Goodmans GDC 3116 TFT Review

Overall Rating

Great value for a start - I got mine for £149.99. You can get plenty of hi-res pictures on an 8meg card, let alone a 128 meg one! Max res is 2048, which isn't bad at all...

Goodmans - What you playing at??? No drivers whatsover for XP, or any OS apart from 95/98/2000 for that matter, no goodmans website in sight (sic).
Batteries - Get some rechargeables - or get into the habit of not using the screen. That kind of spoils the fun, but hey, you're still getting decent quality digital pictures.

At £149.99, any digital camera is worth a look, especially when advertised at 3.1 mega pixels. This Goodmans GDC 3116 TFT has web-cam capabilities (I haven't succesfully used the goodmans as a webcam yet, anybody?), TFT screen, is pretty small and has loads of space on the memory card that comes with the camera...

After owning it for 3 months now, I am still wondering whether I should have put a bit more money into the idea, only because of the things I already stated - no XP support, the web cam (in)capabilities. Overall though, you get what you pay for, and this is a fine example.

I had never purchased Goodmans gear before this, (on the maybe prejudiced grounds that I thought they were garbage) but you could say that i'm 'reasonably pleased!'.

Members' Comments onstuart.'s Review

• mike. on 10th Nov 2002

  I am sorry to see there's no drivers for the goodmans gdc 3116 tft camera for windows xp. Please can you email me when you have got one thanks........mike

• Dev. on 16th Nov 2002

  I too have a Goodmans GDC 3116 TFT, with all the problems mentioned in the reviews, I downloaded Windows XP drivers from Mustek.com, because the Mustek MDC 3000 is the same camera, it now works ok in XP. One review says its really only 1.8 mega pixel because it is interpolated and not 3.1, the pictures I have taken have all come out well in high res on A4 photo paper, in fine res they are somtimes blurred. The flash pics are hopeless about 2 in 5 are ok, it seems if the flash isnt in sinc (to slow). Its my first digital camera and my results are far better and more enjoyable than my old camera. Hope this will help someone having problems.

• Stuart MaDDoG Henderson. on 17th Nov 2002

  Just trying to get XP drivers as microsoft updates have not been given any from Goodmans yet. The review is spot on. I love this camera apart from having to upload it to WinME unable to upload to WinXP pro. Goodmans GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER AND GET SOME XP DRIVERS ON THE WEB.

• stuart. on 19th Nov 2002

  More support for the 'give us xp drivers' crew, nice. MaDDoG - I ended up getting a USB card reader for the thing, works piles better than the crumby software given on the cd. Plug it in and, wehey, a folder of your pics, tasty.

• Stuart MaDDoG Henderson. on 20th Nov 2002

  Thanks for that info Stuart the Mrs will go spare if I don't get it working on XP. As I was using a duel boot and have now taken off WinME. Winxp read the camera and sent the info to Microsoft off which the reply was "we will be intouch when it is available." I will be making my way down to the computer shop asap to get the usb reader, unless it is a software program. (Goodmans GOOD-GEAR BAD-SOFTWARE) thanks again (m8)

• Stuart. on 21st Nov 2002

  Cheers MaDDoG, If you havent brouoght a USB reader yet, I have a driver thats totally comatible with XP! woohoo, Ive put it on my site: href="http://www.tvcdesign.co.uk/downloads">tvcdesign hope you sort it out for the missus mate!!! take it easy....

• Stuart MaDDoG Henderson. on 23rd Nov 2002

  Thanks to all who have replied to my search for some way of getting the pictures from a USB Goodmans GDC 3116 tft camera on to windows XP. I have now archived this task after many weeks and it only took 1 download from Ftp.Mustek.com/pub/drivers/mdc3000/mdc3000xp.zip 5.80MB. It took me a while to figure out how to install this program, as winXP could not recognise 4 of the 5 files in the ZIP i.e. (Run_web.w02..W02) rename file to (Run_web.wo2) rename all files by deleting the (..w0x) where x is the number of the file. Trust me these drivers work perfectly for the Goodmans GDC 3116 tft camera. I’m extremely happy that this is a problem solved thanks to the support of people just like YOU who love to give their knowledge to others.

• diane delooze. on 15th Dec 2002

  It has taken me a week to try and install this to my pc. I would like to thank the person who found out this information which I think will help quite a few people. Thank you.

