Home > Consumer Reviews > Aiptek MPVR 6MP MPEG4 Digital Camcorder with 4x Digital Zoom

I was skeptical of an all-in-one camera at this price, but my purchase allayed all those concerns. As with most relatively low-priced things that claim to 'do it all' I expected a compromise among features and performance.... not so with this little gem.

The still picture quality is great (the only thing that I found to mess up stills is shaking while taking the pic). No, the video isn't like a high-end camcorder, but for the price the video is great, and doesn't seem sensitive to shaking. The flash performance with stills is impressive, taking good pics even in a pitch-black totally dark room.

It's as simple as dirt to use - after a few uses, you can put away the instructions for good.

Although software is provided, you don't need to install any programs - Just use Windows Explorer to transfer pics and movies to your pc just like moving files between folders.

There's nothing to switch when going from still to video mode.

The exposure can be adjusted for various lighting conditions, which I almost never need to do.

This is in addition to being an MP3 player, voice recorder, and micro-VCR to record directly from TV (haven't tried that yet).

Performance, simplicity, inexpensive, compact, and lightweight..... what else is there?

I wish I could score it a 4.5 - I can't give it a 5 because:
- No lens cap included (gasp!), and the lens is right out there so it's easy to smear.
- Zoomed images get fuzzy beyond 1.5 to 2X or so, but that's typical with digital zoom.
- Battery doesn't fit snugly in the charger, so it's easy to jar loose.

Getting my MPVR was a happy day - Im still smiling.
Im so glad I purchased this MPVR camera. I tell everyone I can about it. I love the fact that it can do so much with only one device. What a hassle to need to buy an MP3 player AND a camera AND a video recorder. It makes total sense to have them all in one unit... plus much more, as Im sure you've read. ______________________________________________________ I love to go to Costco, or Office Depot and compare my unit to anything they've got. It cant be beat, for even three times the price... ______________________________________________________ I use the video recorder to record movies or TV shows right off the set to watch while traveling, in the gym, or on a friend's TV set. I picked up 2 1 gb SD cards and have lots of room. Can't wait to get a 2 gb card when the price finally comes down. _________________________________________________________ MP3... Yes, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of Ipod, but I use it to listen to music, podcasts, etc. You do have to manually put them on the camera, but thats ok. Some audio has to play only from the beginning. It doesn't let you fast forward MP3's. To save battery life, I turn off the screen when listening to audio. ______________________________________________________ Camera: Nice with swivel screen, lots of options, some a bit stupid (like two pictures in one, "frames" , old time color )but the pictures are clear and easy to take. It can even hook up directly to your hp "pictbridge compatible" printer to print direct from the camera. _________________________________________________________ Accessories: So many different accessories come with it or are available. Has a nice combo cable for both USB and AV input on one cable. A different cable is used for input. I got a stand for it and a battery charger and a set of headphones. I have not figured out if you can charge the battery from within the unit. The USB cable also doubles as a power supply, so you can power your camera from your laptop if your battery runs out. I just ordered the optional remote control. Sounds like a cool option. ___________________________________________________________ Camcorder: The main use of the camera is as a video recorder. I love to take it to seminars, meetings and trips. I usually use low quality mode QVGA to get a few hours of video on a 1 MB SD card, but it also has a higher VGA mode. For that I will need the 2 MB card, but the QVGA mode is just fine for me, even when played back on a tv. I guess I can try and use it like a spycam its so small. It can also be used like a tape recorder. __________________________________________________________ To get that much video, it compacts it into MPEG-4 format. It plays back smoothly in the unit, but not always on a PC, due to the MPEG4 decoding codec thingy.. In other words, to download a video file and play it back on your pc, you need a powerful computer processor. ______________________________________________________________ Extras: It's got a low light feature that is useful, and it is a nice size for your pocket. I don't like the design of the accessory plug ins, having to remove a small cover to access them. The software in the unit is ok when you get the feel for it, but it does unfortunately crash sometimes when moving between MP3s. Aiptek.com also includes a bunch of software on disk for the computer, or you can just use it like a big portable hard drive. _______________________________________________________________ Oh , I forgot to mention my favorite feature. The screen is large enough to watch a movie on it comfortably : Thats cool, a pocket movie player ! You can take any movie from your PC, or from the internet, convert it to mpeg4 with the included software, and download it on your camcorder to watch later. ___________________________________________________________ Truthfully, try to find ANY device out there that does what this MPVR does. I dare you!

