An Outstandingly Affordable Digicam (Trust 770Z Powerc@m Optical Zoom)

Member Name: oliviamccann

Product:	Trust 770Z Powerc@m Optical Zoom
Date:	24/12/03 (518 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Outstandingly affordable., Great looking, versatile

Disadvantages: battery wares quickly, limited functions

INTRODUCTION
Being relatively new to digicams and not familiar with modern specifications, I found myself in a sea of technical terms.
I knew I needed to keep up with the fast moving pace of technology and it was a matter of which digital camera to choose.
I was on a budget of £150.00, after being all around the country seeking advice form staff in Currys, Tescos, local retailers and others, I finally saw the one I wanted. It needed to give me point-and-press snapshots, ease of use and not too difficult to set up. A local computer retailer had a cabinet full of digicams and the cheapest being £85.00.

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Intel Pentium or higher
USB port
32 MB of system memory
CD-ROM drive
Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP
Mac OS 8.9 to 9.1 and 10.1 or higher

OVERVIEW
The one I saw was a compact digital camera with 3 Megapixel camera resolution. There was an enhanced 4.0 Megapixel picture resolution for maximum photo quality. It was a small lightweight camera with dimensions of Width 9.5 cm, 3.8 cm, and 6 cm.
On the back was 4 cm colour TFT LCD display for live viewfinder, zoom preview, review pictures and menu functions. There was 10 step, 4 times digital zoom.. I was glad to find out that I could take up to 200 pictures or more than 1,5 minutes of video to be stored in the built in 16 MB memory. In the event that I needed more than 16 MB, the Memory was expandable by optional SD or MMC cards.

With my old fashioned camera which sadly packed in and died a couple of weeks ago, I was always taking pictures with red eyes. This digicam has a built-in automatic flash light with red eye reduction. These can be turned off or on as desired. I found it amazing that I could review pictures I had taken on the TV or on my windows XP computer.

I took it home and opened the packaging. The Trust PowerCam 750 LCD Zoom Digital Camera Package Contains :
<
Camera
USB cable
Batte
ries (2x AA Duracell Ultra)
Carry bag
Hand strap
Tripod stand
TV-out cable (RCA)
CD-ROM with drivers, application software and manuals
Multi language user's manual.

I couldn't fault the quality of any of these.]

OTHER SPECIFICTAIONS
Also in this camera, there was the capability of video recording 352 x 288 at 15 frames per second (fps) and a Webcam function up to 25 fps at 352 x 288. The image storage could be either JPEG 2048 x 1536, JPEG 1600 x 1200, JPEG 1280 x 960 or JPEG 800 x 600.

The menu options allowed the user to control quality, exposure value and white balance control, the options were automatic, sun, tungsten and fluorescent. Yet, I have only used automatic.
Another feature I found useful was the 10 seconds self timer with acoustic and display countdown notification. The Date and time was also displayed whilst pictures were registered. The TV connection could either be set as PAL / NTSC.
The Lens System was focus free. The min Focus Range was 25 cm and the macro focus Range was20-25cm
Battery life could be prolonged using the Auto power off option.

The software was fantastic, (all included on a single CD ROM) and all compatible with Windows 95, 98, 2000 and XP. Four different pieces of software allowed the user to manipulate and contort the pictures and videos taken.
My favourite was PhotoImpression 3.0. This was extremely easy to use and every button was clearly labeled and identified. If this camera was used mainly for short home videos, VideoImpression 1.6 would be ideal.
PhotoBase 3.0 is a simpler version of the other photo software and allows easy managing of files folders and albums. Photos can be framed here and easily cropped and rotated. FunHouse 1.0 is one for the kids. Well known cartoon characters faces are used as templates for the users own faces of photos stored on the trust powercam. They can easily be mounted onto the templates and printed ou
t. Such as
Elvis, Little mermaid, Cinderella and others. You could even be the next face of mount RushMore, Marilyn Monroe or an astronout. Whatever character your mind can dream up, it's here.

Finally, I have had this camera just over 6 months and I have never had to avail of the manufacturer warranty. Thank God. With the camera, there is offered 2 years warranty and all service and support details are listed in the instruction manual.

I would advise anyone considering buying a digital camera in the near future to seriously consider this one but make sure you are prepared to buy rechargeable batteries as the usual are a waste of time.

Further details can be found on the company?s well designed web site
www.trust.com

Thanks for taking time to read my review.
Olivia :)

Summary: