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.
powershot tx1 - similar form factor to what is being discussed here. Video Format is MJPEG which is not as compressed as other formats. The new Sony HDR-TG5V is certainly a nice unit but the AVCHD file format is not so great for video editing. I purchased a Sony VPC-HD2000 and look forward to trying it out.
There isn't much difference between these cheap pocket HD cams. They all have cheap optics, and they all suck in low light, and there is no image stabilization so you gatta be smooth. One trick I use is to attach it to a good heavy tripod, and just move around with the tripod with it's legs folded.
I have a Kodak Zx1 and I like it for what it is. 720p 60 fps, and web friendly.
With good light the picture is good:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6NQ-HuBSw8&fmt=22
But even on a rainy day, less light causes the actual frame rate to drop:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNK-M2xQ3N0&fmt=22
Both those videos looked really good (shaky cam ignored). That rollercoaster scared the crap out of me.
Panasonic DMC-TS! Lumix
Shoots 720p video. 12 megapixels. you can put it 9 feet under water. is sand and dust proof. Has a very good intelligent auto mode.
I had many canon cameras and my friends have sony and canon and samsung. They are all junk compared to this panasonic camera.
You use it so much because its waterproof and you dont care if its raining. you can go to the beach the pool and actually use the video function you bought. i use a orange olympus strap that is great. it floats with the camera in the pool while you swim.
its perfect outside of water too. focus very fast. zoom is very quiet during video.
you will not regret it
I second the Panasonic, I have one also and have tried a few of the cheap pocket camcorders and can say the Panasonic is a much better value! Its a solid camera with 12MP and the 720p HD video is great also, it does have image stabilization too. I've shot lots and it looks pretty amazing for being so small of a camera. Plus as mentioned its DUST WATER AND SHOCK PROOF! I've tossed it in the pool several times and the video is awesome, other camcorders etc you have to go put on the waterproof case etc and noone uses them. This one I bring everywhere, beach, pool, snow, nothing stops it! Video is great quality!
There are so many choices today! I started using my "point and shoot" in video mode when my "tape" camcorder died several years ago. I purchased a flip just over a year ago--LOVE IT...one of my favorite all time memories was caught with a Flip. I happened to have it in my pocket when I returned home from a trip--if I was still using a "tape" camcorder I would have missed this memory:
http://www.holdmymemories.com/my_familywebsite/moment_page/17418?familyname=eveleth&page=2
I now use the iPhone for video--conveniant because I always have it with me. I write about this topic in my latest blog entry. Check out "Catch Some Video" in my blog. Just as important as what you use to catch your video is what you do with that video after you capture it!
http://blog.holdmymemories.com/
I own the Creative Vado HD, it was a very good camcorder, did 19 episodes of a youtube show with it
Got a Vado HD and am happy with it, but I'm looking forward to getting a Kodak Zi8 because of its external mic input, something that's sorely lacking in many low-priced camcorders (pocket-sized and otherwise).
I've been using an Aiptek Action High Def Digital Camcorder for around a year now. It's small enough that I would consider it to be pocketable. Time is limited only by the size of the HD card you put in it. I think I get around 6 hours with a 16gb SD card at 720P. Dimensions are about 11.5 x 7 x 3 cm.
1080P HD at 30fps
720P HD at 60fps
3x optical zoom and auto focus
Night Shot & LED light
2" macro zoom lens
8 MP stills
Downsides are no image stabilization in this model, low light capability is no the best and zoom is a bit short.
I actually just finished shopping with the same desires and I ended up getting a Sony P&S (DSC-W290)
I paid $220 from B&H but it can be found for less.
I bought it over the Canon SD780 IS because after watching test vids I thought the Sony had better sound.
My previous P&S was a Canon A640 and it had a terrible high pitched sound in the audio.
You may also want to consider the Sony H20 or T700. or ANY of the Sanyo Xacti line.
The video camera that I used before I purchased the Sony was a Sanyo VPC-CG6.
If you are looking for sample videos of these devices check Vimeo.com instead of YouTube.
The Creative Vado HD offers the advantage of a wideangle lens, which I really like, and very decent 720p recording quality. It's easily pocketable and available now.
From what I've read, the Flip Ultra HD does a great job and is fully competitive. But it does rely on internal memory.
I'm very interested in the Kodak Zi8, more for its image stabilization capability than its higher resolution. It's due out in September.
An iPod, a Phone, an Internet Communication Device
An iPod, a Phone, an Internet Communication Device
An iPod, a Phone, an Internet Communication Device
An iPod, a Phone, an Internet Communication Device... a Camcorder! ....
Are you getting it?
Ops that should be a reply to The "i"
http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/13/ask-engadget-best-pocket-sized-camcorder-out-there/comments/20876817/
Sony CX-100, great tiny HD camcorder, very low price
seriously, im waiting to buy a decent camcorder for a year, but im waiting for the new releases this year, i like this year's Sanyo FH1, but im waiting for the new version...
waiting for these new features:
1080p recording
12+ zoom
Optical image stabilization
simultaneous image capture
LED light and Flash
great low,light capabilities...
wish me good luck in this year's releases...
