Polaroid CXA-800YC 8MP Waterproof Digital Camera – Yellow

4 Replies to “Polaroid CXA-800YC 8MP Waterproof Digital Camera – Yellow”

1. Alexander Don-Doncow "Critical Al" says:

   August 1, 2011 at 9:38 am

   117 of 120 people found the following review helpful:

   
   Amazing stuff in a small package, July 6, 2009

   By 

   Alexander Don-Doncow “Critical Al” (San Francisco,CA USA) –
   
     

   Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 10MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Silver) (Electronics)

   Panasonic finally delivers on the noise end of things.
   This is the first Lumix prosumer camera that I have seen where image noise is not a serious issue.
   In fact, just prior to purchasing this camera I had to return a Lumix DMC-FX35K, which I found totally unacceptable in terms of image quality (see my other review).
   This camera boasts a clean picture with properly controlled noise (very little smudging), it can produce a usable and very printable image up to 800 ISO. Images at 400 ISO are surprisingly good (for this kind of camera).
   Awesome optics,from a very wide angle to a medium long telephoto, little distortion, no observed vignetting, very acceptable chromatic aberration, a veritable photographic powerhouse in your shirt pocket!
   Exposure, good if only a bit on the overexposed end (to my taste).
   All kinds of automation, too much to cover here.
   Two types of optical stabilization, which on the whole a care little about, in my opinion the technology is far overrated (applies to all brands). You want tack sharp pictures in very low light, lean the camera against a wall a tree or a railing or mount it on a tripod, bean bag or just set it on a table.
   Very good macro capabilities.

   Shortcomings, mainly two:
   1 – very limited manual controls (that kept me from giving it 5 stars)
   This limitation precludes its usability as a serious photographic tool (pity!). Albeit, it can still take some tremendous pictures but at the mercy of its automation.

   2- Absolutely terrible Auto White Balance under artificial light, especially the new compact fluorescents. Compensates a bit with an easy to use manual control but that is effective in skilled hands only. Panasonic better come up with a firmware update addressing this issue soon ,else they might start seeing a lot of returns.

   In summary, a very flexible, well built and powerful camera squarely aimed at the traveler or occasional photo enthusiast.
   The camera does have the potential to take breath taking images, but it is definitely not a photographers tool; although, given its price, size and sturdiness might work well as a “just in case” gadget for those “ouch” moments when your main camera is not available.

   A curious observation:
   this camera is endowed with a fabulous lens and an almost interminable list of scene modes and other automatic feature, yet it omits simple aperture priority and shutter priority modes which would have probably placed it in a class by itself. As I said before, what a pity!

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2. Kevin M. Powell says:

   August 1, 2011 at 8:51 am

   295 of 300 people found the following review helpful:

   
   First digital camera I’ve really loved., July 8, 2009

   By 

   Kevin M. Powell (San Francisco, CA) –
   
     

   This review is from: Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 10MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Silver) (Electronics)

   I’ve had quite a number `point and shoot’ digital cameras over the past decade-it seems I replace them about every three years. As a believer in the maxim, the best camera is the one you have with you, they have all been Canon Elphs But this time…I wanted more. One of the new compact designs with a big optical zoom, plus the wide angle lens. So it was natural that I picked out a Canon PowerShot SX200IS for an for a birthday trip to Italy. Glad I checked it out prior to departure – its form factor didn’t really work for me …A friend suggested the Lumix ZS1, which just happened to be on sale for $229 at Costco – a hundred dollars less than the Canon.

   And I am so glad I made the exchange! The Lumix ZS1 delivers beyond all expectation. There was a point on the trip where I had a vision – imagine (if you go back to the 70’s as I do) having an entire photographers bag – say a Nikon F, with a kit of Nikor lens say a 24mm perspective control, 50mm macro, a couple of zooms, multiple camera backs, the flash, the motor drive- in a package that fits in your shirt pocket. The last camera that blew me away like this was the Olympus XA (old school 35mm) which delivered amazing optics in a shirt pocket size.