A very compact, neat little swiss army knife of a camera.
Does good videos in day light.
Night shots either video or still shots - Not at all good.
When would I use it?
I would throw one in my (shirt) pocket, and shoot those shots when I didn't take my expensive rather cumbersome camcorder.

I like its audio, very nice LCD, and a well built body. Also, I like the simplicity of the camera ready to shoot as soon as you flip the screen.

It certainly has the WOW factor. I bought two of these as gifts.
I paid $150 plus taxes at Target.



This is most certainly a secondary on-the-go camcorder with still capability.

For serious shots, I would still use my Casio or Olympus Camedia digital cameras and a Canon Optura 600 or similar.

For the price, form, and function, this little camera does admirably.

Ok, let's clear up the issues up front on this little video camera. It's not a pro-quality camera/camcorder. But it's pretty good. I was cautious about buying this Aiptek at first because of some of the reviews that I had read and video reviews that I have watched. But I ordered it, and for what I want it for (mostly sending video and posting video online) it seems to be just the thing. Here's my opinion on this thing.

-Video quality (not bad for internet or typical viewing)
-Audio capture quality in video clips (again - pretty good)
-TV recording (Works ok - quality comparable to average cable broadcast in VGA mode)
-MP3 player (Good - but the included earbuds really REALLY have poor sound quality) You'll need to add your own earphones.
Photos (Pretty good) About average for 3.1 megapixels (not close to the advertised 6mp max resolution based on my first-hand side-by-side comparason with the Aiptek vs another name brand true 6mp camera.
Voice recorder (Haven't tried it) Really don't need this feature - but based on video audio recording quality, I'm sure it's reasonably good.

My final word on this thing - This thing is pretty cool, but don't compare it to a more expensive dedicated video camera.

Note - I gave it four stars because the quality is good, but not great. Also because they include rediculously cheap earbuds. But it's not bad at all for the price.

Also note - you will want a memory card for this one. The built in memory will only hold seconds of video. I purchased a 2 gig memory card which holds about 2 hours of video.

This is one of those toys that I didn't necessarily "need", but when I saw the features, the price, and the mostly positive reviews on Amazon and on other sites, I had to get it. This thing comes fully stocked. It comes with all the cables, software, and battery charger. It even comes with earbuds.

So far, most everything is great. The picture quality is comparable to the higher-end cameras from Kodak or Canon. It's also incredibly easy to use (you can perform every function with your thumb) the LCD display is crisp, the battery life is more than adequate,the menus are intuitive, it fits easily to most tri-pods, and functions seamlessly when attached to my laptop. You can record or film videos up to 88 minutes in length (on the standard setting and with a 1 gig memory card) in color, b&w, or sepia; plus it has night vision, motion stabilizer, and zoom functions. I haven't noticed any bugs with the software and the only thing I haven't tried to do yet is record a TV program or DVD.

The one thing I don't like about it, and it can be very frustrating, is a roughly one to two second delay time between snapping a still picture and the image capture. Once you press the shutter, the camera beeps and the image on the LCD freezes making you think you have the final image that's being captured. However, the actual photograph snaps a second later. It's not only your subjects that have to remain perfectly still, but you can't budge either. So, if you're trying to take still images of your kids or pets and they move; or you relax your arm during that delay...you're going to get a blurred action shot or something you hadn't intended. The good news is that you can learn to adjust for it, but it will take a bit of practice.

On the one hand, it's the perfect camera for the novice photographer or home video fanatic. Yet it packs enough advanced features found on more expensive cameras that it's an ideal all-in-one piece of hardware suitable for the YouTube crowd.