Camcorders Deals

Review by Chris Of The OT:

The Panasonic SD60 HD camcorder is a triumph of modern design – beautifully functional and, well, beautiful to look at.

We bought this for my wife’s birthday and because her brother is getting married next month. She is a keen photographer (see the Canon 450D Digital SLR and reviews, including ours) and wanted, first, full High Definition camcorder but with a good zoom and stills ability – but it must be small and light too! This Panasonic covers all the bases, pretty much.

The unit is amazingly small & light. This was very important but has a knock-on effect on functionality because all the buttons are small. However, after reading (a good portion of) the manual, it quickly becomes intuitive so even my ample digits manage. The view screen is stunning, though direct sunlight washes the image away – but it’s still light-years ahead of other screens we’ve used, giving bright, clear and crisp images.

The video images are superb too, even managing in poor light to deliver watchable footage – but at this price, I was expecting that! The sound is much better than I’d thought it would be, it’s even stereo. The only limiting thing we’ve found so far is the constant `panning too fast’ we keep getting told off for, but that’s easily compensated for (as long as you remember!).

The things I don’t like are:

The recorded video format is specifically Panasonic which means you need to install the supplied software onto you PC to download footage. Very annoying, but the software works very well and it’s easy to use. It takes a long time to copy over videos – perhaps half as long as the original video so a half-hour clip will take 15 minutes or more to copy. (We take the SD card out and copy direct to the laptop.)

The battery will last about 1¼ hours, and takes just over two hours to charge. With a 16GB SD card, this will need re-changing at least once if you want to fill the card which means buying another battery & (presumably) a charger too. We got the Panasonic Accessory Kit for the outrageous price of eighty quid, making this – with the SD card – a half-grand purchase.

Also, as a keen photographer, my wife really misses not having a view finder, not least because the screen is limited in bright sunshine. The stills are okay, but not outstanding.

Still, it gets five stars because it’s so good at what it does. The 25X zoom is surprisingly effective – better than I’d thought – but still lagging behind standard definition camcorders. It remains an amazing technical achievement for Panasonic who seem to be stealing a march on the tech in our house. Maybe half a star can be deducted for the high price – especially for the essential accessories – but it’s still superb.

EDIT (3.5.10):

Having looked into the infuriating editing problem, it seems to be a Microsoft problem(among many others):

`… We are currently looking into the issue you raised. We will be making additional post to this thread as soon as we have more information’ (from the MS Answers site 11.12.09, thread: 6f1340e0-3fa2-4299-a268-f97eb1b68d30 – no answer at time of writing).

The only advice so far is to update all (Panasonic & Windows – particularly Movie Maker) drivers, etc., but the upshot is that Microsoft applications and many other video players and editing programs do NOT recognise or support AVCHD: MTS/M2TS files even though most new cameras record in that format. Unless we spend even more money on new software (!) it means we can’t edit the footage shot with these Panasonic camcorders. Fantastic.

Also, in correcting myself, the file format (M2TS) seems to be an AVCHD standard, not a specific Panasonic one. My mistake!

Review by Monica Worboys:

Easy to use, small, outstanding picture quality, packed with features that just work fuss free, what more can be said about this? There’s a bewildering range of HD camcorders on the market and it’s pretty hard to distinguish which is the right one for you. This Panasonic offered as much, if not more, than the popular Sony models, but has the advantage of using SD cards rather than Sony’s own stick media – a plus for me as we have other devices which use SD cards. It’s also a lot cheaper than the premium Canon models, but certainly holds it’s own in the quality stakes. Bang for buck it’s a great choice. Super happy purchaser.

Review by Stuart Rowland:

I’ve had the Flip Ultra HD for 48hours now and couldn’t be happier.

Open the box, install the batteries and you can start shooting straight away. The controls are intuitive and the instruction manual is welcome in it’s brevity and ease of reference.

