R.I.P GSmart Mini 2 Camera

The GSmart Mini 2 was my first digital camera about 6 years ago and was one of the first generation of digital cameras.  It boasted a one megapixel capability, a mini usb connection and no lcd preview screen. The 16mb internal memory wouldn’t hold much nowadays really but looking back it was my first step into digital photos and I thank Mustek for that alone.

1.Fine resolution (1600x1200 software interpolated).
2.High resolution (1280x960).
3.Low resolution (640x480).
4.Video clip enables you to capture short video clips at 320x240 resolution at 15fps.
5.Self timer which captures an image after 10 seconds at 1280x960 resolution.

Compared to todays standards it’s pretty poor but it was useful as a webcam for a short time until it broke.  I believe one of the chips inside is broken and so is the battery so I thought I might as well pull it apart to see how it works.

To be honest it wasn’t really hard to open, a bit like my iPod was with clips all the way round.

When I peeled it open I was surprised at how pristine it looked after 6 years and, even how old it was, how small the electronics had been designed.  Also I forgot that most cameras now don’t have viewfinders and rely on LCD screens. I miss that and I would prefer to use a simple viewfinder to save battery life if I was on a long journey than having to rely on a draining 2.5″ LCD screen. The shutter button was a bit weak but apart from that I saw how well Mustek made the camera.  Although the name isn’t screaming “high quality” it really was constructed well…so well that I had trouble taking the lens off and it even bent my mini screwdriver.  There’s not much too it really but it was fun opening it up.

I haven’t bought any Mustek products since however after this experience I think I might look into one or two of their products like a Digital Photo Frame.