Creative PC-CAM 880
Sam gets snap-happy with this webcam/digicam from Creative.
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I'm going to assume that you all know of the benefits of digital cameras; the ease of use, the cost savings and the ability to easily share your pictures with anybody else with a computer. I'm also going to assume that most of don't actually own one yet as they do tend to cost a pretty penny. I'm also going to take it for granted that you are familiar with the concept of webcams, those devices that resemble giant gobstoppers which allow you to wave at friends in Messenger or spy on what the occupants of Tokyo or Boolawanga are up to every 30 seconds. And if the contacts on my Messenger list are anything to go by, most of you probably haven't got one of these perched atop your monitor either. Unless you've gotten one free with your system or bought one to broadcast your pretty face to the connected world most people don't seem to think they are worth the outlay. Well, courtesy of Creative I bring the PC-CAM 880 to your attention, a nifty web/digicam combination that gives you all the functionality of a webcam in a box that can be unplugged and carried around to be used as a digital camera. The two birds with one stone approach.
The unit itself looks very similar to those disposable cameras that can be picked up at Boots for under a tenner. Small and light, it is about the size of a pack of cigarettes, a silver and black plastic pack that is. It comes with a built in flash and a 2.3x3.2cm LCD screen and there's a little slider beside the lens for switching the focus between distant and close-up. It has a D-pad for flicking through the different functions and options. Together with the power button and another button for switching between camera and preview in Digicam mode or active/inactive in Webcam mode this is the sum of all the bits that adorn the fascia. The D-pad is somewhat wobbly but precise, whereas the LCD is bright and amply proportioned, but due to the way it's raised out from the camera's body it is liable to get scratched easily. It can however be switched off to preserve battery power, a bloody good idea as I was to find out.
The PC-CAM 880 lives on two AA batteries but takes its power from the USB when it's in webcam mode. Which is a blessing as it would otherwise quickly become prohibitively expensive to run. There's a USB connector for all your transfer needs, and Creative have thoughtfully supplied a video output connector for direct connection to a TV set. Although the 16MB of installed memory is quite restrictive there's a standard SD slot for adding your own memory cards, giving the camera a potentially huge capacity. As the camera can take pictures in up to 2048x1536 resolution as well as take video in either 320 or 640 anyone who buys this will quickly want to install that extra memory. The whole thing is driven by a 2 megapixel CMOS sensor, which can give up to 3 megapixels interpolated. There's also a 4x digital zoom built in.
For your money you also get a bunch of software. The Creative disc will slowly install the drivers, then give you the option to install a rudimentary manual, a task bar utility to monitor whether the camera is plugged in or not and the Creative Cam-Centre, an ugly little application that allows you to change the Webcam settings and build up picture and video albums. On top of that there's another CD which comes filled with five other apps, including Arcsoft's Photoimpression and Funhouse. These all seemed to be aimed at kiddies and/or their parents and lasted just long enough on my hard drive for me to decide that they were crap and an insult to my PC's hardcoreness. But hey, they are free. Inside the box there are a whole host of other goodies. Inside there were two Energizer batteries, a video cable, USB cable, leather effect case, strap, swivel stand, and a chunky, multilanguage manual, although manual is a generous word. Idiot sheet may be more apt.
Comments
Thank you for this nice description. I canged my mind , and I don't like buy this camera. You save my money.
Thank you again.
Crap, i should check back on the comments of old reviews more frequently!!
Should I not bother then, my mate has the 750 cam without the viewer, and his cant be faultered as a web cam or a photo taker. please tell me the faults.
I bought this camera and now that I am having problems I have found this review. If only I had found it before!!!
Jonathan
Hi. I had the same problem, but for me it was very easy to fix it!! I had to push the "i mode" buttom, the red light changed to green and... i changed camera into a web cam.
hi
i just received this camera for christmas, and i'm having troubles downloading the cd into my computer. It was working fine until it said installation in progress, please wait a while, well i waited about an hour, and nothing happened, so i restarted the computer, took the cd out and tried again, but it wouldn't work at all. I tried the start-run, but it kept saying enter a cd, when there was one in there. HELP!
Thanx, I won't bother with this peice of crap
I bought this camera in SA and for a very nice price. I don't have any problems with it, and it is small enough to take everywhere.
I got the 850 for christmas & it was my best acting job not to cry out in horror at getting a creative brand camera, I thought "Oh well, it can't be all bad". DAMN was I wrong. I'm banning my family from buying me technology ever again.
Works well for me. No problems.
There is slightly more information about drivers on the U.K creative page (which applies to the whole world as there is no difference in software/hardware) but there are still no driver downloads available. which is wack
pls send me user's manual, specifically how to economise on use of batteries & in which mode the pictures to be taken, in order to store max. no. of pictures?-thanx!
i want driver for 880
one give u site for that
hi,
last year i got a creative web cam and i havent used yet. now i want to use it but i have lost the hardware download cd. so can i dowlnload its software now by net.
Had mine for about 6 months. Baught it cause I don't take enough photos to justify a high end digicam and I wanted a webcam to play around with. Only complaint I have is the low light issue. Aside from that, it's performance in msn messenger has been crystal and smooth from the other side of the country. As for stills, I can't complain, again the light sensor can cause some anomolies. I think in reality it's unfair to expect much more from so early an entry into the combo market (meaning the one's that aren't spherical and take shots larger than 640x480) I got what I expected. But yeh, it'd be handy if the G-D drivers were on their G-D site!!
Its very Good Camera
I have purchased Creative PC CAM 880 But Unfortunatily last month I lost CD For driver and softwear Where can I get The driver For my PC CAM 880
I have bought the CREATIVE DIGITAL WEB CAM 880 yester day. But when I open the cover of the memory slot, batteries immediately die. Camera needs fresh batteries to operate again, the old one are no longer useable. I have so far wasted three sets of batteries.