Connect the Ultra to your PC and the software will install straight away. I was a little concerned that the minimum system requirements (Intel 3Ghz processor) would cause an issue but my Intel 2Ghz copes admirably and the videos playback without stutter-or-stalling.

I bought the Ultra so i could have a HD recording device to hand to capture those unique moments when my eternally amusing children perform their acts of circus. We bought a camcorder a few years back for over £800 but because of it’s bulky dimensions, it’s literally never been used. The Ultra is the same size as a chunky nokia phone of the 2006 era and is easy to fit in your pocket and transport around – easy to get-to-hand and start shooting and capture those memorable moments: exactly why i bought it.

All in all, very happy. Only disappointment was that the Amazon product description told me that an HDMI cable would be included in the box, and it’s not. Turns out that any generic HDMI cable will work, AS LONG as it has a mini-connector (type c; which fits the Ultra) and standard HDMI connector (Type A – which plugs into your HD TV). I’m off to PC World to buy one of these later. If there’s any issue in playing back on the TV, I’ll let you know.

Review by C. Wijker:

A very handy and pratical HD camera that is easy to get out and use at a moments notice. Only slightly bigger than a mobile phone so it is very easy to carry. Some reviewers have mentioned that is does not come with a charger which is true but the item description shows it doesn’t include this as you charge it up via your computers USB port. A charger is available but this is an optional extra which you purchase separately.

This camera can store up to 2 hours worth of footage and is super easy to download to your PC. The editing software supplied with the camera is very useful and easy to use. It allows you to trim films but unfortunatly this doesn’t mean the file size decreases as it only marks the stop and start of where you want to see rather than trimming the file. It does have a nice feature of being able to join footage together and add titles, copy etc. So for the price the package is very reasonable. If you need a better editing software then you could purchase one separately.

Another good feature is that it uses standard AA rechargable batteries so should you be away somewhere for a while where it isn’t easy to plug in a charger or charge via a PC then you could use spares instead. So far we haven’t had any problems with the battery life and haven’t had to recharge whilst out.

We are very pleased with the camera and again for the price of HD camera’s this is a good buy in our opinion.

As a busy family I find this camera very easy and quick to use and its captured some instant moments.

Review by Ash:

The Kodak ZX1 is a continuation of Kodak’s line of HD handicams. It is capable of taking excellent quality HD video in 720p. There are a large range of these sorts of cameras on the market now, with the Kodak and the Flip MinoHD being the market leaders, I would say. I have used both, and shall compare their relative merits.

1. Quality of image

This is the one everyone will really care about. The new Kodak ZX1 does make a noticeable improvement over its Kodak predecessor, particularly in low light. Previous Kodak USB cameras were virtually unwatchable in anything less than full daylight. The ZX1 performs well in overcast conditions, and is watchable indoors, though there is a noticeable increase in noise. However, the Flip MinoHD wildly outperforms it, with far more detail, less noise and less streaking. In daylight, I’d say the Mino HD still has the slight edge, but the differences are less prominent.

2. Quality of Sound

Again, the Flip MinoHD is head and shoulders above the ZX1 in terms of sound quality captured. The ZX1 is still no slouch, and sound reproduction is perfectly adequate and useable for a camera of this size and for the intended market. But its microphone shows little regard for distant sources, and the person holding the camera can sound a little over-loud and distorted. The MinoHD doesn’t have these problems, with distant and near sounds being captured smoothly.

3. Looks and usability

This is more of a case of personal taste. The MinoHD is smaller (about the size of a Nokia 6300, though a bit thicker) and probably slightly simpler, with a big red button for recording. It is also square on the bottom, which seems irrelevant, until you come to try and stand the ZX1 on a table top and you realise it will just fall over! The ZX1 has a slick brushed steel front, with sexy touch-sensitive buttons. It also comes in a range of great colours – I have the red, but actually think the yellow looks the best. However, the MinoHD’s menus are more intuitive and quicker to navigate.

