Creative DC-CAM 3200Z Review

The screen display in the Record mode. Icons starting at top left indicate the camera is in record mode, flash is on, single frame shooting, size is Large, quality is Fine, and you are using a SD memory card. Also you can see the camera is set for auto white balance, exposure compensation is +0.0, the battery has a full charge, and we have enough room on the memory card for 177 more shots.

The Recording Options:

Image Resolution 2048x1536, 1600x1200, 1024x768, 640x480
Image Compression Fine or Normal
Exposure Compensation Auto or +/-2EV in 1/3 increments
White Balance Auto, Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Cloudy, B&W, Sepia
Metering Auto, Multi, or Spot
Date Stamp On or Off
File NO. Reset On or Off
Long Shutter Off, 1, 2, 4, or 8 seconds

Movie mode options:

Exposure Compensation Auto or +/-2Ev in 1/3 increments
White Balance Auto, Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Cloudy, B&W, Sepia
File NO. Reset On or Off

The 3200Z can record movie clips with audio at 320x240 with a frame rate of up to 30fps. Movie clips are recorded in MPEG-4 (.ASF) format. Both the video and audio portion of movies can be replayed on the camera thanks to the built-in speaker. Full audio-video playback is also possible when connected to a TV monitor or a compatible PC after downloading.

Setup menu options:

Beep On or Off
Power Save Off, 1, 3, or 5 minutes
TV Out NTSC or PAL
Quick View On or Off
Date & Time Set date and time
Language 12 languages to choose from
Format Yes or No

Playback Screens & Menus

When you select Playback mode the last picture taken is displayed. You can move backward or forward through the images using the LEFT and RIGHT buttons. The amount of overlay information displayed is controlled by pressing the DISP button. This frame shows the maximum amount of information, across the top is 7/7 which means image 7 of 7 total. On the bottom you will find that the battery level is low, image file number, and the time and date it was captured.

You can quickly search through stored images using the Index playback function which is activated by pressing the Wide zoom control button. Nine thumbnail size images will be displayed and you can select one using the LEFT or RIGHT buttons and then pressing the Telephoto zoom button. Pressing the UP or DOWN buttons lets you jump pages.

Playback menu options:

Protect Single or All
Delete All Yes or No
Slide Show Off, 5 or 10 seconds
Print Order Single, All, Reset
Copy To Card Yes or No

Movie clips can be played in the camera with audio thanks to the built-in speaker. Here is the onscreen information shown before playing a movie clip.