Polaroid's 3-megapixel camera offers acceptable value for money, but falls short of being a compelling buy. Read our Australian review.The PDC 3150 produces 3-megapixel images and is aimed at entry-level photographers after an affordable camera. Although we have seen better value in the budget digital camera category, for its price this Polaroid gives comparatively high definition shots and versatility. It supports video mode, web cam capability and comes with a decent imaging software package.
At first touch the camera seems cheap. The plastic case and grey buttons aren't the most comfortable we've experienced but the camera is reasonably lightweight at 660 grams. 2 x AA batteries power the camera and turning the camera on via the slither of a button at the back of the PDC 3150 is a little awkward. Before taking a picture the lens door needs to be manually opened by pushing the switch down at the side of the camera.
With an impressive 3-megapixel resolution it is disappointing that Polaroid did not include an optical zoom facility. There is a 3x digital zoom that decreases the image quality and gives very grainy previews of shots. The PDC 3150 has a relatively small 1.6-inch LCD on the rear of the camera that displays the images and current settings.
The PDC 3150 operates in four modes--auto, manual, video and playback. We found pictures optimised through manual mode produced much better images than automatic mode. Manually setting the white balance in shady or bright conditions captures colours more accurately. We avoided the AWB as much as possible in outdoor situations as it saturates photographs with yellow.
With 16MB of internal flash memory the camera can store about 13 images at the highest resolution setting--2048 x 1536 pixels. Initially we thought there was no room for memory expansion but hidden away under the battery door is an SD slot. To our disappointment no SD card comes with the camera.
A camera case, USB cable, wrist strap, TV output cable and software CD are included in the package. The TV output only supports video and not audio, although the camera does have an integrated microphone for recording audio in video mode. The bundled CD contains the camera manual and the useful Arcsoft Software suite. It is the same imaging package described in our review of the entry-level Polaroid PDC 330.
An annoying aspect of the camera is the time taken between shots. With the flash turned on it takes around fifteen seconds to store an image, recharge and shoot again. Switching modes, playing back images and even the going through the menu takes a considerable amount of time. On the plus side, images are very sharp and the auto focus does a good job in all lighting conditions. It is also good to see adequate auto exposure that refreshes during video capture as well as in still shot mode.
While an optical zoom would have been a nice addition, the PDC makes up for that by offering higher resolution than most cameras in the budget range. It's still hard to wholeheartedly recommend the PDC 3150, however -- for AU$30 more, the Kodak Easyshare CX4230 offers a 3x optical zoom and was recently awarded the ZDNet Australia editor's choice for budget digital cameras.
Polaroid PDC 3150
Company: Polaroid
Price: AU$369
Distributor: Selected resellers
Phone: (02) 9370 8995
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