'Disposable' Digital Cameras Hit the Market

[moneoa]

When disposable cameras first hit the shops they were seen as one of the ultimate manifestations of the throwaway, modern age. Of course, they never were 'disposable' but instead should have been thought of as recyclable. The disposed-of camera was simply loaded up with film and sold onto the next shopper. Now we find digital cameras being sold as disposable with the Washington Post reporting that CVS drugstores sell two models in this category, a $10 basic version and one that costs $20 and has a small colour display.
The term disposable is again being stretched to its limits. In this case the cameras are actually rentals. After using up the memory card you return the camera to the store and the photos are loaded onto CD for you while you wait. You don't get to keep the camera.
The cameras themselves are of such poor specification that you might be better off buying a real cheapo digital camera that you actually get to keep. The resolution is only 2.1 million pixels and you are limited to 25 pictures. The screen is there only to help you compose the shot. You can't review images or delete any from the card, thereby removing two of the major benefits of digital photography.
TechSmec.com thinks that if you really must buy a disposable stills camera, stick with film. It's cheaper and the end results are exactly the same.
However, we also have word that CVS are to stock a disposable (there's that word again) video camera. The $29.99 digital video cameras can capture up to 20 minutes of video and sound.

Read the complete article (http://www.zeropaid.com/news/5473/%27Disposable%27+Digital+Cameras+Hit+the+Market/)

[WE_DELIVER]

No offence, but this is really old news.
The new news actuallly is the video camera.
It doesnt look like a good deal at first, but if you look on the internet, you'll realize that there are already hacks for the still camera.
I have hacked the one with the screen and attached a USB port to it. Once you get the drivers for it all set up, pictures can be easily downloaded within the aquire menu in photoshop. Its Not bad for a camera that you may want to bang around and not care about.

Cant wait till the vid camera gets hacked....plus theyre harder to find in stores than the still ones.

[Digital Bliss]

stupid idea....

[rainbowdemon]

I'm going to pass.

[DigitalJunkie]

Only in the U.S., that they can sell any junks to consumers & people will buy them as disposable. Such a waste! :(

[Afn]

No offence, but this is really old news.
The new news actuallly is the video camera.
It doesnt look like a good deal at first, but if you look on the internet, you'll realize that there are already hacks for the still camera.
I have hacked the one with the screen and attached a USB port to it. Once you get the drivers for it all set up, pictures can be easily downloaded within the aquire menu in photoshop. Its Not bad for a camera that you may want to bang around and not care about.

Cant wait till the vid camera gets hacked....plus theyre harder to find in stores than the still ones.

I found the hacking page amusing, interesting reading. Not worth my time, but interesting what you can do.

Digital is going to be so cheap in the future that high resolution cameras will be dirt cheap in ten years. Unless the factories overseas making this junk revolt.

[MrEricSir]

I have two "disposable" cameras that I've hacked so they're not so disposable anymore. It's not a stupid idea, it's a great idea if you want a cheap, crappy digital camera.

See here for hacking information:
http://www.maushammer.com/systems/dakotadigital/DakotaDigital.html

[zarquon]

Always a way to hack these cameras

[Auggie2k]

Interesting idea but needs to be a little bit more practical!

[ratbag]

can you post a lin to the hacking page or is that a no no?

[black_magiic]

this is kind of stupid

[Signa]

i work at a store that does one hour processing, and i get to crack open the disposible film cameras all the time. after pulling out the film, and durring the 5 second film extraction phase, i can crack open the other side for a free AA battery. im trying to fill up a 100 cd spindle cover with these AA batteries. they actually still have a ton of juice in them and power my digital camera just fine.

not that any of this is on topic, but if you use disposable 35mm cameras, just use a flat head screw driver to pop them open when you are done with them and get a free battery. dont worry about them film, as long as you have rewound it fully.

[boogiedan]

was reading a post somewhere else about these
they sound great 2 me
i'm after 1 if price is right

[WE_DELIVER]

can you post a lin to the hacking page or is that a no no?

Here you go:
http://vickers.homedns.org/PV2mods.htm

If this IS a no-no, mods, let me know and I will remove it.

[moneoa]

Here you go:
http://vickers.homedns.org/PV2mods.htm

If this IS a no-no, mods, let me know and I will remove it.
Good question but you have to also look at what you are calling "hacking"
It looks to me all your doing is modifying the hardware not hacking anything per se.

[MrEricSir]

Good question but you have to also look at what you are calling "hacking"
It looks to me all your doing is modifying the hardware not hacking anything per se.
On the PV2 you modify the hardware, on the original model (no longer available afaik) you don't even need to do that. Either way you have to build a specialized cable.

But why would this not qualify as "hacking"?

[WE_DELIVER]

If you use the term "hacking" loseley, then its pretty much using software/hardware in a way it was not designed to use.

But using the non-loose, breaking software type of interpretation, you technically do "hack" the camera. This is because one of the steps in the process is to retrieve the firmware from the camera, modify it, and put it back. The only hardware part of the camera hack, is putting in a USB port or making a special cable for it. The rest is firmware, drivers, etc...

[WE_DELIVER]

Just picked up the disposable video camera at CVS....but as far as I know, no hack for it yet.
Any one hear otherwise?