What do you guys recommend for a small, HD camcorder for a mom who just wants to video her kids? SD would be convenient, I have a nice big 16GB SDHC card already for my T1i. I have a flip and it's useless. Want to do primarily school assemblies, sporting games, and indoors for holidays/random.

jpstrings wrote:Get the kodak Zi8 instead of this bulky camcorder. This one only shots in 720 30 fps and the Zi8 shots 720 60 fps and in 1080p. Plus it is smaller than this outdated camcorder.

are you crazy? this thing is tiny!!!! I wouldnt want one any smaller than this. bought it the last time they had them and love it. We use it for the dogs family and such and it works great for us. But to call this BULKY is absolutly crazy!!!!

radi0j0hn wrote:So, each of the 30 frames that are shot in each second are exposed for (up to) 1/1000th of a second? I'm not a big video user, as you can tell.

More like each frame is exposed "down to" 1/1000th of a second. The exposure time should vary from as short as 1/1000 to as long as 1/30.

edit: <-- And apparently, I'm a woman.

tkauke wrote:Does this camera have the ability to use an external wireless mic?

nope :/

waiting4nextyear wrote:Is it worth it to buy this camera, or wait until a Flip comes back to the woot stage?

I bought this last time it was on woot and considering how cheap it is, I really love it. Haven't used it very much but I didn't expect to. It's just for vacations and going out with friends, and it is small so it fits in my purse too!
I don't know much about the flip, but if you just want a simple video/camera for fun and it's your first. Go for it!

jcebula wrote:are you crazy? this thing is tiny!!!! I wouldnt want one any smaller than this. bought it the last time they had them and love it. We use it for the dogs family and such and it works great for us. But to call this BULKY is absolutly crazy!!!!

Unit Dimensions (H x W x D, approximate): 2.25×2.25×4.0-inches
yah if you are just holding it and not using a tripod, when using the zoom video becomes shakie if you don't have a steady hand because its so light

but the same goes for any light cam with a high zoom

Here is some daytime video I just took using the zoom.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEknYeHf_WI/

Does anyone know how this camcorder does in low light, evening?

jcebula wrote:are you crazy? this thing is tiny!!!! I wouldnt want one any smaller than this. bought it the last time they had them and love it. We use it for the dogs family and such and it works great for us. But to call this BULKY is absolutly crazy!!!!

is that a camcorder in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?

I bought it a couple weeks ago and am decently happy with it. Screen does swivel, and it's super easy to use. The video quality isn't great in low light situations, and the autofocus is a bit slow at times. All in all though, it's great as a general use camcorder- small, cheap, and easy.

astradtm wrote:Does anyone know how this camcorder does in low light, evening?

NONE of these does well in low light. You need a camera with a larger aperture for available light work. There ain't no free lunch.

sdc100 wrote:I don't have the patience to do any authoring so I can't recommend anything feature-rich. But if you simply want to convert your videos into viewable DVDs with as little work as possible, I've always relied on ConvertXtoDVD3. It'll convert virtually anything to DVD, including RMVB (Real Media) which is rarely used in the US. You simply drag the files to the program and press Go. The quality is excellent as long as you don't pack too much. But if quality isn't too important, you can even squeeze about 10 hrs worth of video onto one DVD an d it's still very watchable.

The downside is that there really isn't all that you can do in terms of chapter insertion, fonts, etc. You can adjust things but if you want to really customize things, look elsewhere. On the plus side, ConvertXtoDVD3 is relatively fast.

BTW, if you simply want to play the videos on your own TV, many DVD players can read AVI files directly without conversion. I'm not sure, but I assume that the Sanyo uses the AVI container and a standard codec. In this case, simply copy the files directly onto a DVD without converting.

I use DVDstyler, it is free, and you can put chapter name on each video clip.

I bought it during the last woot. I put a wide angle lens on it and I love it.

is this a "true" deal on the price?

Thanks, everyone, for the comments on Mac compatibility.

TMW

flamespear wrote:There's not really an alternative, there are special cameras with ultra high frame-rate to capture very fast things but not any consumer level ones. Good cameras this size though offer 24fps for cinema capturing. 24fps is the standard for analog cameras and is still used today by the industry. It looks smooth an natural and that's why they use it.

There's the pocket camera Kodak Zi8, which films at 1080, 720 30fps, and 720 60fps - and has a mic in port, and has an AC jack, AND records to SD card. All in a unit that retails under 200 bucks. The 60fps looks great at half speed for slo-mo shots!

sloth38 wrote:If you want smaller, go with a point and shoot camera! Most of the newer ones have 720 HD video. They typically have 3-5x optical zoom (not digital crap) and optical stabilization (which = not shaky).

I wrote a lengthy review of the Flip on Amazon echoing much of what you wrote. However, I need to defend the Flip and other similar cameras by mentioning some issues regarding the print-and-shoots.

