A 1.3 megapixel Pocket PC camera? Yup, finally!

[Jason Dunn]

<a href="http://www.handheldcanada.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&amp;Store_Code=H&amp;Product_Code=PR0024&amp;Affiliate=ppcthoughts">http://www.handheldcanada.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&amp;Store_Code=H&amp;Product_Code=PR0024&amp;Affiliate=ppcthoughts</a><br /><br />It looks like someone was listening when I was commenting on the fact that we've been stuck with 0.3 megapixel digital cameras for too long. 1.3 megapixels? I'm all over it - if the image quality is decent that is. Quick, someone buy one and let me know. ;-)<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/pretec-camera.jpg" /><br /><br />"The Pretec CompactCamera(TM) is a full-featured digital camera card that can be used on any Pocket PC or Pocket PC 2002 PDA with a CompactFlash Type I interface slot. The CompactCamera(TM) is capable of taking photos up to 1.3 Megapixel resolution and is capable of 2X digital zoom. Several image quality settings allow you to adjust the JPEG compression level to get the perfect balance between the file size of the image file and its quality. The 180-degree swivel head design allow you to view yourself, an automatically adjusted upright view of the scene you are facing if you rotate the head all the way in the opposite direction, or all angles in between. Organize your photos and video clips into colorful albums, even add text and audio annotations for your favorite files."<br /><br />&amp;#8226; CompactFlash Type I (works with any Pocket PC or Pocket PC 2002 handheld) <br />&amp;#8226; 1.3 megapixels <br />&amp;#8226; 180 degree swivel head, 2X zoom <br /><br />The camera can be <a href="http://www.handheldcanada.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=H&Product_Code=PR0024&Affiliate=ppcthoughts">purchased from this HandHeld Canada affiliate link</a> for $229 Canadian (about $149 US).

[swhitlow]

I didn't see in the documentation it mentioning anything about where the images are stored. On the web site it states that "Your photos and images are stored directly in your Pocket PC's main memory...(Pretec's Website (http://www.pretec.com/index2/product/digital_imaging/CompactCamera.htm))

If this is truly the case then this product will be a major dissapointment. I don't know about anyone else but my main memory is already ate up with other programs, etc. It would be more useful if the camera stored images and videos on an included CF card. Or better yet, include an add-on that allows you to insert another CF card.

Now if we could just get Pretec's resolution specs onto a NexiCam...hmmm.... :wink:

[Jason Dunn]

Yes, the images would need to go into main memory - although it perhaps would support writing to an SD card...but in terms of getting another CF card in there - I doubt it. :wink:

[Jason Lee]

great.... now do i buy a nexicam or pretec cam....? *sigh*

[muaddip]

From looking at the product PDF document Pretec has, it appears there are two different models. Is that correct or is it just two differnt modes of the same camera?

If it IS two different models, then I think iwill wait for the second one, it looks like it has a liitle bit better stats.

[jdhill]

From looking at the product PDF document Pretec has, it appears there are two different models. Is that correct or is it just two differnt modes of the same camera?

If it IS two different models, then I think iwill wait for the second one, it looks like it has a liitle bit better stats.
The model listed on the Handheld Canada site is the one with the higher resolution (i.e. the 1.3 megapixel model) since the model number is OCCAS. The other model (OCCAV) is the lower resolution model.

[JonnoB]

The lower end model has the same specs as the HP CF Camera. The device looks nearly the same and the software described sounds the same. I am wondering if Pretec was the OEM supplier to HP or design house? Is this new one just an updated version of the existing HP product?

[muaddip]

The model listed on the Handheld Canada site is the one with the higher resolution (i.e. the 1.3 megapixel model) since the model number is OCCAS. The other model (OCCAV) is the lower resolution model.

Ahhh, thank you! I must have been blind the first time I looked at the page. I completely missed the part number.

On another note, if you go to the Pretec site and check out their different distibuters, such as mobileplanet, they are selling the OCCAV for $99.00. Strange that I never saw anything about the OCCAV model before now, oh well, maybe JonnoB is right and they are an OEM supplier.

[JMountford]

I have been keeping an eye on this camera via Mobigeeks. I am seriously thinking about getting one. I have been wanting a digital camera. It is just that even though 1.3 mega pixs is still not as good as I was hoping for.

We'll see.

[JonnoB]

It is just that even though 1.3 mega pixs is still not as good as I was hoping for.

I have the HP CF Camera - being used with a 568. Unless you want really high resolutions for photo quality printing, the 640x480 seems to be pretty good for most outdoor casual shots. More than the resolution, the problem I have with the camera is the poor image quality indoors or in non-bright outdoor lighting. Integrated memory and a flash option (battery!!!) would be nice.

Bottom line, don't count on these kinds of devices to replace a dedicated digital camera until these types of issues are resolved. It is my assumption that this new device is just like the HP camera in quality, just a higher resolution option (more memory hungry too)

[Kirk Stephens]

This is a big improvement over the original Compact Flash Camera that Casio made during the PalmSize PC days. I only wish more than the resolution was improved. Better storage and flash options are needed to make this a more practical digital camera solution.

O-Well, I am still a pocket pc freak at heart, this thing is awesome! :D

[Sven Johannsen]

Just a note. The software that comes with HPs camera does not have the ability to save pictures to anything but the internal memory. Even with an MMC battery, there is no way in the software to select that additional storage option. The only option with the HP software is to take snaps and then move them via a file transfer to the storage card to free up room in main for more pictures.

Hopefully the software that comes with the Pretec camera doesn't also make the assumption that no other storage device could exist with the CF slot occupied :(

[Gerard]

gotta have one gotta have one gotta gotta gotta!
A 5-times increase in res over my Casio camera; whoa! I just hope it shoots video better. Not that there's anything wrong with CMF itself, but I can't watch any of my big collection of video shorts on the iPAQ (with sound, anyway - renaming a copy to .mpg lets me see the video in Pocket TV) thanks to the proprietary nature of the format. And then there's the shortness problem. Even with over 22MB available on my EG-800, the longest video I ever caught was about 57 seconds at small res. That's just a shame. And the save-time being almost as long means quickly adding another short while something is going on I want to film is simply not an option. If I could save to a compressed AVI or direct to MPG, and up to total available memory, that would be sensible. Even if it was capped at 10 minutes I could deal with that.
I'm seeing a lot of CF cameras coming out this week. Looks like open season for developers to write better software to run these things! Marauderz' 'M2SimpleCam' certainly made my Casio stills look a lot crisper, with better edge-to-edge brightness and lots of extra user options. He doesn't know how to make a go of a video capture sw, but someone must know how!