Posted 04/28/09 at 12:55:05 PM by Gordon Mah Ung

We’re big fans of Flip Video’s incredibly easy-to-use pocket-size video cameras, but it’s been difficult to wholeheartedly recommend them given the superior video capabilities of today’s point-and-shoot digicams.

Flip’s new MinoHD changes that. This svelte camera is the same size as the standard-def Mino (4”x2”x.06”) but can record an hour of H.264-encoded 1280x720 720p video. The quality of the video ranges from fair to good, with noticeable video compression occurring on occasion. The MinoHD puts digicams and other SD-resolution microcams to shame; however, it’s not the right choice for enthusiasts who put a premium on image quality. Footage shot with an HDV 1080i or even 720p cam will easily outclass the MinoHD.

Read on for the rest of the review! 

Read More

Posted 12/18/07 at 10:59:24 PM by Charlie White

If you don’t mind dealing with miniDV tape, the Canon HV20 is a fine choice. However, we prefer having nonlinear random access to shots, rather than rolling through an anachronistic tape to find a shot. We also don’t care for the cheap, plastic feel of this unit or its “advanced accessory shoe” cover that pops off with little provocation. But the HV20’s HDV format is a lot easier to edit, with that same familiar, comfortable workflow you get with DV tape: Capture clips on the PC via a FireWire port and then you’re off and editing without a lot of annoying steps in between.

Click Read More for more. 

Read More

Posted 12/18/07 at 10:59:24 PM by Charlie White

With its stylish square lens hood and beautiful design, the HD7 just begs you to pick it up and start shooting. We especially like its focus ring (it’s just like what’s on pro lenses), which you can use to manually focus the lens. However, we don’t much care for the lens cover that makes you shift a lever to move it out of the way. Nor were we impressed with its optical image stabilization, which didn’t seem to do much of anything. We also didn’t care for the break in the audio between each shot when we played back output via HDMI on our HDTV.

Click Read More for more. 

Read More

Posted 12/18/07 at 10:59:24 PM by Charlie White

Here’s the most versatile camcorder of the bunch, letting you record 28 minutes of its best-quality video per 3-inch DVD. If you don’t feel like dealing with discs, you can cram 80 minutes of HD footage on an 8GB SDHC flash memory card instead. If you do record to a DVD, you can pop that disc into a compatible Blu-ray player (our Sony BDP S-300 played the disc perfectly) or play the disc back directly from the camera. But the DVD format has its drawbacks—it’s slow to read when you turn on the camera, taking seven seconds from a cold start. And once you’re done shooting, unless you’re using DVD-RAM, you’ll need to finalize the disk before you can read any of the files on the computer or play them back, which takes about five minutes for each minute of footage shot.

Click Read More for more. 

Read More

Posted 12/18/07 at 10:59:24 PM by Charlie White

This Handycam felt rock solid and provided the best optical image stabilization. Its stop/start button is in the perfect place, but the zoom control is positioned right where your middle finger rests—bad idea. We like the “easy” mode, which, with the push of a button, takes care of exposure and focus for most situations.

Click Read More for more. 

Read More

Posted 12/01/07 at 10:59:59 PM by Charlie White

The HDC-SD1 was the smallest and lightest camcorder we tested, and the easiest one to use. It offers few buttons to confuse you and no viewfinder, but wait a minute—that’s a frickin’ 3-inch viewscreen, which seems huge compared to the others’ 2.7-inchers. And it’s bright enough to show you its crispy video even on the sunniest of days. The zoom lever gives you just the right amount of speed right when you need it, and the navigational joystick is right there under your thumb. Its optical image stabilization holds those shots rock-solid unless you zoom all the way to 12x.

Click Read More for more. 

Read More

Posted 09/12/07 at 07:32:36 PM by Gordon Mah Ung

It seems that most people would want to use a high-def video recorder to document their growing families or Star Wars action-figure collections, but can a case be made for purchasing a low-res camera? At 640x480, the Flip Video’s resolution isn’t VideoCD low, but you won’t stun your family when you proudly display your movies on a 60-inch, 1080p set.

Click Read More for more. 

Read More

Posted 03/15/07 at 07:38:52 PM by Gordon Mah Ung

Remember the first time you used high-speed broadband? Or the first time you fired up a 3D-accelerated game? You’ll experience that same excitement the first time you plug Canon’s miniature HV10 HDV camcorder in to your 60-inch HDTV. Instead of the fuzzy YouTube-esque video you get with your current DV cam, you’ll get video that jumps to life. It’s like, well, it’s like going from standard-definition TV to high-definition TV.

Click Read More for more. 

Read More