Blinkin' 'eck (Sipix Stylecam Blink)

Member Name: buster19761976

Product:	Sipix Stylecam Blink
Date:	04/10/02 (277 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Small, Easy to use, Fun to play with

Disadvantages: Video mode is terrible, Battery bug

)))-The bit where I tell you a bit of general info-(((

I've got one of these and have used it for a range of things. I'll first zip you through what it does, and then tell you what it does badly (or goodly). For those who don't know, you'll need a computer to use this camera (I assume from the fact that you're reading this that you have a computer). Your computer will need USB sockets (most modern machines do). You'll need to install some software. It comes with everything you'll need though. When all that is in place, you can take piccies, or even short jerky video clips. And hey, you'll also have a webcam! Brilliant for £40 eh? Well maybe.....................

)))-The low (ie. poor) quality pics-(((

It's got two settings. The low resolution gives you a huge capacity for a high number of pictures. It's just that you could probably draw pictures of similar quality. Of course, I'm exaggerating, but it really isn't useful for very much except when you need 400 pictures of something. If you do - tough, the battery won't last that long unless you're very lucky.

)))-High resolution-(((

Firstly, people seem to insist on using the term "hi-res". I don't. There, that feels better.
This mode can store 100 pics. The quality is quite nice at around 640x480 pixels (which is known in the trade as "quite nice"). You wouldn't want to use it for your wedding, but I took it on holiday recently, and it was perfect for those times when you just need a snapshot reminder of something. The word "snapshot" is apt. These are not high quality images. The alleged white-balancing (when the camera adjusts exposure to avoid a bright background dazzling the picture) does not work too well. In contrast it manages to justify forty quid.

)))-The Battery-(((

I've given this it's own section due to a bad flaw in the camera. On average,
the battery will only be around for around 50-70 shots. When you take the battery out to change it, you switch back on and the camera indicates the same number of saved images as when you powered down. When you upload to your computer, you find that the first 50-70 pictures are question marks. Yup, you lose your images. This renders the low resolution mode redundant, as you'll never exceed 100 pictures.

)))-Video clips-(((

The adverts boast that you can record short video clips, and in a way, you can. You can, if you like video VERY jerky, with no sound (yes I know it's only £40) and extreme motion blur. The instructions recommend that you keep the camera still and avoid your subject moving too fast. I call that a 'photo'. I have not used the video clip recording function often as it is very poor.

)))-Webcam-(((

Yes, webcam. It comes with a little bracket to sit on your monitor. Software is provided to use the SiPix as a webcam so you can do whatever people do on webcams. I don't use mine, but I have experimented with the software to ascertain the capabilities. It is substantially better at this that clip recording (see above). I would heartily say that it earns the £40 easily on this.

)))-Alternatives-(((

There is a camera called "L'Espion" which is a fellow tiny camera. It works at up to the lowest resolution of the "Blink", and has an eyepiece that sticks up from the camera. It is, by comparison, rubbish. I'm usually more objective than that, but other than it's size - it is smaller then "Blink" - it is much worse, and costs the same.

)))-Big Finish-(((

Look, it's £40. Go out to the Gadget Shop, or log on to firebox.com or iwantoneofthose.com and buy one. If you really don't like it, you'll get £30 for it on ebay anyway. You'll like it though.

Summary: