Customer Reviews
Not a great camera, but good for r/c airplanes 
2007-03-01
This has too poor a resolution for family photos, but it's great for putting in an r/c airplane and doing aerial movies. I put a 1GB SD card in it for lots of video time, but for some reason, the camera is limited to about 12 minutes (120 MB) at a time. So I get about 7 flights worth of video on the camera before I have to dump it to the laptop (using a USB stick that reads SD cards). The focus ring is very loose and flimsy, but you can set it with scotch tape. I gutted the unit to get the space and weight down, and only used the software to set webcam mode to set the lens for a long focal length. Also wired it to run off external power (can run 5vdc to the USB or 3vdc to the battery terminals.) There's plans on rc-universe and rc-groups to program a PIC chip to make the shutter servo-controlled.
Surprised by picture quality 2007-01-04
I got the newest version of the Aiptek Pencam SD and I was pleasantly surprised by the picture quality. The only thing I think could be improved on is the door to the battery/SD card compartment. It is very flimsy and could break off easily. (I would have given it 5 stars if not for that.) Other than that, for the price ($19.95 with a free 128 MB secure digital memory card) I think it is a great camera. Even indoor pictures came out good as long as you have overhead lighting turned on. All in all, this is a very small, easy to use, portable little camera that is great for throwing in your purse or briefcase.
Not bad for $50 (refurbished) 2005-01-22
I lost my Kodak and had no choice but to use this one as a backup for hiking photos. Photos came out well:
http://hiking.sybay.com/images.php?cid=InspirationPoint
Great little camera 
2003-03-07
For the money this little camera is really great! It takes excellent 1280x960 (1M) still pics and the webcam is also very good. It comes with 8M which will hold about 40 pics. A lot of people will have problems with one thing: the camera, like most webcams, DOES NOT have auto-focus. The focus MUST BE set manually to get good pics. For closeup (less than 5') you need to set it all the way to the right. For everything else, all the way to the left. The only other thing is that is has no flash but with a camera this size its to be expected. The software works great an XP. This company (Aiptek) is getting better all the time. This is one of their latest offerings.
Avoid this poorly made product. 
2003-01-03
Received it as a present. Had no problems with the software or drivers (other than it could be slightly better to use). Without an SD card it's pretty worthless, almost no memory. So figure that you'll need to spend as much on a memory card as you do on the camera. The picture quality is decent, low light is horrible, but that much is expected for the price. HOWEVER, after 1-2 weeks of minimal use the camera is now in a continual reboot mode where even the slightest movement causes it to power off and on over and over. This is without dropping it or damaging it in any way. Customer support is fairly useless and non-responsive. Avoid this clunker.
Not bad for the price 2002-12-29
The stylish new SD is the newest offering of the PenCam line. Take stunning high-resolution 1.3 mega-pixel digital pictures with a device that measures a mere 3.9" x 1.7" x 1.4". Adding an SD or MMC card (up to 128 MB) expands on the 8 MB of built in memory, to let you capture video clips and more photos. You can also plug it into your PC via the USB cable to use it as a webcam.
4/5 Stars for the price, portability and picture quality 2002-12-28
My first digital camera was the Casio QV-300. I bought it more than five years ago (if I am not mistaken). Since then I had bought 9 more digital cameras. A Canon Powershot 350, a Fujifilm DS-9 (if I am not mistaken), A Fujifilm MX-2700, a Canon G1, a Canon Powershot S-110, a Sony DSC-P50, a Mustek Gsmart Mini2 (CMOS), an Aiptek Pocketcam Classic (CMOS 0.3MP), and the last one an Aiptek Pencam SD 1.3(CMOS).
In my opinion the Aiptek Pencam SD 1.3 is an excellent toy/tiny CMOS based digital camera. I was surprised it takes very good pictures (given the "available light" is sufficient) and fairly easy to use. Eventhough the first Pencam SD that I bought was defective (too many hot pixels), I was able to return it to Best Buy easily. And the replacement is perfect. The start time is faster than most CCD based (more expensive) digicams. And most importantly the picture quality is excellent (I even think it takes better pictures than my Sony DSC-P50 which is a 2.1MP digicam). I feel the pictures taken with the Pencam SD yield a better more natural colors compared to he Sony DSC-P50. Moreover, this camera is perfect for veteran digicam users who appreciate concealability and those who needs a second or third cameras for their website pictures. In conclusion: If you are looking for a "simple" point and shoot camera and don't really care for extreme portability and (sometimes) artsy results, then this camera is not for you. You should buy a known brand, more expensive (over hundred dollars) "CCD" based digicam with a built in flash.
If I could give it zero stars, I would 2002-12-12
I bought this camera recently.
First off, it has a "cheap" feel to it.
Bad: The software won't install on my PC. I get error messages.
Worse: The camera does not retain images.
For whatever reason, all the pictures "disappeared" several times before I could download them.
WORSE STILL: The second day, the camera WON'T TURN ON. It's Dead!
Sure, it's inexpensive, small, cute etc and I had high hopes for it, but what can I say, but that you get what you pay for.