The Canon Vixia HF-10 has that already
Nope, not true Progressive scanning...
i wish it was true...
An older unit that is hard to find on ebay now is the Canon Elura 20. It's pretty thick but still fits in your pocket, especially the jacket pocket. They are hard to find on ebay now.
I'll have to throw my vote for the Xacti line. I've owned a Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 since it came out in May, and has been a great family camcorder/camera. It was only $250 shipped with an extra battery and 16gb sdhc, can run and record over 3 hours without swapping battery or memory, and doubles as a fairly decent 10mp camera. Its 720p videos look great, and better yet its videos can be uploaded to flickr without editing (if they're short enough) and can be played back on the PS3, Xbox 360 or any media center pc without transcoding.
I have a Kodak Zx1. It is pretty awesome. I like the fact that is feels solid, I don'have to worry about water, dust, etc. I take it fishing with me and have used it for stills and for actual video. it is pretty nice camera. The HD quality is really nice, but can be "choppy" at times. It is very compact and comes with a a case, 2 Recharable AA batteries and the charger, a case, an alternate cover, all the cords for it. I use a 16GD class 6 SDHC card in it now so i do not believe I will be having any issues with memory for a while. I have read that it chews batteris - i have not experienced this, but they are AA so you can either buy new or bring some extras with you on the cheap. The videos easily play in quicktime and compatible with youtube, facebook and other popular video sites. I really enjoy it. I think the new Zi8 looks like a pretty sweet device, but looks bigger than the Zx1. Either way both will work with the kodak remote to remotely record and to play video from afar. Zx1 works for me - it is relatively cheap - it is small (much smaller and thinner than the Flips I have seen) and works really well. like i said i use mine while camping, fishing and being in the outdoors and don't have to really worry about it getting messed up too bad. I use a Joby tripod as well so you can get the camera in more unsuspecting situations. So it depends on what you want, but I am happy with it and wouldn't think of going to a Flip or Creative as they just don't have all of the options and accessories that Kodak does. (the remote is really handy) Get the Zx1 or hold out for Zi8.
Sanyo Xactis. They do up to 1080p now, (all other models are 720p standard too I believe). Saves to SD or SDHC (up to 16GB). They have a whole new line which is awesome. I just purchased one of the waterproof models for adventuring, hikes, canoeing and white-water rafting. The model I got was a little bigger than pocket size but look at the VPC-CA9 waterproof models. They're very slim.
www.sanyo.com
I have two 720p capable cameras: I recently received the best buy insignia that was mentioned already in this thread, it's perfectly adequate for the price and definitely pocketable. My main camera is my "point-and-shoot" Casio Exilim FC100. It's expensive at $400 and only 9.1mp, but it shoots nice pictures, HD video, and has one feature that you won't find on many other camera of it's size: high-speed, slow motion video, anywhere between 210-1000fps. The quality isn't great except and is only decent in very good lighting, but the end result promises a lot of entertainment.
test
focus this issue!
the kodak zi8 seems to be a winner.
The price tag is still a little high at $180 but image stabilization and 1080p you can't beat that.
John Gruber linked to Cabel's blog few months ago (http://www.cabel.name/2009/05/canon-sd960-great-pictures-great-video.html), citing iPhone 3GS and high-end point & shoot ultracompacts posing serious threats to pocket-sized camcorders. Canon's SD960IS in particular, can take video as good as any of these, while being smaller, equipped with a zoom lens, and taking far better photos.
So there's a consensus that there's no consensus, better luck next time.
I got a Kodak Zi6 for $99. It's not bad.
Pros: AA cells means I don't have to worry about running out of battery power, as I can buy more anywhere I'm likely to travel. SD card allows for lots of recording capacity. Video quality is pretty good, sometimes motion looks a little odd when you pan the camera but I think that might be to do with h.264. Sound is pretty good. Movies import straight into iMovie with no transcoding or other processing. Low light performance is better than my previous Sanyo HD camcorder. It's cheap, and fits in a pocket. You don't need to carry a USB cable around with it.
Cons: No zoom. (Digital zoom doesn't count.) No mic jack. Still photos look crap compared to a camera designed for stills. White balance is sometimes iffy because it seems to try not to change parameters too quickly, so you end up waiting for it to decide that yes, you really did walk outdoors. Shooting yourself is hard. Display is very hard to see in bright sunlight.
I got the Pentax Optio W60 because it was fairly small and it was waterproof (up to 15 feet). It's a great outdoor camera and, sure, fun to take into the water and even take underwater video. However, I was disappointed by the indoor photos. Also, I now realize that we cannot really judge a camera by the number of its megapixels. I'm now looking for a slightly bigger camera for more formal indoor events. I'm looking at the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. It has 12X optical zoom and seems to take decent photos (plus 720p video).
are aiptek products that bad? i never see them in these challenges.