Mustek MDC 3000 review by Khaan (Mustek MDC 3000)

Member Name: raja_tkhaan

Product:	Mustek MDC 3000
Date:	17/06/04 (333 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good picture quality, Looks pretty neat, very simple to use

Disadvantages: using flash wastes the battery power, takes a long time to reset after using flash

MUSTEK MDC3000 I was looking for a low-cost high resolution camera at least 2.0 MP that was less than $100 that I could use for 60-90 days until I get a Sony Cybershot camera that I expect to win in a contest at work. The primary purpose of buying this camera was for jobsite product shots and family photos that are higher resolution than my Sony NX70V which is only 300K resolution. My NX70V camera is convenient but is low resolution(300K) and has memory storage challenges unless I purchase a larger memory stick or CF card. I am waiting until Sony introduces new replacements for the NX series(which is doubtful) or the new UX series (which I like) but waiting to see what's new.

Since I already have a 256MG CF card and several 128MG Memory sticks that I use with my NX70V I saw the Mustek's CF capability as an advantage especially since it included one 16MG CF card with the camera. I considered another lowcost digital camera that was selling for $80USD but it did not have removable storage(it was integrated)and by the time I purchased another CF card and batteries it would have cost much more than the MDC3000's sell price of $99.99.
My expectations for this camera were low, however, except for some issues transferring images to my PC (software is slow and buggy) the photo images were acceptable. Overall, this camera was the best value based on my requirements of buying a low-cost, high resolution (vs. NX70V's 300K low res camera), complete package and portable size.

Originally the Micro Center sales person told me about the Mustek camera and said it was $80 which is what got my attention. However, it turned out that the $80 camera was another manufacturer and did not have removable storage (it was integrated) and did not include batteries. When I compared the costs between the $80 model and buying a CF card ($30 USD) and batteries ($5 USD) the Mustek seemed to make the most sense, especially compared to most of the other name brand
3.1 megapixel cameras which were going for around $200+ USD.

So far I am happy with the camera but I have not used it at a jobsite yet so I'll see how it performs. The AVIs were fine on my PC but were not easy to view on the camera. The battery consumption seems low but that is probably typical since I experienced the same with another Sony model. This camera says it uses a Sony lens so that's OK with me.

Summary: