Disgo Fun Mini Digital Camcorder Review
Camcorders are one of those gadgets that have gained a lot of attention over the last couple of decades. In fact, when it comes to the pocket camcorders, they are the most used gadgets after the mobile phones. Since there are numerous camcorders out in the market, we see to it that you will be guided towards the right choice. This particular mini camcorder from Disgo is a pretty cheap and at the same time useful camcorder which suffices your needs of capturing videos. Have a deeper look at this funny little camcorder.
Teeny Meeny Design:
The design part of the camcorder is one of the big pluses to it. A sleek body and a candy bar form factor makes it look extremely cute. Measuring (H x W x D) 103 x 50 x 21 mm and weighing about 68 grams, it rather looks like a blend of a music player and a modern mobile phone. There are operational keys at the bottom on the fascia below the display, just like on your iPod. The camera is also at the rear side of the camcorder just like on the mobile phones. Both these factors contribute towards a smooth experience while capturing the videos. With smooth edges and a shiny outward appearance, it is simply attention grabbing. The model is available in black, pink and blue shades. It also looks smaller than normal, thereby justifying its very name. Hence, with no exceptions, the Disgo Fun Mini digital camcorder looks pretty cute in your hands.
TFT Display:
As we have already seen, there is a 1.5 inch TFT screen on the front side. Although this display is neither as big as the others nor is it great, it is good enough to show you all the pictures that were taken and the videos that were captured. But it is definitely not a great player of videos. If at all the videos are to be seen, then the camcorder must be synced to the computer.
Connectivity:
The Disgo Fun Digital Video camcorder can be connected to the computer by using the USB 1.1 cable that is provided. This just like connecting a USB device and it is an easy process. The system requirements for the camcorder are: An operating system which is one of Microsoft Windows Vista, XP, 2000 and ME. Hence, the Microsoft Windows 7 and Apple Mac are not supported as of now, so such users should be careful while purchasing. But we hope that the new versions will be released soon. There is also an AV cable along with the USB cable so that the video can be watched on the television screen just by plugging in the cable. But, the HDMI cable is not provided and there is also no slot for one if at all you already have, so this means that you cannot directly view the videos on the HD TVs. But you can watch on them by burning the videos into a DVD.
Features:
The Camera:
The camera of the Disgo Fun is a reasonably good one. It has got a CMOS sensor of 300K pixels, which is good sign. The CMOS sensor is a special one that tries to glorify the subjects in the frame and thereby giving you good quality pictures. The pictures are also taken with a resolution of 1280 x 960 pixels, so you will get a widescreen type video which will be great to look at on the HD TV. There is also a photo mode that allows you to take photos while shooting videos. All the features that accompany the camera usually are also featured here, but the main drawback of this camera is that it gives very grain pictures when under poor or artificial light conditions.
Image Stabilisation:
It will not be an exaggeration if said that nowadays there is no camera or camcorder without this feature. You may be wondering what this image stabilisation is. It is a special technology that helps you get well balanced pictures, while nullifying the effect of camera shake. So there will be no blurring or tailing when you take pictures that are moving. This image stabilisation technology gives a bit of a breather to the camera because it itself is not a very reliable one. So, one thing of which you are assured is that your pictures will be stabilised even though they may not be crystal clear. That is some good value for the money.
Memory:
The Disgo Fun camcorder comes with an internal memory of 1 GB. Usually, this might be enough for about 60 minutes of video recording considering the picture resolution and the aspect ratio of the camcorder. But you always want more from your camcorder. So, buying an additional memory card is always advisable, and that too, a memory card of 4 GB or higher in order to have a lot of space for your videos.
Software:
The Disgo Fun is also provided with some software that helps you in syncing it to the computer and also to edit and save videos which are captured, on the computer. VP-EYE 6.0 Plus is one of them that converts the videos in the memory cards and make them compatible to the computer and helps you in editing the videos. It also helps you burn these videos into DVDs so that they can be viewed later on the TV screen. The software comes in a CD ROM that is inside the container box.
Hence, even though the features are not very new and also none of them is startlingly attractive like the ones you see on the highly rated camcorders, this is a very good attempt by Disgo in providing some useful features and options that enable the user to shoot comfortably.
Performance:
The very look of the Disgo Fun Mini Camcorder is like a toy, but it is not a toy by any means. But on the other hand, it would be very kind if we say that the Disgo Fun performs well in all conditions. Basically, you cannot afford to expect more from a camcorder that is as cheap as this one. It has a reasonable camera that comes along with good design. The camera of this camcorder can be compared to that of a good mobile phone. In other words, the pictures are good but are not great. The camera works excellently under very good lighting conditions and you get very nice pictures. But when you go for shooting indoors, you will clearly see the difference. Under poor or even for that matter, under moderate light conditions, the camera struggles to get good pictures. But, on the whole, the camera is not that good for those who do wish to shoot very often.
But even then, you cannot rate the camcorder low, because it performs better than the cameras of many mobile phones and that too at such a very low budget. Hence, considering the cost of the camera, the performance is very commendable. But if you still want a better performing camcorder, then this is not the place for you. You can check out other good camcorders which are a bit costlier.
Battery:
Another good thing regarding the Disgo Fun Compact, Light Weight Camcorder is that there are three Li ion batteries provided by default. This means that you do not need to buy a spare battery in order to have more battery life. You can carry these batteries along with you wherever you go to make sure that you can shoot happily without worrying about the battery life. The three AAA batteries provided have a battery life of about an hour each. So, you get three hours of shooting on the whole. This is another plus to the Disgo Fun.
Warranty:
There is a parts and labour warranty for a period of two years from the original date of purchase. Two years is pretty long time for warranty. The camcorder will be repaired or replaced by a new piece, conforming to the conditions opined by the company. The warranty service will not be provided in case of physical damage. All the remaining details regarding the conditions and regulations that apply during the warranty period are mentioned in the warranty card that is given at the time of purchase. This card must be carefully preserved and it has to be reproduced at the service centre when you wish to avail the warranty service.
Verdict:
After all that we have seen above, it can be concluded that this is a pretty cheap but also at the same time, a good camcorder. We have to appreciate the efforts of Disgo in providing such an affordable camcorder. Good, sleek and attractive design, reasonable features and very good battery life are the pluses while the performance is lacking a bit. Although this is not a recommendable camcorder, it is a useful purchase especially for the young and the novice users. Students can afford to buy this with their pocket money. If your main aim is to take pictures for fun or if you are a student and photography is your hobby, then this camcorder will do good to you. But if you really want to go big and purchase an excellent camcorder without any compromise in the picture quality and features, then you always have wonderful camcorders in the market.
Check other Mini Camcorder Reviews, Mini DV Camcorder Models in this website.
Disgo Fun Mini Video Camcorder – Technical Specification Table
| Manufacturer | Disgo |
| Model Name | Disgo Fun Mini |
| Form Factor | Candy Bar |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 103 x 50 x 21 mm |
| Weight | 68 grams |
| Display | 1.5″ TFT LCD Screen |
| Colours Available | Black, Pink and Blue |
| VIDEO FEATURES | |
| Formats Supported | Standard Definition |
| Image Size | 1280 x 960 |
| Instant Shooting | No |
| Minimum Luminosity | 3 Lux |
| AUDIO FEATURES | |
| Audio System | Stereo |
| Built in Microphone | Yes |
| Specific features | Built in Speaker |
| CAMERA FEATURES | |
| Image Sensor | CMOS 300K Pixels |
| Video Frame Rate | VGA: 18fps (default) QVGA: 25fps |
| Video Resolution | HI: 640*480 (VGA) LO: 320*240 (QVGA) |
| Sensor pixels | 300K |
| Lens | 8x digital zoom |
| Snap Shot | Yes |
| Switching | Yes, picture to video and vice versa |
| Photo Burst Mode | No |
| Webcam Function | No |
| FEATURES | |
| USB | USB 1.1/2.0 |
| File Format | JPEG/AVI |
| Operating System | Windows Vista Windows XP Windows 2000 Windows ME |
| White Balance | Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Fluorescent / Tungsten |
| Exposure | +2.0 ~ -2.0 |
| Specific features | Image Stabilisation, Shooting Modes, USB 1.1, 2.0, Memory Card |
| OSD Language | English |
| OTHERS | |
| Photo mode | Yes |
| Face detection | No |
| Zoom Ratio (Optical) | 8 x |
| PORTS AND CONNECTIVITY | Audio Output, Video Output, USB Output |
| Power Source | 3 x AAA batteries (included) |
| Battery Life | 60 minutes recording time in QVGA or 70 minutes playback |
| Warranty | Two years |
Leave a Reply