• Andy Harb. on 27th Dec 2002

  Thank you all for the info on the driver for XP. I find it very hard to believe that a company as big as Goodmans can be so rubbish with something as basic as this! You saved me a lot of trouble, thanks.

• Lee. on 12th Jan 2003

  I have just downloaded the Mustek MDC 3000 driver but, all installed ok but every time I want to look at a specific picture or transfer to a file my computer crashes. Has anybody got any ideas as to what I'm doing wrong or is there possibly a fault on my P.C.? Any help would be great Lee

• mike. on 17th Jan 2003

  i need drivers for goodmans GDC 3116 TFT camrea for winxp.

• =PRoF=. on 20th Jan 2003

  Downloading it now, Thanx guys, i lost my Drivers CD and have been unable to download new ones (Until now!) Can't believe goodmans don't have a website!!! Thanx again =PRoF=

• jordo2k1. on 11th Mar 2003

  If anyone needs the windows xp drivers contact me on digital_developments@hotmail.com
  this is no bull i have working drivers for the cam and will share

• billybushwacker. on 4th Jun 2003

  Everyone is complaining about the drivers for XP, well I contacted goodmans tech support and they sent me a cd with the drivers, I wouldnt say the camera isnt the best, but I have got to say the tech support is good, got the drivers next day.
  
  

• Alan Williams. on 4th Jul 2003

  Erm.... yeah I downloaded Them Zip files, Renamed them all and everything but now It freezes when i come to Look at picture or anything
  
  So am gonna contact Tech Support and Send off for a CD like that guy did , or has anyone got any better suggestions

• Alan Williams. on 4th Jul 2003

  What Number is it? the Tech Support

• Howard. on 22nd Jul 2003

  Can anyone help me with drivers for Windows 98?
  Help desperatley needed.
  (Please)
  print@wpps.co.uk

• rallister on 26th Sep 2003

  thank you thank you thank you

• borderlass on 1st Nov 2003

  can anyone help me how do i contact goodmans technical support??? i need drivers for my camera (goodmans gdc3116TF}

• ianwilly on 28th Dec 2003

  the number for goodmans tech support, in the UK is printed on the front of the manual, I hope this helps, if you cant wait then download the mustek 3000 drivers from mustec.com that will get it going but the web cam will not work under xp, for that you must have correct drivers.

• borderlass on 30th Dec 2003

  thanks for the advice i bought a memory card reader does the job, downloads my photos brilliantly, i still cant believe goodmans dont have a technical website, what is so annoying about the whole thing is this particular camera is supposed to be xp compatible, what a joke.

• justpaul on 30th Dec 2003

  we've lost the manual.. anyone able to post the number here for us?

• borderlass on 1st Jan 2004

  i think i can help you with this i still have all the manuals the number for goodmans iformation helpline is 02392 391100 hope this is of help to anyone having problems, happy new year to you all.

• ianwilly on 2nd Jan 2004

  Goodmans HelpLine is from the front of the manual
  hope this helps

• rallister on 3rd Jan 2004

  i downloaded both versions of drivers from link abve and then contacted goodmans support TWICE, so now i have 3 cds from goodmans and 2 drivers from mustec and it still was giving me blue screen!
  so i got the card reader and it worked perfectly.

• mulldoon on 2nd Feb 2004

  Iv read all the comment on here , but has anyone got the web cam to work ? and how do you do it. Im useing windows ME and i still cant get it to work.

• ianwilly on 3rd Feb 2004

  The new software supplied by goodmans, with the xp drivers will get the web cam to work, if you have a problem under windows ME, there are new drivers there for all versions of windows and mac OS X, the web cam feature on mine works on all versions of windows from win 95b and up to win xp pro.
  
  I use the webcam under msn messenger and icq.

• mulldoon on 6th Feb 2004

  Ok where do i get the drivers from ?

• redcellghost on 24th Mar 2004

  how do i use the 3116 as a web cam? i have downloaded the mustek twain driver.

• tricky2k4 on 1st Jun 2004

  someone please send me drivers so i can get the web cam to work on my goodmans gdc 3116 tft, i would be so thankful... tricky2k3@btconnect.com

• spike796 on 4th Jul 2004

  I am using Windows XP and cannot get my Goodmans GDC 3116 TFT to work as a web cam although its states on the box it can but only at a 30 sec capture length. I have had my Goodman for over a year picture quality is not too good compared to my other digital camera, I have have some trouble with taking pictures when you press the button to take a picture the camera doesn't always do it properly