4. Features

The ZX1 features the ability to take still pictures, which is actually incredibly useful. Why the guys at Flip didn’t think to do this is unknown, but it creates a massive weakness compared to their rival. Who wants to bother taking two cameras with them? Sometimes you’ll see something that doesn’t warrant a video, but would make a great still. Also the Kodak allows you to change the level of fidelity, meaning you can save on memory by recording on lower resolutions. Even better, it allows/requires the use of an SD card, which means you have virtually limitless memory. And it uses rechargeable batteries which are shipped with it, along with a charger! The Flip doesn’t do any of this. The ZX1 wins this hands down.

The ZX1 is a great camera in its own right, but the MinoHD does edge it out in terms of performance and function, and would be the obvious choice if it wasn’t for the lack of features. Its a tough choice, and really depends on what you intend to use the camera for. For long trips away from your PC, the ZX1 is the camera for you. If you are staying closer to home though, the Flip might be the better choice.

Review by Mr. Dk Hamm:

As I am lucky enough to own a Flip Mino HD, the obvious thing is to compare the two but to be honest, there are so many differences in what are essentially similar products, this is difficult so I’ll concentrate on the job in hand which is to review the ZX1. However, where differences occur, I will point them out because which you go for is a matter of personal preference.

First of all, the most important thing is the quality of the image and sound. Picture quality is excellent for the price. Sound is OK but nothing to write home about. The lack of optical zoom is disappointing. The digital zoom is only 2x but isn’t as blurry as some SD equivalent cameras (at least in HD mode). It is a bit jerky when you zoom in and out though. The viewing screen on the camera is a reasonable size and clear (and bigger than that on the Flip).

A nice touch is that there are four modes of use, Standard Definition, HD at 30FPS, HD at 60FPS and still pictures. Obviously, the higher definitions use more memory so you won’t get as much film on your memory card. I found it difficult to take still pictures without camera shake due to the shape of the camera, which is designed for taking movies, not stills.

The ZX1 is fairly bulky, especially compared to the Flip Mino, and is more difficult to keep in your pocket. You do get a nice carry case with it so you can slip it on your wrist.

Two main differences between the ZX1 and the Flip (in order for people to make the choice depending on their preferences). Firstly, whereas the flip has a built in battery, the ZX1 uses 2 AA batteries. Useful if you want to take some spares (which you will probably need to do). However, you do get two Kodak rechargeable batteries AND a charger included. Battery life is reasonable but a couple of spare rechargeables will most likely be a lot cheaper than buying disposable batteries.

Secondly, whereas the Flip has internal 4Gb memory, the ZX1 uses SD cards. There is no SD card included so you will need to factor this into the price. However, with ever increasing sizes of SD cards being available, this could be more useful if you are planning to take a lot of film before you can get to a computer to store it.

You do get a very good set of accessories though. As well as the aforementioned batteries and charger, there are all the leads you need to connect to the TV and computer including an HDMI cable. I’m well impressed with this as you don’t usually get one of these included even with an expensive Blu Ray player. A spare battery compartment cover is also included which is nice as you will be changing batteries on a regular basis and it might get worn.

Overall then a very good camera for the price. Simple to use and good quality clips. if you want professional results, spend more and get a camcorder with optical zoom and all the bells and whistles. However, if you want something for your holiday clips that’s very straightforward to use, you can’t go far wrong with this.

Review by A. Marczak:

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R15QC0CIC754F5 I uploaded a video, so you can see how this camera performs in certain conditions.

Good things:

looks good

nice and light

switches on quickly

time lapse photography

tripod attachment

Bad things:

no lens protection

fiddly menus

still pictures only good if you are standing stock still in broad daylight

no possibility for spare battery

files not compatible with Corel

rubbish in low light

Review by M. D. Harris:

Since the Flip arrived there’s been a bit of a glut of compact hi-def video cameras hitting the market. I’ve been lucky enough to sample a couple of these cameras (by Sony and Kodak) and having tried this Samsung I’d have to say they’re all pretty close in ability with only the gimmicks (the Sony’s rotating lens and Kodak with it’s weather proofing) separating them.