   Cutting to the chase:
   Pros:
   Unbelievable Leica lens. You can’t imagine what a difference there is between 25 mm and 28 mm at the wide end. Imagine taking pictures of building facades and interiors as your eye sees them – and without distortion – extraordinary, and worth the decision to go with this camera alone. Even better – this lens works at all levels. This is by far the best the macro I’ve seen on a point and shoot, and the lens is solid all the way to 300mm equivalent – and yes, the image stabilization does really help – in old school terms, think light weight tripod with a very heavy long lens

   Unbelievable Panasonic electronics. This has a very simple, yet incredibly rich feature set, all of which is useful, all of which delivers great, real world pictures, with as much real world manual control as you could want. For example – you can set the max ISO -which really gives you control over the F stop (since like most compact cameras there really isn’t that much of a range) and shutter speed, there is a very convenient toggle button on the camera body to increase/decrease exposure (+/- 2 f stops), and the IA (Intelligent Auto) is the best auto setting I have ever worked with. You do have to read the manual, however, and play with the multiple settings to fully realize what Panasonic has delivered.

   Great sensor. Images are very sharp below 400 ISO as others have noted. But ultra low light performance, is what is truly amazing. Think: extraordinary rendition of Giotto’s frescos at the Basilica of St. Francis, tapestries at the Vatican, even the Sistene Chapel ceiling – settings where flash will not help or is not permitted – These demanded ISOs of up to 3200 – and the results look truly amazing – when printed, when projected.

   Great build quality and ergonomic design. Part of what caused me to return the Canon – it simply didn’t fit in my hand well, and the control layout was awkward. This one fits perfectly in the hand, and every control both on the body and in the menus is well placed, well conceived. And it not only feels solid, it looks solid, and that is comforting.

   Cons (yes there are a few, but they are few)

   The view finder is bright enough in many situations (be sure to turn on the `auto mode’). But there is no substitute for an optical viewfinder in a bright outdoor setting.

   Proprietary download cable. Why not use universal mini-USB to USB like Canon does?

   Average battery life. All that zooming of the lens barrel and digital wizardry means that this needs to be charged daily

   No HD video. I find the widescreen VGA mode delivers very acceptable performance – and because it works with the optical zoom, actually looks sharper than the Canon HD at any zoom setting (Canon is digital zoom). But I think the ZS3’s HD video will be even more awesome, and probably will end up being available for the same price point.

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3. SWU says:

   August 1, 2011 at 8:04 am

   1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

   
   Great camera for the beach, pool and waterpark., July 16, 2011

   By 

   SWU (STL, USA) –

   This review is from: Polaroid CXA-800YC 8MP Waterproof Digital Camera – Yellow (Electronics)

   This camera performs well, takes great pictures and video and is waterproof (so far).

   It’s well worth the money to have a digital camera that you can use in and under water for trips to the beach, waterpark and pool without putting your more expensive digital cameras in harms way.

   It is difficult to see the display with sun glasses, and the camera will wait for the flash to be ready before it will take a picture, you can solve this by turning off the flash, you probably won’t need it outside in the sun.

   Overall the pictures and video are fantastic, way better than the disposable water cameras.

   You will need to pick up a micro SD card, I got a 4GB for around $12 at target that came with an SD card size adapter so you can slip the micro SD card into the SD adapter and pop it in your lap top to access the photos and videos.

   I highly recommend picking one up.

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4. karen says:

   August 1, 2011 at 7:12 am

   10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

   
   Great Camera, February 1, 2011

   By 

   karen –

   This review is from: Polaroid CXA-800YC 8MP Waterproof Digital Camera – Yellow (Electronics)

   I bought this camera and would recommend! I had an disposable underwater camera too and it did not work! Glad I had this! (I have used disposable underwater cameras about a dozen or so times before and have never had problems, so just a fluke one)

   I did give it a four star rating ONLY because the flash does take a few seconds to work and I did miss a few pics! But as with ANY camera, that can happen. Out of 30+ pics, 3 turned out “blurry”. And those where also the “action” shots! So, could have also been user error.

   One thing I think people are NOT DOING is reading the directions! On the side, it has a picture of a flower or mountain. The flower is for close up and mountain is landscape. It has to do with how the focus works. Keep it on the mountain and you will get some great shots!

   So, in a wrap up, I used it in doors vs outdoors. Do not know how this will make a difference, will have to wait for summer and find out. I used it in a pool and it worked great. Not sure what people where having a problem with the battery. I put in Enegizer and had it hooked up to my computer before using and took over 30+ pics and still have 2/3 battery life. Don’t know if that made a difference or not. I have used underwater disposable cameras in the past and thought this was compareable. It is not going to take pics like a normal digital camera or an expensive one but thought it was great! Again, did not try to use underwater yet, maybe next week and I can update this.

   Buy the camera, read the directions, try it out and return it if you don’t like it! Good luck!

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