Owner Review by Scott Downard

Apex Digitrex 3.2 Mega pixel digital camera

Name: Scott Downard
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Height: 6 ft (1.83 m)
Weight: 205 lb (93 kg)
Email address: rookthepagan@verizon.net
City, State, Country: Apple Valley, California, U.S.
Date: September 25, 2004

Backpacking Background:
As a teenager, I did a lot of backpacking and hiking with the Boy Scouts. After I turned 18 and I left the Scouts, I abandoned backpacking. Ten years later, when I was 28, I started getting interested in backpacking again. I started buying gear to replace the old stuff from my teenage years. I hike in the local mountains and desert areas. I hike mostly in the spring and fall in moderate weather. Some rain is encountered. I primarily do day hiking and short term (i.e. one to four nights) backpacking excursions with some five day trips. I typically use a tent when I camp.

Product Information:
Manufacturer: Apex
Web address: http://www.apexdigitalinc.com
Model: Digitrex DSC-300 3.2 Mega pixel digital camera
MSRP: Under $100 U.S.
Listed weight: 7.36 oz (0.21 g)
Dimensions: 4 X 1 X 2 in (102 X 25 X 51 mm)
Included accessories: USB cable, video cable, case, and hand strap

Features:

3.2 Mega pixel
4 X Digital Zoom
30 fps video
Aperture f2.8 (w)
SD memory card slot
8 MB internal memory
JPEG format
Built in flash
1.5 in (3.81 cm) LCD Panel
USB Interface for computer upload
Tripod mount

    The unit was purchased at my local Office Max store for $69.00 in March of 2004. Inside the box was the camera, operating instructions, wrist strap, fitted camera case, 2 energizer AA batteries, USB cable, and video output cable for a TV. An easy open side port accommodates the 2 AA batteries and the SD card slot. I replaced the alkaline batteries with lithium AA batteries. I was able to get around 200 pictures with one set of Energizer Lithium AA batteries. Most of these were day time pictures. An estimated 30 were taken using the built in flash.
    The power button, mode slide switch, and shutter button are located on top of the camera. The power button is recessed to help prevent accidental power on. The slide switch provides selection between still picture mode, video mode, and picture review mode.
    On the back of the camera is a directional pad, menu button, and display button. While in camera mode, the directional pad is used to control the digital zoom. The menu button will access the various functions of the camera, such as flash mode, resolution setting, and automatic white balance. While in the menu mode, the directional pad is used to move through the options.
    The lack of a view finder worried me about the battery life at first. I have been told how using the LCD display drains the battery very quickly. I did not find this to be the case with this camera. With the ability to take 200 plus pictures on one set of lithium batteries, I don't worry so much about it on this camera. The LCD display is a little hard to see when I am in direct sunlight. Holding my hand above the display helps. The display is crisp in all but low light conditions. The image appears grainy in low light conditions, which makes it hard to see what is being framed in the picture. The LCD screen will also display information in camera mode, such as Automatic White Balance On, Flash Mode, Number of Pictures Taken, and Number of Pictures left at current setting. In Review mode, I am able to cycle through the pictures I have taken. I can then decide whether I like a picture or not, and if not, I can delete it. This is one of the features I like best about digital cameras. No more paying for pictures that didn't come out right or ones I don't like.
    The USB cable simply plugs into an available USB port on my computer and my camera. My computer recognizes the camera as a Mass Storage Device, much like a disk drive. I can then cut and paste my pictures into a folder created by me on my computer. No extra software is needed to download pictures. With the addition of an SD memory card, I can take pictures, remove the SD memory card, and go to my local photo store to have my pick of pictures developed. At the 3.2 mega pixel resolution setting, I can get 120 pictures on a 128 MB SD memory card. I can purchase larger megabyte SD cards for more pictures without adding weight to the camera. There are 1 gigabyte SD cards available now.
    The flash could be a little more powerful in my opinion. Its maximum effective range is out to about 10 ft (3 m). The 4 times digital zoom was a nice touch in my opinion, until I tried using it. I was holding the camera in my hand while using the digital zoom feature to take a picture. The pictures came out very blurry. I would advice using a mono pod or tripod when using the zoom.
    On one outing, this camera went on a 3 night, 27 mile (43 km) PCT hike from Green Valley (near Big Bear, CA) to Hesperia, CA in April of 2004. The fitted carrying case has a loop for a belt on the back. I was able to slide my sternum strap of my backpack through this loop. This is where I keep the camera in fair weather hiking. This made it very convenient for me to access my camera while hiking. A Velcro strip holds the flap of the case down. In fair weather, I could easily open the flap and pull the camera out the top of the case. Temperatures ranged from 20 F (- 7 C) to 75 F (24 C). There was snow on the night hike into our first campsite. I had the camera in a ZipLoc style baggie to protect it, as the camera is not water resistant. This is unfortunate, as I missed many good shots while it was raining or snowing, but I was afraid of damaging the camera. My pictures came out distorted when I tried to take a picture while the camera was inside the ZipLoc baggie.
    I was able to take pictures when the temperature was down to 20 F (- 7 C) using lithium batteries and not see any performance deficiencies. The camera itself seemed to hold up well to several nights in below freezing temperatures. I did not have any problems with the camera lens fogging up or weird "quirks" appearing.
    I used the included wrist strap whenever I took my camera out for pictures. This camera is lightweight, but like most lightweight backpacking gear, it can be somewhat fragile. I have dropped this camera onto my carpeted floor at home and had the battery/memory card slot door open. The camera survived this fall just fine, but I am afraid that if I dropped it out on the trail that more than just the battery/memory card slot door would open. Even if all that happens is that the compartment door opens, I do believe that the trail dirt would damage the camera.
    In all, I believe this is a fine, lightweight camera for backpacking use. Its compact size, light weight, and ease of use lend well to a minimalist point of view. The ability to take decent pictures, but not be over cumbersome is what this camera is about.


Things I like:

Compact size
Light weight
Ability to select picture resolution
The use of AA batteries, which are easy to find where I live
Available SD memory card slot

Things I don't like:

Lack of a viewfinder

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Reviews > Cameras > Digital > Digitrex DSC-3000 3.2 M > Owner Review by Scott Downard

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