Samsung throws slow motion video into the mix, but the fact that it’s low-def limits it’s appeal. It is however very light and compact. Video quality is ok and comparable to the others (and again low light video quality is pretty ho-hum). The still camera boasts 10 megapixels but is no match for a decent quality dedicated still digital camera. Other limitations are digital zoom (which is also a handicap with all it’s direct rivals) and does not work when set to 1080p. Setting it to 720p allows the zoom to activate and doesn’t seem to affect video quality too much.

One last thing worth noting is the touch sensitive buttons, which are a bit to easy to press by accident as they to lack any tactile feedback. Aside from that the Samsung U10 is a decent addition to the ultra-compact video camera market.

NB. This camera comes with no memory card or internal memory – so you’ll need to buy an SD card to use it.

Review by Mr. Graham Todd:

I upgraded from a Panasonic SDR-S10 and was amazed by the quality of the video. All the bells and whistles are nice but if the quality is bad it not much use. Day time shots are bright and vibrant and the OIS is amazing with hand held shots at full zoom being comparatively steady.

Plug into a HD TV and see the difference for yourself! A highly recommended camera.

Review by R. C. Wood:

I purchased this camera on Amazon after realising that it was at least £100 cheaper than what the Panasonic store was offering. The picture quality is exceptional, especially through a HD TV – the colours are vivid and picture is crisp. It might not be one of the most advanced cameras but considering the price, is one of the best compared with other manufacturers. Even though it is a more basic model, there is everything you need to get some pleasing results and it can be operated more or less straight out of the box.

To sum up here are the best features of the camera:

- Compact and light, good for handheld outdoor use.

- 120GB Hard disk memory, no real need for a memory card unless you need one for extra capacity.

- Simple to operate, with a good instruction booklet.

- Incredible picture and sound quality.

Review by S. Brackenridge:

After running out of patience for proper reviews of this incredibly cheap camcorder to appear, I took the plunge and ordered one. So far, I have to say that I am pretty happy. However, don’t mistake it for a full camcorder as, other than the usual preset white balance and exposure control options, there are not too many settings to tweak! Budding film makers will probably want to spend a lot more money on something substantial. However, if you want a simple point-and-film camcorder that won’t break the bank and gives you a modicum of future-proofing, this is it!

The good:

- simple to use

- small and light weight

- good connectivity (USB, standard TV or HDMI output)

- can film in standard resolution, 720HD or 1080HD

- SHCD cards are so cheap there is no real need to reuse them when they are full

The bad:

- autofocus can lag a bit if the subject is moving too fast, or you zoom too quickly

- image stabilisation doesn’t work in full HD mode

- colours are sometimes a bit too vivid

- Despite the 5 megapixel sensor, this is not going to be much use as a still camera as there is perceptible shutter lag and the camera button requires a fair bit of force to press

- feels a bit too plasticky

- can’t turn off the pointless digital zoom (but there is a line on the on screen zoom bar to tell you where the optical zoom ends and zooming stops momentarily when you hit it)

Overall (especially given the price) the good more than outweighs the bad. I have a miniDV camcorder that has languished in the cupboard for the last few years as transferring footage (in real time – how 20th Centuary!) to PC was a pain in the behind. With this, transfer is a breeze.

Review by Ed Flanders:

I bought this for my upcoming holiday and tried it recently to get used to it.

The video performance is excellent as long as you have a steady hand. There is an image stabiliser when you use 720 mode but surprisingly, it doesn’t remember you have engaged it (or even the flash mode) when you turn it off then on again, so you have to set these each time – weird!

Sound is quite sensitive and reasonable. The battery life is good – the type is NP-60; quite cheap from Amazon marketplace if you want a spare.

Virtually no memory supplied so bank on £12 for something like a 8Gb SDHC card – enough for 4 hours on 720 mode.

Photo mode is excellent with good focussing, colour and resolution (normal 5 megapixel) – anything more is interpolated.

