of most was over $300. I bought them as film camera replacements. These cameras are\were all feature packed quality electronic pieces. I expect this from a $300 piece of equipment.
I have never had a desire to spend much money on a webcam, however. So when I heard of a $20 webcam that could also take photographs and videos independent of the computer, I was intrigued. I thought I would get the webcam, and my son could take pictures with it, if he had a desire to(he just turned three).
When I got to the store, I saw an eyeball style webcam and bought it instead. When I got it home, I was very disappointed with the focus and color of the picture, even after I messed with all the settings and such. The stand that it came with was not good either. I couldn't aim it where I wanted! Besides, I felt a little guilty that I hadn't purchased a camera that my son could try to take pictures with. So the next day I returned the first webcam and purchased the 3350.
What a difference! The 3350 was a lot better than the other webcam. The picture was better, the camera adjusts to low level lighting a lot better, and I can attach my own mini tripod to point it wherever I want. As a webcam, it uses the USB's power, so you don't have to worry about batteries. The USB cable is short, but not much shorter than the other $20 camera I bought and it still works for me. Also, since it's a standard mini USB connection, you can buy a longer cable if you really want to.
When my son got it, he quickly learned how to operate it and was able to take some pictures of me. It was a lot of fun for both of us to teach him how to use a camera and let him see the results immediately. The camera is really easy to use.
There are only two buttons. One is the shutter release\select, the other is the power\mode button. After you turn the camera on, you can press the mode button to switch to self timer, continuous capture, low quality, and movie mode. There are also modes for different indoor lights and for deleting the last picture or all images. Press the shutter release button to select the mode. If the shutter release isn't pressed within a few seconds, the camera will revert back to the previously selected mode. It will remember the mode even when it is turned off.
The 3350 will produce an image that is about 8x6 inches. The images print out nicely at sizes slightly smaller than this.
The camera does a good job of letting you know what is happening by using beeps. For instance, it will beep in shorter and shorter intervals during the ten second self timer. It will produce one continuous beep while shooting in the movie mode.
It is important to remember that this is a twenty dollar camera. I felt the features and quality of construction were well worth the price. If you have to complain about the quality of this camera at this price, you probably just like to complain. The only missing feature is a flash, but then they'd have to up the price of the camera to include it, wouldn't they? Try to find these features in a film camera for this price (especially one that includes unlimited free film).
Conclusion: If you're looking for a fun little all around camera to email a few photos and little videos to Uncle Jeb in Tennessee or teach your children photography, this might be the camera for you. If you're looking to replace your SLR film camera, save your money, because it's going to cost a lot more than twenty bucks.
