Entered CNET Catalog: 02/12/2004
SKU: 0654348932570
Manufacturer: Polaroid Corp.
Manufacturer description
Polaroid x530 is the world's first point-and-shoot digital camera to incorporate the revolutionary high fidelity Foveon X3 direct image sensor. This new image sensor technology allows the Polaroid X530 to produce sharp 8 x 10-inch prints with the rich color fidelity of 35mm film and without the color artifacts found in many digital cameras today. The Polaroid x530 is targeted to consumers who seek a full-featured point-and-shoot digital camera that delivers outstanding 8 x 10-inch photographs. The full featured Polaroid x530 comes equipped with a 4.5 megapixel high resolution Foveon X3 direct image sensor, 3X optical zoom and a large 2" color TFT LCD display for image preview, on camera editing and play back. In addition to capturing still images, the Polaroid x530 captures high resolution VGA video clips at 30 frames per second at a TV quality 640 x 480 resolution. Designed with enthusiasts in mind, the x530 allows images to be converted to standard JPG file format or maintained and edited in the proprietary X3F RAW format.Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 03/18/2004
Upside: The X3 sensor shows lots of promise. Its filter technology assigns each pixel red, green, and blue rather than just one of the three. Because there's no color-filter array, the sensor doesn't have to reconstruct missing color data and generate the attendant postprocessing artifacts. To learn more, check out Foveon's Web site. For the chip's latest iteration, dubbed the F19, the company made substantial design and manufacturing changes intended to decrease noise and increase light sensitivity.
Downside: Very sketchy preliminary specifications, among them a 3X zoom, indicate that if it weren't for the Foveon sensor and 30-frame-per-second VGA movie capture, the x530 would be unremarkable. Plus, its dysfunctional family tree might make the camera seem like a risky buy. It's branded by Polaroid, manufactured by World Wide Licenses, and distributed in the United States by Uniden, a company known for its cordless phones.
Outlook: When the Polaroid x530 ships in June at a list price of $399, the camera will seem expensive compared with the growing numbers of budget 4- to 5-megapixel models. Polaroid will need more than a newfangled sensor and VGA movies to grab the public's attention.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6out of 6 user reviews
GREAT Little Camera!
Pros: SO simple to use!!
Cons: Haven't found any yet!
out of 6 user reviews
I rate it "good" to "very good" (between 6 and 7)
Pros: Price has dropped dramatically---now it's a buy. Comfortable to hold, easy to learn and use. Expensive technology at a cheap price.
Cons: Some of the early photos looked grainy until I took some time to understand the settings and options.
out of 6 user reviews
Missing in Action
Pros: The foveon sensor is a big plus.
Cons: Released, or re-released too long after development
out of 6 user reviews
Will we ever see this camera?
Pros: Foveon chip - great technological improvement
Cons: Vaporware. I wonder if there is some plot within the digital camera industry to sink this. The Foveon is going up against the other camera fabs, which bring a lot of income. The Canons, Sonys, and Nikons would need to license Foveon if they wanted to u
out of 6 user reviews
Ghost
Pros: Suprise ideal
Cons: Only announce news one after another, lunch date set for Jun, Sep, Nov....still no whare to see. I feel it's a hoax.
out of 6 user reviews
incorporates the next step in sensor technology - Foveon X3
Pros: Foveon X3 sensor technology - each pixel absorbing one of the primary (RGB) colours to give superb pictures, colour depth and resolution...need i say any more?
Cons: Brand image of Polaroid is not great....if this was a Canon it would have demolished all before it and the whole photography industry would be rushing to incorporate Foveon - CMOS sensor technology...instead of the old-tech CCD's