Overall, a great buy as long as you have a steady hand.

Comes with all the leads you need, as well as a power supply.

Review by Gadget Fan:

I really like this new version of the vado HD. It is significantly smaller than the previous version, and in my opinion looks much nicer. The reason I have given it 4 stars rather than 5 is purely because of two minor annoyances. One is that capacity has dropped to 4GB from 8GB, and secondly that the lens angle is slighty (very slightly) less wide.

Both of those I can forgive, as I never actually got anywhere near 4GB when I used the previous gen vado (1st gen). To my mind this captures slightly more detail, which would make it worth it alone. I love the smaller size, it makes it even more convenient to use. The buttons I like as well, no old fashioned pushing! More like the controls on the PS3, simply place your finger on them and they respond.

The other thing I love, which is the same as previous versions, is how the software runs from the device. So I can use the vado central editing stuff wherever I go, without having to install it on a pc (it works on both macs and pcs).

UPDATE:

Having used this for a few weeks now I can confirm that video quality seems much improved. Am very impressed with the quality, and it wasn’t like I was unhappy with the first gen version I had before this. Also the battery seems to last longer, although I suspected that my last one was particularly bad. Have found the camera button very useful, so long as there is good light – as there is no flash.

Review by Norberto Amaral:

I bought the 2nd gen model a couple of months ago and after shooting dozens of videos I can say for sure that this is a spectacular little camera. It shoots well in all kinds of situations as long as it’s not too dark. The colour and sound quality are amazing, especially for a camera this size. This is way better than a Sony MiniDV camera I bought a few years ago.

Its small size – actually, its micro size – makes this a wonderful gadget. It is a small as a small mobile phone and you can have it ready in 2 seconds. It’s also non-obtrusive so you may use it in plenty of situations where a large camera would be frowned upon, such as a concert or a museum.

Of course, you can’t expect the best image and sound quality on the market from a thing of this size and price: this is a very simple camera, without all the nice things that come with the bigger ones: no optical zoom, hardly any options, no video effects (then again, you can later edit them on a computer) and a very short battery life. In two words: no frills.

Battery life is typically under 2 hours. However, unlike other cameras in the market, you may buy an extra battery and replace the main one in case it runs out. Unfortunately, I found that, at least in my camera, the back cover isn’t very easy to put back so I only use one battery.

I don’t use the software that comes with it as the camera will set itself up as a USB drive and you can get the videos directly. However, you may be able to the software to carry out basic edit functions as well as upload videos to YouTube, etc.

There isn’t much difference between this camera (third generation) and the second generation. It’s basically a few aesthetic touches here and there (meaning that the surface is now shinier and the units is a bit larger than before), soft touch buttons and takes photos – though at a measly 1280×720 resolution you won’t be very satisfied with it I’m sure.

I also found that 8GB, or about two hours of video, is just right for my needs. 4GB would probably be too little though.

In the end, if you are looking for a video camera, you have to ask yourself what really matters to you. If you are looking for a camera that you may use for extensive periods without being able to charge it or one that has all the possible video effects and options, this definitely isn’t for you. However, if what you are looking for is a very small camera that is always ready to shoot, is simple to use and very very cheap, go no further!

Review by A. Tang:

I was looking for a dedicated Camcorder that was HD, the initial choice was Toshiba Camileo but later opted for the Veho VCC-002 due to price and positive review. The uploaded clips from Youtube for both Toshiba Camileo P10 and Veho VCC-002 are very smilar i.e. low lighting the quality is poor, outside light the HD is very good, but you need to have steady hands.

The physical quality of the camcorder, cables and packaging is very good and professional. Not like the cheap clones you can buy from eBay or the see through plastic flush packaging.

The software function is quite limited.

The battery life is suppose to last 4 hours – depending on usage (that is from Veho techanical support). My one last just over 1 hour 30 mins HD recording and 30 mins playback. I am not sure whether that is a fault with the battery I received. Amazon is sending a replacement so I can confirm later.

