So, after reading all the reviews (good and bad) I've come to the conclusion that many (not all) bad reviews are posted by competitors not wanting you to buy this camera. I've even looked at the Micro-SD cards and many of them had horrible reviews that just seemed "over the top".
Well, I ordered this camera knowing that there were remote possibilities that it would arrive 'broken' or unusable just like the negative comments. Well, mine arrived exactly as it was supposed to. In a brand new box with brand new parts. The camera is small and lightweight. I bought this one vice a competitor due to it's price and accessories. Other cameras would require me to purchase the mounts separately. This one is all included (nice feature). Some of the parts I won't use but at least I have them for later.
The camera itself is very easy to operate. After reading the manual (not much to read) it became very obvious what I needed to do in order to operate the camera. It's very simple after reading the directions. I recorded a couple of quick videos to see the quality. Overall the quality seems fine for what I'm going to use it for (taking a race car around a track for my personal videos). I then connected the camera to my PC to see the videos. I had great video images (using Windows media player) but no sound. I read the box to make sure it came with sound - it's supposed to, right? Well, it does if you play the video in Apple's Quicktime player. Once I figured that out I realized the videos DO have sound. Is it high quality? It's probably what you would expect from a camera of this size and price. Don't expect a sound studio quality or anything.
I could not find out anywhere whether or not this camera could record at the same time as when you charge it. Since the camera batteries only last about ~2 to ~2.5 hours I needed to be able to charge it while recording. Something that's not on any websites or in the manual. I'm not sure if it's supposed to operate that way or not.
So, I started recording with the camera and then plugged the camera into the computer to start charging it. The video record stopped. I tried this a couple of times and each time the recording stopped. Then the solution hit me. Restart recording while charging! That worked. Now I can have the camera recording while charging! (I think???) It's plugged into the power supply (PC, external USB battery or car charger) and it can record. Whether its recording and charging at the same time remains to be seen but it appears its working for now.
Regarding the "plastic threads" on the base. As long as you recognize that they are there - treat them with respect. The screw is metal and the threads in the base are plastic. I only needed to install the metal threaded base into the camera once. I made sure that I didn't over tighten (using the supplied tool). I don't see a need to ever take that piece off again. There are U-shaped ball mounts (straight or 90 degree) that attach to this piece. All other 'mounts' attach to these ball joint things.
I think the camera will be fine for most people as long as you don't drop it or want a camera that will have serious damage potential. It would be a good helmet cam or bike camera for sure.
Nice things - all the mounts, HDMI cable, strapes, USB cable, stickers for mounts.
Not so nice - didn't come with Micro SD card - well, at least it allows you to pick out which speed you need on your own.
In my opinion I wanted a camera that was cheap, small and easy to use. I got all three and it's exactly like I thought it would be.
5 Stars.
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Customer Review: Unaltered Video Footage Review Polaroid XS100
W. Harris
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0:47
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Customer Review: Really a neat little camera!
Greg M.
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0:19
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Customer Review: Great Action Camera, Especially for Price!
Michael
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0:30
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Customer Review: Polaroid's XS100 action camera
Dog Lover
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0:17
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Customer Review: Great product at affordable price.
JinJur
Reviews with images
Awesome and highly recommend!
Wow, Great product, simple, easy to use, small, and I received it really fast. Only issues, one, does not have its own software so when you go to edit or make movies in other programs, no audio comes thru? Also, other issue was on second time I used it, it would not shut off when disconnected from the computer? Waiting to hear back from manufacturer on this issue. A reset button push and it did shut off and is working as normal, so?? Still, love it! It will be mounted on my Suzuki GSX-R1000 as a second video cam for me rides this spring, can't wait! Will buy more when funds are available for more angles, Oh Yeah,, Motokeez.
Top reviews from other countries
ElectraBlast
Apart from everything else this camera performs AWESOME.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 27, 2014
ElectraBlast
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 27, 2014
Battery Now this is an important part of the equipment and in both cameras the battery is in a sealed unit, So once that goes that's the camera no longer working where the battery is concerned. This batter in this camera will last for ages, I always try switch it off in between shoots as to conserve the battery that much longer. I was able to record video in stages over two days after the last charge
is concerned. Just remember to switch off after any filming. Its very convenient to film sneaky pieces of video. It can be held in hand and switched on and off without even having to look at the switching area.
