Home > Consumer Reviews > Polaroid PhotoMAX PDC 1300 1.3MP Digital Camera Creative Kit

Ilove this camera! I paid a lot less for it though. It was an X-mas present, so I could capture all of my daughters growing up. It is easy to use, and I love the software. I have done amazing things with the pictures I have taken. I am even using the "new" versions of the pictures to paint. That's something I couldn't have even imagined doing, without all of the editing capabilities. There are 2 drawbacks though, you need to pre-plan the picture, it's delayed between the time you hit the button, and actually taking the picture. Also, either use the AC adaptor,or use rechargeable batteries, it kills them quickly. [...], if you us the camera correctly for the situation, and have a good printer, the printing quality is better than most cameras. I recommend the HP Photo Smart P1000 printer. All in all, this camera is a better than more expensive cameras, at a cheaper price.

My wife is an avid 35mm camera buff and is still not sold on digital photography. Well I came across a good deal on a Polaroid PDC 1300 camera and despite some shortcomings, I am quite impressed of what you get for the price.

First of all, Windows XP users may be a bit frustrated. The camera will not work with the simple and easy to use "built in" digital camera software that works so well with scanners and other input devices. So, you have to install the Polaroid software though a compatibility wizard. It installs but I was unable to use the USB cord, so I had to go with the much slower (seems like it) serial plug. A good solution would be to spend a little extra money and get a universal CompactFlash reader that works like a disk device in Windows XP. Makes it much easier!

Now, on to the camera. It takes really good pictures. They are clear and crisp at all resolutions. The only bad picture I had was when I was taking pictures outside at dusk. They seemed to be quite dull. There isn't an adequate zoom on the camera, so you really have to move in to fill the frame. The LCD screen and the menu options work quite well and are an added bonus for the low cost to the camera.

The included software is pretty basic but if basic is what you want, XP's software is much easier and faster to use. Windows 95/98/ME users will have no problems installing the software.

The camera consumes the batteries quite quickly, so be sure to turn it off when not in use. The LCD screen also eats a lot of power. When the batteries are low, there really is no warning and when you go to take a picture, it will flash and then turn off. I would recommend taking a pocketful of batteries with you on trips.

It also includes a USB and Serial cord, a protective case and an 8 Meg card. I would recommend getting at least a 32 meg card.

Overall, if you can find this camera [at a good price it is] very good for basic use. Those wanting more features are better off with one with more "bells and whistles."

Polaroid PhotoMAX PDC 1300 and HP c215 share the same platform, design, features and functionality. There's almost no change in it. The one I have is the hewlett packard version.
I bought the camera last summer when I was having a vacation abroad. The first few weeks of the cam's operation are quite nice, though I experienced some horrible breakouts in the battery consumption (as mentioned by others who reviewed the same product). A month later, I came back to my country, and problems went out from time to time. First, there's the inconsistent memory failure. The counter works strange, it actually skips numbers and goes back to where it started. Sometimes, when I scrolled up and down, indefinite numbers as high as thousands would suddenly appear and suddenly the whole camera hangs itself. I took the camera to the repair shop and they told me that they had no one to repair it. So, it was like saying my camera's gonna be a .... After hours of arguing with them, they told me that they're gonna ship the camera back to US and had there repaired. A week after, they told me that the camera's was just working out fine. And I myself could not believe what had just happened to it. Isn't that camera strange?

Anyweys, the camera still worked fine. Because of its fast draining battery consumption, I was forced to buy separate rechargeable Ni-MH batteries and recharger. It costs almost .... Despite all these inconveniences, Im still happy with this cam. Features are just satisfactory. One noticeable low-down is that flash is relatively late in delay time. The menu is also a bit choppy. Well, after all this cam's target is the low-end beginners like me.

I've owned my Polaroid pdc1300 for a couple of months now and I am very happy with it. I actually bought a Kodak dc3200 ...just before I saw this one, but the pdc1300 was on sale ...with a ...rebate - I couldn't pass it up! So, I had time to test out the two cameras. They have similar features but the pdc1300 goes one better on a number of features: 1.) higher res photos 2.) USB and parallel download 3.) macro mode (photos are quite clear) 4.)Flash works great even close up - doesn't white out the subject 5.) Slightly larger LCD 6.) AC adapter included. Positives: Very easy to use, great pictures, great price. Battery life is actually pretty good if LCD is kept to minimal use. Some negatives: long delay when taking picture, no lens cap, indoor photos are a touch dark (but easily fixed with a bit of photo editing) while outdoor photos are slightly bluish, poor photo editing software.

I have used this camera for a while and it takes a real nice pictures. ...The freezing up problem is caused by a corrupt picture (called Polaroid) and is an easy fix. As for short battery life all cameras have this problem. I've been in the tech field for about 10 years and know how these things work and why they don't. ...If you format the card through Windows (as someone did) don't expect the card to work in the camera. Windows formats cards using FAT32. Digital cameras use FAT16. Guess why it doesn't work. Overall the camera is not perfect but if you are willing to take 2 seconds to do it correctly ...you may have a little better luck. A good deal for under [the money].