There are plenty of things that I liked about the Canon Vixia HF R11, an entry level camcorder which can record high definition video. One of the features that I liked was the user interface; it is better than most of the step up camcorders I have previously seen. You also get microphone and headphones jacks which are rarely seen in this class of camcorders. Such devices remind of me the early HD days when everyone was converting the old and low resolution sensors to 1,440x1080 pixel resolution to full HD resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels. I won’t say that the Canon Vixia HF R11 is dirt cheap but it is certainly cheaper than other camcorders in this class. This device records video at resolution of 1,664x936 pixels and hen up converts it to video of 1,920x1,080 pixels resolution before it saves through AVCHD codec. The video quality is better than what I expected in the first place but  [...]

When ever I hear about a waterproof gadget, I automatically assume that it is going to be either ugly or thick. I don’t blame the makers of camcorders for this since there has to be a lot of covering around on the ports to prevent the water from going on. People who are value looks more will certainly be turned off but then you cannot have best of both worlds. I am yet to see a good waterproof or shockproof camera having good looks but it seems that will be a long wait. I am not here to review about this product; I haven’t even got it in my labs yet. This is just a news piece that I got from my sources so I am blogging about it. The Exemode DV5000UW is the latest device to break in to the camcorder world. This device has 12 megapixel sensor that will surely take good quality photos. I have seen lots of camcorders before this having a 12 MP sensor and the quality is really good. You  [...]

Canon Vixia HF S200 has a big LCD and the virtual buttons too are relatively bigger. The interface is quite user friendly and we think this is the best one we have ever come across in a camcorder. The screen can be easily viewed even in direct sunlight but you will have to fiddle with the angle for a bit to find the sweet spot. The interface falls short only in the menu system because it is quite frustrating to use. The scroll area is located on the inside edge and hence your hand will block the screen when you scroll. We also had a few complaints about the multi touch scroll operations which make it quite hard to move through a single entry at a time accurately. In our tests, we often scrolled past the one we wanted and finally ended up selecting the wrong entry. You will certainly need some time to get used to it but it might drive you crazy too. We recommend you to test  [...]

Kodak Playsport is also known as Zx3 and it is Zx1’s evolution. That model has a weatherproof body where as Playsport can stand water and record up to 9.8 feet under the water. There are some improvements made on the feature side too and this makes the minicamcorder a great option for shooting inside or outside water. We didn’t have much to complain about in terms of the price but keep reading if you particular about the shooting features or abilities. We will highly recommend you this device if you want a long battery life to shoot inside the water or while hiking in the woods. Kodak Playsport’s lens on the front is not protected but this is not unexpected from a minicamcorder. Just remember to take good care of it while traveling. There is no macro option to focus on subjects that are really close. The normal focu range will start at 3.3 feet and underwater, it is 4.4 feet.  [...]

Samsung doesn’t have a good hold in the camcorder market like JVC, Panasonic, Sony or Canon but they are trying hard with different varieties of models. Samsung HMX-R10 HD is a compact camcorder and is priced reasonably. It comes with plenty of shooting features for making it comfortable, the manufacturer has angled the lens at 25 degrees in order to reduce the strain that your wrist might have to bear. If you are fine with this, the camcorder will work well for you. This camcorder is not as good as prosumer models in terms of quality but it is still better than the pocket minicamcorders. Video quality of the Samsung HMX-R10 HD is quite good. Quality is the best when you are in 1080/60i model and also the 720/60p resolutions. The latter is more consistent. If you shoot in 1080/30p resolution, the videos will be choppy/jittery and unwatchable. As expected, clips in 1080/60i were smoother  [...]

Flip SlideHD costs $279.99 and it is quite expensive as compared to the competition. The high price can be attributed to the big three inch touch screen LCD and big 16 GB of internal storage space. Apart from the touch screen, the screen of the camcorder slides up at an angle so you can keep the device on your desk and watch movies just like some high end smartphones. Shooting and sharing of videos is still easy thanks to the user friendly interface but apart from that, there features are not enough to command the high price tag. It seems like the manufacturer is trying to brag about the big screen. You use the touch screen for most of the controls but there are a few physical buttons. On the Flip SlideHD’s right, there is the tiny power button and on the left you get the switch which pops the USB connector out. On the bottom, there is a headphone jack, tripod threaded mount and mini-HDMI  [...]

The Pure Digital has launched two mini-camcorders – (1) Flip Video UltraHD that shoots 1280×720 (720p) high-definition video, and (2) the Ultra that records VGA (640×480) video. $174 priced the UltraHD has HDMI port and 2 inches anti-glare (transflective) display. It runs on two NiMH rechargeable batteries and can also be charged automatically on connecting at the USB port of the computer. However, the company does not provide any HDMI cable, while the Kodak Zx1 comes with HDMI cable and costs $50 less. The Flip Video UltraHD can record 720p high-def video at 30fps (H.264 compressed). We are disappointed that the UltraHD does not have any memory card slot for external storage. The internal memory allows recording only 2 hours video. Therefore, it is better to keep a laptop with you when you are traveling and need more storage. The included software provides an impressive way  [...]

In an Apple nod, the Flip Video has dubbed the MinoHD Second Generation model. It is made up of metallic body rather than plastic. It offers double the amount of memory and large antiglare LCD display as compared to original MinoHD. The MinoHD Second Generation costs $229 and has inbuilt mini-HDMI connector to view the recorded clips on HDTV. However, you have to purchase an additional HDMI cable for the same. On the contrary, the Kodak Zi8 comes with a HDMI cable. Noteworthy that FlipShare software supplied with the camcorder is compatible with Windows and Mac computers. 2 inches antiglare LCD display of Flip Video MinoHD Second Generation has 960×240 pixels resolution. The display is visible clearly even in direct sunlight. Live original MinoHD, the touch-sensitive navigation controls on the back and flush inside the surface. The back surface works as fingerprint magnet to capture smudges  [...]

Sony HDR-CX500V and CX520V have better features than their siblings HDR-XR500V and XR520V. Both of them have different control panel layout and user interface as compared to its predecessors. Sony HDR-CX500V and HDR-CX520V has same features and design, but only differs by inbuilt hard-drive and their price tag. The CX500V includes 32GB hard-drive that costs $999.99, whereas the CX520V has 64GB that costs $1299.99. Sony’s another model HDR-CX550V has different lens, audio slots and electronic viewfinder as compared to CX500V and CX520V. The HDR-CX550V will give tough competition to Panasonic HDC-TM700 as both have EVF in $1000 price-range. Sony HDR-CX500V has 3 inches touch-screen LCD display. You can use the finger tap for record and zoom options. GPS switch, disc burn, Night Shot, playback and power buttons are located on the corners of LCD display. You will find USB connector,  [...]

Sony has not performed well in growing low budget pocket camcorder until now. Flip Video has a good hold in market with its candy bar design vertical camcorders and its price ranges from $150 to $250. Sony’s NSC-GC1 Net-sharing Webbie camcorder was a big flop. Now, Sony is back with new pocket camcorder Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5, which has pistol-grip design like cameras from Aiptek and Sanyo. The Bloggie has same features like its predecessor Webbie, which include lithium ion battery, 2.5-inch flip LCD, 5x optical zoom and 1080p video capture. The advantages of this Bloggie are mini-HDMI connector for HD video output and onboard USB connector. You can simply plug this USB connector in computer’s USB port without a cable. The Bloggie can be charged through USB connection to computer. Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 can record real HD videos with 1920×1080 pixel resolution in H.264-compressed  [...]