Each time you switch off or on you get that vibration and you get to learn quick which is off and which is on.
A decent memory Mini SD card would be ideal. Series 10 don't bother with anything less then that. The one I am using is a Sanyo Evo 32Gb Series 10 Mini SD Card. The fish eye is not as convex as the Go pro so it does not distort the picture too much not like the Go Pro, however Sony does supply software downloaded from their site to take the fish eye out. However sometimes the video might look weird in places and you might notice something is wrong or not quite right with the picture after this. The Polaroids pictures and videos look perfect hardly any convex in the picture. It does film wide.
What camera could you buy where they supply with it everything your going to or might need? and i don't mean cheap little mounts and things that usually fall off your head because a strap has broken or the sticky pad was not man enough to cope. Well you won't get any of that tacky rubbish here. Take it from me this is my second Polaroid, I destroyed the first one. I will display pictures soon.. I want also to add some video I had with the Polaroid Cube camera a very odd problem. Anyway that one sorted now sent the item back. OK this camera absolutely no faults i could find, however one gripe, unless you carry a notebook around you and you are able to connect this camera to it you can alter the changes. So you go out any where far from a PC make sure the settings have been adjusted to your requirements once out far away you are stuffed.
Don't be put off about any negative points that may have been made about this camera because take it from me you have an awesome piece of equipment that doesn't have to be in a pros hands to get the professionals results and at a fraction of the price a Go pro Hero will set you back. I will be buying a third very soon so I have two of these cameras. I have found how awesome this camera has been and its come in handy lots of times for something happening live in front of you. I always make sure this is with me and fully charged.
Now then.. If you are planning to immerse this in any water of any kind always, always, before putting it into water, make sure the rubber seal between the lid and the housing is totally clean from any grit, sand, hair, Yes even a tiny hair! make sure this seal is clean, that you replace the top and make sure its tight and that the marks on top have aligned fully. Also move the lock so that the cap is locked in position so cannot be opened by accident. I damage my first one. Had it been fresh water I may have got away without damaging the camera. It was immersed into salt water on an adapted selfie stick. I saw two small bubbles rise and thought immediately I knew what was going to happen.. The camera tried to work a few times but it finally died. I decided to perform a post mortem on the camera, I will bring pictures of it soon. You can see that in places the circuitry has been completely shorted. A total mess and after this not salvageable. So beware of doing this, if it was me I would say do not open this camera any where near sand, and if it has stuck to the body make sure every particle is removed before opening. The only thing that survived on my old Polaroid was the SD card that worked perfectly. Charging time well give a chance it pays back in dividends once fully charged.. Don't leave home without it.! Look at the excellent case it comes in. certainly one camera I definitely can rely on. Note the following pictures included here are only for demonstration purposes. My previous Polaroid XS100 unfortunately got sea water inside it as the back cover could not have been screwed on tight enough, and was not locked. Had this camera been dropped in Fresh water and had not been turned on a very long drying process say a good month or two it might have. Being dropped in salt water you can see the rusting and oxidization forming almost immediately. This is what will happen to yours should you drop it in sea water. So don't do what I stupidly did that ended up costing me. Check out the pictures. The unit was very easy to dismantle however I am not saying you should take yours apart. I will add also that between this and the Go Pro the first edition Go Pro, The resolutions are much more crisp on the Go Pro. However the quality is not that much noticeable between the Go Pro and this Polaroid version. Between the two yes its swings and roundabouts and really all depends what your going to use it for. One thing I have noticed is that the battery on the Polaroid lasts a very long time compared to that of the Go Pro. I also note that the fish eye effect is not that convex on the Polaroid compared to that of the Go Pro. Yes the Polaroid still has a wide angle view. I absolutely love the Polaroid. It also comes with a perfect well made protection cover which with a Velcro strip stops the camera from falling out of its protective nesting place. This is one camera out of my entire kit that I always depend on and its to hand should I need it. I always keep this fully charged.
Images in this review
MigBel
Excelente producto, gran calidad de imagen, sencillo de usar
Reviewed in Spain on October 21, 2013