Ebay are selling 2 Fuji NP60 1100mAh spare batteries for under £15, so even if you purchase additional spares, the cost will still be cheaper than a branded HD camcorder like Toshiba.

If you are looking for a camcorder that you can use for holiday and a few times a year, then this will be the one. The ability to record in HD (720 and 1080p) and in native video avi format is very good. The only drawback is the battery life (4 hours is good, assuming my battery is faulty), poor low light recording and slight jerking in Full HD recording.

Review by P. Cockshott:

Bought this as an entry in to the world of camcorders and have to say very easy to use picture quality excellent.

Everyone I have showed it to has been impressed with what you get for the money!

Review by F. J. Hartnell:

I have used this high definition camcorder of mobile phone dimensions for recording guitar pieces and people speaking. The video and the sound quality are excellent. Putting videos onto youtube with the camera’s software is straightforward as is editing the videos.

You plug the camera straight into your computer via a flip out USB jack and you can then work with your vids while the camera is charging.

There are two tiny niggles with the camera. As is often the case, in the paper instructions one of the procedures does not give the right button to press to do something(see later for correct order). Once you have cracked this everything is very easy. Secondly when using the camera’s own software rather than another upload programme to transfer videos to youtube, an irritating message is embedded on your youtube video saying ‘recorded on (date) on a flip mino camcorder’(or words to that effect)which stays there even if you delete it on the youtube upload set up. I have managed to get rid of this once or twice and will eventually suss out how to avoid this or use another upload programme for transfer.

Now that youtube is doing HD vids the quality of the HD recording is not diminished by uploading to a lower format.

Unlike it’s Kodak counterpart, this camera can be stood on a flat surface because the designers were smart enough not to put the attachment for the handcord on the bottom surface. There is also a standard tripod thread and the small Gorillapod tripod works well.

Switch on, frame the shot, press the red button to start and finish recording. Press bottom right then top left to view. Press the trashcan, bottom left and top left to erase ( these buttons move the cursor to yes). Use the plus and minus signs to zoom when recording – if you must – and to adjust volume when playing back. The camera will switch itself off if you leave it standing for more than about 30 secs.

When plugged into the computer a white light on the usb jack flashes until charged then stays on all the time. Remember to press your ‘safely remove device’ button on your computer toolbar before removing the camera from the USB socket, just in case…

The best piece of gear for me. Well thought out and not complicated but beautiful results. Expect to pay around £170 with delivery included. I would not buy this particular product from the US. Get a proper import designed for the UK.

Review by cbrynr:

The Flip Mino HD is a mobile phone sized camcorder which records in a high definition format. It doesn’t need tapes, discs or batteries and is small enough to slip into your pocket. It does come very nicely packaged in a compact box which seems designed to remind you just how small this camcorder is.

In use it is incredibly simple to operate – my technophobe wife loves it and can use it very easily. In fact, because it’s so simple I could happily let my small nieces hold it without worrying that they might press the wrong button or damage it somehow. Although the picture quality isn’t perfect it is very good for a small lens unit such as this one, and it adapts quickly to low light levels – in some situations it gave more detail in low light than I could make out by sight. The sound quality is very good too and it picks out conversations quite well even in noisier surroundings. It can be hand held, stood up on it’s flat bottom or used on a tripod.

There aren’t any software discs to worry about as everything is stored in the camcorder for you to use if you want, or you can just copy and paste the files to play another way on your computer. However, I did have some problems playing the HD videos on my computer – using Quicktime Player it couldn’t handle the HD clips without some jerkiness, and the best results were obtained by simply connecting it up to my television. One very important thing to note is that the Mino Flip is TOUGH – it was accidentally dropped about four feet onto concrete slabs and the only damage is a small scratch on the corner – and it still works perfectly!

There is only one real drawback for me – like any other small recording device this unit suffers from camera shake and would benefit from some stability software being installed.