Ask Engadget: Best pocket-sized camcorder out there?
By Darren Murph 
posted August 13th 2009 9:29PM
posted August 13th 2009 9:29PM
"I need help! I want a small pocket camcorder but I'm not sure which one to get. I don't want to fall into the hype of the Flip because I worry two hours won't be enough. What should I be looking for when considering a small camcorder and where can I get a good quality one with expandable memory? Thanks!"The pocket camcorder arena has blossomed into something of a small giant here recently, with entries from Sony, Samsung, Kodak and Creative flowing in to compete with the Ultra HD. For those of you who've laid down the cheddar, why not share your experiences here in order to direct Lulu to making the right choice? Surely you won't pass on an opportunity to help a fellow nerd. Surely.
I have a JVC Everio and it's a pretty good camcorder with GREAT quality! You can save what you film on the camera's hard drive OR on SD cards.
I don't think the JVC Everio cameras are classed as pocket-sized though. ;)
Not really pocket-sized...
There are different models, I have one that is very pocketable, and she obviously said she didn't want a flip like you suggested.
do you know which model you have by chance? i'm looking online and don't see any that i would consider pocketable....
http://www.techpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/jvc-everio-gz-mg330-pink-items-pink-camcorder.jpg
^^^That one. It may not be super thin like Flips, but like she said, she didn't want a flip, so this is something that can have expandable memory like she asked, and it's pocketable. I carry it around in my pocket when I go to film stuff and you can barely notice it, it may not be the best choice for a pocketable camera, but it's a suggestion.
My...what big pockets you must have!
ooooooooooooooooooooh
cool :-)
The Flip MinoHD has pretty fantastic video quality, but the audio is pretty lousy unfortunately. You have to be fairly close to the camera for your voice to be picked up well.
I saw a guy walking around with one with a shotgun mic mounted on it, complete with fuzzy wind guard...
Flip has worked for me, and I use it to shoot stringer video for TV news. The mic pics up well within 5-10 feet of the audio source.
The Zi8 wins for me, at least according to the specs since it's not yet released to the public.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/04/kodak-zi8-impressions-surprising-functionality-but-its-still/
I have the Zi6, and find that it meets my needs.
Just get a D5000 its a great Cam for both still and motion pictures.
as in the Nikon D5000?????
did you ever read the headline??
i say Sony HDR-TG5
Canon FS20 or newer model. Wonderfully small form factor, great image quality, digital stereo sound, great built-in capacity, good battery life. As a pro still photographer, I recommend Canon for small point-and-shoots as well as "prosumer" digital video.
Sony Webbie HD. It is PAINFULLY OVERLOOKED.
It shoots 5mp stills, records in 1080p/720p/480p, functions as a webcam, has expandable memory, about 3 hours recording time, and the lens FLIPS AROUND so you can make blogs. In my opinion it beats all of the others in pretty much every category.
And it's only $169!!! Seriously, how can you guys continue to ignore it? I don't understand why nobody talks about it.
that does look very nice, thanks for the info.
I got one of those for my sister when they came out. She loves it.
Yeah that does sound cool, but the mono audio and Memory Stick Duo only storage is a bit of a turn off.
Its over looked by me b/c of sony and their delusion that people only use that lousy memory stick pro.
Two words: Memory. Stick.
The Sony Webbie cameras get pretty low reviews at their price point, especially because of lousy low light performance.
I get around the whole Memory Stick dilemna by using a MicroSDHC card and a MemoryStick Duo adaptor. Put the MicroSD in the adapter and problem solved.
I have one and it's pretty sweet!! I wish that had better image stabilization but for the price it's not bad!! i do hate to have to use the Sony memory stick. Oh well. I got it as a present so I guess I can't complain!
the Samsung looks very promising... but it doesn't come out until Sept.... o.O
friend of mine borrowed a flip mino recently and it worked great. super easy to use and such.
screen was a bit small though.
The Sanyo Xacti line is great, the pistol grip design format unparalleled. The HD2000 for example has good options including wide angle, telephoto and fish eye lenses and shoots 1080p at 60fps on down to super slow motion 600fps formats and hooks directly up to hard drives for easy archiving and the HD1010 nearly identical to that is just over $300.00
I like the Sanyo Xacti's. I've had 3 of their HD versions and am going to upgrade to the latest, soon. I chose them because of their features, size and still performance.
for sure, Sanyo Xacti waterproof version is the best.. late night drunk or on x, jump in the pool or ocean and you're covered with the Sanyo Xacti.. doesn't even have to be HD.. who cares as long as you got the video
I have owned the Sanyo Xacti CG10 for about a month now. It blows away the competition at the $200 price point. And gives much more expensive HD cameras a major run for the money. It records 720p, has tons of manual controls, a functional 10 megapixel still camera (with flash), fits in your pocket, and that $200 price made it irresistible.