Now I want to know that, is this some function of the camera or is my camera broken. ?
any one can help me?
un favor me gustria saber como puedo utilizar mi camara digital.
gracias
i have bought the camera (before i have seen this!) and i regret that day! the shadows allways come green(!) and (i live in an island) the sea gets green, the sky is worst, i don't know what to do anymore... i had a small mustek camera, which cost me half of the money, is half the sise and captures better pictures!
where can i find a replacement lead for this webcam as i lost the original one??
mklkmhlkj
What is the problem with this cam? creative pc cam 880
my creative pc cam 850 cd is broken where i get it's driver
Bad resolution, Imperfect image. This cam needs more light than a car on a road in the night.
Moast of the pictures are obturated and the shot is very slow also the procesing is slow.
I have all to ask you to find another digital camera if you want to make better pictures .
This cam is for stupid kids.
hi guys
this creative pc cam 880 is just too good. functionality is very simple too.
but i have some problems like
1. i dont know how to get the flash from the digital camera....my camera is not giving flash so plz help on that
2. and one more thing i just dont understand how to get the voice recorded into it.
i will be thankful if u help me on these topics.
pranav
my PCCAM 850 is broken, where can i find the driver
Hi
i received this camera for my birthday. But, with bad luck, i lost the cd that allows me to install the webcam, can you tell me where can i download a software that can help me install my cam?
I am not buying any Creative camera again, I got the 880, completly a decepcion, U want a good camera get the cyber shot or a Fuji.
i need DRIVERS CREATIVE PC-CAM 880
y lose the original CD
Bad resolution, Imperfect image. This cam needs more light than a car on a road in the night.
Moast of the pictures are obturated and the shot is very slow also the procesing is slow.
I have all to ask you to find another digital camera if you want to make better pictures .
This cam is for stupid kids.
Yes, you are right!, This camera is a complete disaster, if we want to use this camera like a 'professional camera'.
First of all, we needed to know that, CMOS sensor in digital cameras make images blur in movement.
That's why images in movement are terribly horrible!
Better is a digital camera with a CCD sensor, or with movement compensation incorporate.
Well, what we remain to do, is only take photograps of landscapes, or planets, :D, :D.. something frezzed!
Oh!, I was forgetting that like a web cam, you have to use a big lamp!! if you want to see yourself...
Well, next time we need to have more information to buy a new equipment... good luck next time!
Lima-Peru.
I've lost my cd driver of my creative pc cam 880 when i was in the middle east, now i'm in the philippines, where can i get the pc cam 990 driver free download? thanks
mga puta kamo!!
need drivers for p a 880 creative
I lose my instal CD plzzzzzzzzz send me
FloOw_@hotmail.fr :D
windows update sorts it out no problem.. well it was about the 10th time of fighting with the original CD.
Bad resolution, Imperfect image. This cam needs more light than a car on a road in the night.
Moast of the pictures are obturated and the shot is very slow also the procesing is slow.
I have all to ask you to find another digital camera if you want to make better pictures .
This cam is for stupid kids.
www.downloaddownload.co.uk
Vai Tomar no Cu!!! Eu quero o Driver dessa porra kralho!!!
i want download creative pc-cam 880 driver
i work on xp ,and cam don't work'
pleas help
tenho uma creative pc cam, e no estou conseguido usa-la njo msn, que fao?
fone 055 3226 1504
tenho uma creative pc cam, e no estou conseguido usa-la njo msn, que fao?
fone 055 3226 1504
I lost my cd with drivers and I tryed to find xp drivers for this camera on the internet but I coul'd not.
Please give me a site or some drivers.
i lost the cd pc cam 880 software can you pls sent me on this email red25_6@yahoo.ca thankyou
hii .. i lost the p.c c.d of ma creative p.c cam850
plz mail me how can i find its driver on net ?????
i lost the cd pc cam 880 software can you pls sent me on this email leduc_nghi@yahoo.fr thankyou
My webcam got disconected and I want to re-download it onto my computer but it wont let me dowload it because I dont have the cd. How do I download it without useing the cd??..
i want driver for pc-850
i have lost the installation cd and i was wondering how i can dowload it from the internet
I want a free driver of a Pc Cam creative 880 ..
I wait news on my mail ..
Thx!
I have lost my driver cd of creative 880 pc cam ,plz send me the driver.
my e mail id is (fz_faz@yahoo.co.in)
I have lost my driver cd of creative 880 pc cam ,plz send me the driver.
my e mail id is (fz_faz@yahoo.co.in)
i need driver for Creative PC-CAM 900 !! cant find em anywhere :-(
i need driver for Creative PC-CAM 880 !! cant find em anywhere
i want the soft wear to this pc
i lost my Cd-Driver of Creative pc-cam 880
i can find any driver for driver pc cam 880 on google.
I LOST MY CREATIVE PC-CAM 900 DRIVER. PLEASE EMAIL ME TO shameer@nexussys.net
how to download the software for creative pc-cam 880
I have been looking for the soft wear to download so that i can use my Creative pc-cam 900. I need your hepl PLZ and THANKS...
Yes have lost the cd, For my cam. Is a creative webcam.. Only no, Could find on the cam is 0040 Need softwear. Can u tell me how 2 find that please...
i lost the cd , and i need the driver for it
hii want the drivers for pc-880
Hi
i received this camera for my birthday. But, with bad luck, i lost the cd that allows me to install the webcam, can you tell me where can i download a software that can help me install my cam?
pleas i want this creative cam 850
i want driver 850 digital creative cam
I want driver this cam
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