1) Most of the 720p video models cost more then $100 whereas you can get Flip-like cameras for less. For example, Woot frequently sells the Kodak zi6 for about $69. And it gives 60 fps.
2) Battery life on point and shoots are pretty bad for video. Some will die after about 30 mins of continuous shooting. The rechargeable LiIon Flip gives about 2 hrs and the Kodak is similar using NiMH batteries.
3) Point and shoots can generally only capture short movies (20-30mins) before their buffers get full.

BTW, almost no sub $180 camera has optical stabilization.

sloth38 wrote:And it will actually take good photos (like 12-14 MP, which is overkill, but much better than .3MP or 2MP like the Sanyo).)

And in fact, the Flip Mino doesn't even take stills. To get stills, you have to do a frame capture of the video! And it doesn't even capture in the full 640x480 (VGA) of the videos.

sloth38 wrote:If you decide you want the zoom, look for something that has an optical stabilizer. Without one, 30x zoom will be pointless on most cheap videocameras because it will be so shaky

It's unfair to slam cheap video Cameras on that point because even optical stabilization won't help if you zoom all the way to 30x. The real remedy is to use a portable tripod, which both cheap and expensive videocomeras can accomodate. They cost $1-$10 on ebay. So on this point, the cheap cameras, including the Flip, are no worse than real Video cameras or point-and-shoots.

jcebula wrote:are you crazy? this thing is tiny!!!! I wouldnt want one any smaller than this. bought it the last time they had them and love it. We use it for the dogs family and such and it works great for us. But to call this BULKY is absolutly crazy!!!!

It is small compared to MiniDV camcorders. But its depth and boxy shape still prevents you from placing it in a shirt pocket.

This is a nice little camera - I bought one for my wife a few weeks back (also off Woot) and it is smaller, has a far better quality picture than my Samsung HMX10, and of course is far cheaper.

If you've been thinking about a video camera, I'd say it's time to put the money down. Just be sure to get a large capacity SDHC chip too.

G

How would I connect this to my older HD TV that has only component video (RGB)? Is there an adapter available to conect from HDMI to RGB?

flamespear wrote:There's not really an alternative, there are special cameras with ultra high frame-rate to capture very fast things but not any consumer level ones.

Actually, one exists and it's very affordable. The Casio Exilim EX-FS10 point- and-shoot offers an astonishing 1,000 fps (one THOUSAND!) burst video mode (imagine how much memory it uses) at reduced resolution. Great for science experiements. It can also do the standard 30 fps/60 fps in HD. Amazingly, I found it recently for about $109 NEW.

flamespear wrote:24fps is the standard for analog cameras and is still used today by the industry. It looks smooth an natural and that's why they use it.

Actually, they use 24 fps only because it's the minimum frame rate that still gives the illusion of smooth movement. Celluloid film is expensive and takes up space, so the less you use, the better. Higher frame rates look smoother and even more natural (I've seen 40 fps movies). It's like suddenly watching NTSC after being raised on PAL.

I had a Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 that worked great for 6 months... then it just stopped working! Be aware, warranty covers parts for one year but labor for just 6 months, and the labor to fix the camera, well, costs a new camera.

Not worth when this junk make you miss sunset pics/videos at the top of Mauna Kea (HI) - that what happened to me.

waiting4nextyear wrote:Is it worth it to buy this camera, or wait until a Flip comes back to the woot stage?

I would wait for the flip but I don't exppect them to come up again anytime very soon. I waited for Woot to showcase one but it never happened. So while in a Sam's Club several months ago, they were selling a "bundled package" (the latest one with 120 minute memory), including connection cables, case and some other stuff for $129. So I bought 2 and gave one to my son.

The flip is a fantastically easy camera to use and it gives great results. Sam's still sells this very same bundled package, but unfortunately, it has gone up 50 bucks to $179.

sloth38 wrote:yes, it should work, but we are talking about sanyo here...

Any other words on this? I've been looking for a new camera but can't live without eyefi

Does anyone know if this can be used like a Webcam thru the USB. I need something that can transmit to my computer (via USB) for a Webinar. Will this do the job?

Absinthena wrote:I bought this one last time. Personally, my cell phone does better in dim light than this camera. I was disappointed.

Does this have a mount for a tripod?

I realize this shoots at 30 fps, but can it slow down and do 1 fps or even 10-30 fpm?

mediaocker wrote:I, too, found the Amazon link, but if it was built to retail at $189, this isn't a GREAT savings. My musings are on the lens sharpness and low light capability.

Buy.com has it for the $189, but if they don't sell out today at woot, I betcha Buy will be offering them in 2 weeks for $139 or $149...