If actually toting it around in a pants pocket is a priority disregard the post...but the samsung SC-HMX20c is pretty tiny and is a great camera for its price on ebay.
http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/06/17/samsung-sc-hmx20c-hd-camcorder-review/
SUCH a wonderful question Darren.
I MUST get a good answer. I MUST.
I own the Sanyo Xacti VPC HD-1000 and my experience with it is very good. Full HD footage is decent with good lighting, fast moving objects may suffer from pixellation due to using a slower SD-HC memory card. 720p@30fps footage is surprisingly very good and the Xacti models that shoot 720 are good in that aspect, I had shot footage that looked liked it was shot on film. The newer Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2000 boasts better low light handling capabilities and features 600fps slow motion footage. Battery life is excellent and Sanyo is well known for making reliable battery cells. The new Sanyo Xacti VPC-FH1 featuring conventional hand holding layout is also a very attractive option. My only gripe is that the camera body and buttons is made of cheap plastic. All Xacti cameras are assembled in Indonesia to reduce costs. Editing the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 footage is not easy for video novices. I have good experience converting the footage using the free Mp4Cam2AVI software to a more usable format.
I also recently bought the Casio Exilim FS-100 and it features 720 HD recording and up to 1000FPS slow motion recording capability, great for motion analysis and teaching animation to my students.
I own the Creative Vado Hd and it has very clear video easy to access and very easy to use, I am a filmmaker and am trying out these little mini handhelds for documentary style work. out of all of the competition it has the greatest video quality, it is not perfect, but nothing is for that price.
Considering the recent trend of cross-over features between digital still cameras and camcorders, you might want to look at some of the recent "point-and-shoot" pocket cameras offering HD 720p video. I just bought a Canon PowerShot SD 780IS and am very pleased with the video result. This camera is tiny, takes SD cards and is priced under $300.
Picked up a Creative Vado HD on amazon two days ago for $99 bucks! cant beat that!
link?
Sorry cliff, it was an amazon 'deal of the day'. I think it's $130 or so now.
Based solely off of specs and preview impressions, I'm going to be buying the Kodak Zi8. I'm a YouTuber, and I need something high quality to do in-car videos and other various situations.
I am planning on using the iPod Touch with video for that ;)
This will fit in your pocket http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665825056#features
And without the wad of bills you'll have to drop on it, there will be plenty of room.
How about the Canon PowerShot SD780 IS, it's a 12.1 MP Camera that shoots 720p video and is smaller than an iPod Classic. An 8 GB card will shoot 43 minutes of HD video. www.powershot.com Going price is $210 - $230
Here's some video I shot with it:
http://www.youtube.com/bibojim
Search "PowerShot SD780" on Youtube for samples from other people.
I have this same camera and I love it! I was looking at getting a Flip or similar, but found that simple point and shoot camera are now also including HD video modes. It takes great still pics as well.
i second that, shot an entire two hour concert on it, came out really nice and had battery and memory to spare
bleh, comment fail, i meant in response to the 3GS guy.
I've been thrilled with my Sanyo Xacti c-6. Been all over europe and america. The best camcorder is the one that's small enough to have with you. It's good enoug (6mp) for stills, and with a 4gb sd can store over 2 hours of vhs quality video.
If you have a Best Buy around, I'd check out the Insignia HD recorder (I forget the model number). I got it on sale for $99 bucks, and it's a remarkably good deal. It only has 64mb internal memory, but it will accept standard sd cards up to 16gb. On standard definition, that's about 18-20 hrs of recording space. Haven't used it enough to wear out the battery yet, so I don't know exactly how long that lasts.
I`ll toss in another vote for the Xacti series. I carry the HD700 around in my bag, but have played with quite a few others and plan to upgrade to the HD2000.
It`s a great little camcorder for it`s size, and takes pretty good photos to boot. I used to carry around a larger camcorder to events and a regular camera in my bag - but I always seemed to miss out on things I didn`t know about in advance. The camcorder was great, but got maybe 3 or 4 uses a year. A total waste.
Now I carry my Xacti in my bag and don`t have to worry about it. We took a spontaneous boat ride down a river for an hour the other day, and I set up my pocket tripod and got a wonderful recording of the trip that would never have happened otherwise.
I`m very happy with it. Maybe not the very best camera out there, but the best balance between quality, size, and cost that I have seen.
I have a Kodak Zx1- lots to like -720 HD 60fps, image quality, SD cards are cheap, so you can shoot as long as you like, takes AAs, so batteries aren't an issue. Takes decent VGA. Downside? Only digital zoom which doesn't zoom smoothly if you're zooming live, not very good for closeup work, no wide angle. Too easy to stick your finger right on the lens and get it greasy. But it's inexpensive and does what it says it will. Really compact.