Entered CNET Catalog: 09/25/2003
SKU: 0097855018250
Manufacturer: Logitech Inc.
Manufacturer description
Sometimes being there without a camera is like never having been there at all. So now there's a remarkable new digital camera from Logitech that's small enough to be a part of you. Slipped into a corner of your purse or pocket or held discreetly in the palm of your hand, Logitech's Pocket Digital is the size of a credit card and slimmer than a pencil. The elegant, brushed aluminium case looks like no camera ever looked before, goes wherever you choose to take it. Click it open with the finger and thumb of one hand and it's ready for action. One simple (and unobtrusive) click captures the moment. Another single click downloads your collection of pictures to your PC. Capture the moments other people, with other cameras, miss - at a beach party, a wedding, a fashion show, a factory visit or a press conference - wherever your world unfolds.Product summary
The good: Sleek, portable design; speedy; easy to use; built-in flash; USB connection charges battery.
The bad: No preview or playback on LCD; bare-bones controls; no expandable memory slot; below-average image quality; flash tends to blow out details.
The bottom line: We wouldn't rely on this camera to document special occasions, but it'll do in a pinch.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 05/11/2004
If you aim to travel light, the Logitech Pocket Digital 130 won't cramp your style. This 3.6-ounce model is eminently pocketable, and while small, it's nicely built--props to the company for endowing the 130 with a sturdy, good-looking stainless-steel body. The design is stealthy; to turn on the camera, pull on either side to expose the viewfinder, the fixed-focus lens, and the flash. Alas, you can't use the LCD as a viewfinder or to review your photos; instead, the tiny monochrome screen displays the number of shots you have left, a battery-life gauge, and a couple of current settings. The camera body hosts only four controls: the shutter release, a flash-mode selector (on, off, or auto), one button for selecting image resolution (1,280x1,024 or 640x480) or deleting photos, and another for activating the self-timer or stopping the camera from beeping every time you change a setting. Overall, the design is clean and easy to use.
Slide the Pocket Digital 130 open, and you'll be ready to shoot in no time; we averaged less than 1.5 seconds from start-up to the first shot. Shot-to-shot time hovered around 2 seconds, and it was slightly longer when the flash was on. At a bit more than 0.5 second, the shutter lag is minimal. Those numbers go down by only a small amount with the flash on.
We really wish the camera had an expandable memory slot; you're limited to a mere 16MB of storage. We were able to save about 40 shots at 1,280x1,024 resolution or 130 images at 640x480 before downloading and clearing the memory. Logitech makes downloading one-click simple, and by plugging your camera into your computer via the supplied USB cable, you also charge the battery--a convenient arrangement. Logitech claims you can shoot hundreds of photos on one charge, and our tests confirmed that.
Our test images suffered from several problems. They tended to be too contrasty and laden with artifacts. The flash is especially problematic, blowing out details with wild abandon. Compared to images generated by other cameras in this class, the Logitech's are at the lower end. Its photos are best suited for casual e-mail and Web display. Whatever you do, we advise against making large prints.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9out of 9 user reviews
Don't buy this camera. Its slim, but that's it.
Pros: It is slim and lightweight
Cons: It's a terrible camera
out of 9 user reviews
A great little camera.
Pros: Small enought to always carry with me. No battery to charge.
Cons: No way to see if you got the shot you wanted until you download.
out of 9 user reviews
good thing i only spent $50 on this thing
Pros: small, light-weight, easy to use. good for when you wanna snap a quick shot.
Cons: small(easy to forget where ya left it), shotty pictures, the program for uploading the pics also isnt "tested and ready" for microsoft windows computers...may cause problems now or in the future.
out of 9 user reviews
OK Pictures, Small Camera
Pros: Doesn't cost much, fits in your pocket, doesn't weigh much, takes pretty good pictures in good lighting conditions, good for backpacking when weight and size are important.
Cons: If you want small size, this is the best. If you want good pictues, get a different camera.
out of 9 user reviews
Great, for what it is
Pros: Small, cheap, decent enough pictures, built well.
Cons: Photo quality isn't great, but it's good enough for email and posting on the internet. No LCD screen. Have to hold it quite steady to avoid blurring (sometimes extremely dramatic blurring).
out of 9 user reviews
Big Quality for Small Price !!
Pros: Compact Size, Built in flash, Ease of use, Provided software, Love it!! A great starter or additional camera!!
Cons: No carrying case provided or offered, Slow shutter speed (you must be very still to get a clear shot)
out of 9 user reviews
For what it is, it's great.
Pros: I'm wondering if people are actually using these items who write reviews. One person said "no flash" in a negative comment. The Logitech 130 DOES have a small flash. It's very small (credit card sized but thicker) and a no-thrills camera (no LCD screen,
Cons: No LCD screen (not really expected at this price though). No removeable memory card slot (you rely on it's built-in memory).
out of 9 user reviews
Great for a go anywhere camera.
Pros: Tiny, about as thick as a few business cards stacked together. I love that I can carry it easily to anywhere insuring that I am always ready for those great "kodak" moments. It's nice that they added flash as it was sorely missed from their previous model
Cons: The picture quality is pretty low, but that's to be expected for something as cheap and small as this thing is.
out of 9 user reviews
worthy!
Pros: small point and shoot camera. very convenient to take it anywhere.
Cons: picture quality - there is more to be desired from this tiny camera