Why do you think that buy.com will be selling these for 139 in a week or two?

stevetek wrote:Does anyone know if this can be used like a Webcam thru the USB. I need something that can transmit to my computer (via USB) for a Webinar. Will this do the job?

yes

stevetek wrote:Does this have a mount for a tripod?

yes

TaylorConsulting wrote:I realize this shoots at 30 fps, but can it slow down and do 1 fps or even 10-30 fpm?

don't you mean "speed it up" to 1 fps? hehehe :P

Vilgrom wrote:
This thing really shines when shooting outdoor video; indoor video, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired.

Their online interactive manual offers tips on optimizing various indoor lighting scenarios. They even give an example of shooting by candlelight and the example video looks pretty damn good. The baby laughing also looks great. Of course, they're under ideal conditions.

http://sanyo.com/xacti/english/products/vpc_zh1/tips/index.html

http://sanyo.com/xacti/english/products/vpc_zh1/tips/scene/glossary/whitebalance.htm

artistx wrote:How is it in lowlight? digital camcorders seems to all suck at night or under florescent lighting....

Many camcorders, including this one, have a Fluorescent Lighting mode. You can find it under White Balance. See below two links for hints at night and under fluorescent lighting.

http://sanyo.com/xacti/english/products/vpc_zh1/tips/index.html

http://sanyo.com/xacti/english/products/vpc_zh1/tips/scene/glossary/whitebalance.htm

I snoozed, I wanted to buy one of these!
Guess I'll wait till the next Woot Off

damn i missed this..where can i buy one?

antok86 wrote:damn i missed this..where can i buy one?

You can buy its cousin, Sanyo Dual Camera Xacti 720p HD VPC-CG10, for $129. It only has 5x optical zoom but a better still camera at 10mp, and flash.


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&SID=S8kmtwoBCjQAACWAjzcAAALq&sku=601829&AID=10659349&PID=552179&is=REG&A=details&Q=

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Variety, as they say, is the spice of life; and if you're one of those crazy kids who prefers an upright form factor, then you're sure to enjoy the convenient handling of the Dual Camera Xacti 720p HD VPC-CG10 (Pink) Sanyo. Big on name, but compact in size, this camcorder fits in your hand naturally and is great for recording action like skateboarding and more low-key situations, such as family gatherings, as well.

Containing a generous 10Mp CMOS sensor for high resolution stills, to go along with that 1280 x 720p HD footage, the CG10 records to lightweight SD/SDHC memory cards. The combination of this easily transferable media and the MPEG4 AVC/H.264 format makes uploading all your photos and videos to social media sites, and even your iPod, a snap.

Helping you get the perfect shot would be the 3" rotating LCD, Face Chaser technology and the digital image stabilizer. Super-Fast Start-Up and a built-in flash also ensure success.

The VPC-CG10 is user-friendly with impressive video and still capabilities.

Record HD to Flash Memory
Record 3 hours and 51 minutes of 720p HD video to an external 16GB SD/SDHC memory card. Recording to flash memory cards keeps things simple while freeing you up from carrying bulky media.

10Mp CMOS Sensor
Record 720p, 30fps HD video and 10Mp digital stills (12Mp interpolated) with the CG10's CMOS sensor.

5x Optical Zoom
The 5x optical zoom brings far off subjects into focus with clarity and virtually no loss in image quality. The lens features a zooming range of F=38-190mm.

Generous 3" LCD
The 3" LCD gives you a generous display on which to compose and playback your shots. The screen also rotates up to 285°, enabling you to shoot hard to get video from a variety of angles.

Simultaneous Video and Still Capture
Take stills while you're shooting video with just a touch of the shutter button.

Image Stabilization
The CG10's digital image stabilizer corrects for up-and-down and side-to-side camera movement, resulting in crisp, in focus, video and stills.

NTSC/PAL Switchable
Features a switchable NTSC/PAL output for watching recorded video directly from the camcorder on your NTSC or PAL analog television.

Creative Control and Workflow Features

* Built-in flash
* Pistol-grip design
* Sequential photo mode up to 7fps or 14 photos
* Records over 5 hours of standard definition video
* Super-Fast Start-Up: ready to shoot in 1.7 seconds when LCD is opened
* iTunes Transfer: Uploads video and stills to iTunes for storing on your iPod
* Face Chaser: focus and exposure adjusted for up to 12 faces in video and still shots
* High capacity Lithium-ion battery supplies over 3 hours of recording on single charge
* MPEG4 AVC/H.264 video compression: keeps files perfectly sized for sharing on social media sites or emailing

jhudiddy08 wrote:I like the fact that it's 720p. SDHC cards large enough to capture extended 1080p video are still prohibitively expensive (because you need a high write rate, like class 10, and a huge capacity, like 16 to 32GB).

This is a good holdover while the memory card technology catches up with our camcorder technology.

I don't have any issues with a Class 6 MicroSD in my HD1010 when shooting 1080p30.

day late & a dollar short

Has anyone's camcorder shipped yet?