Rating

I have to say, I’m incredibly stunned at the performance of this small camera. I film and edit for a leisure activity and was looking for a real deal camera to step up my game, but my budget was small. I had it in my head that I wanted a Canon GL2 MiniDv, until I did some research and found out that first off, minidv tapes are slowly on the out (replaced by Flash Memory), and that its picture quality was not as high as some of the newer cameras which shoot in full HD 1080i (don’t get me incorrect, I would be grateful to have a GL2, it’s just too expensive) I started to search for comparable cameras only to find out I would have to drop $3000-$4000.. Which some day in the future I may, but for now, I was looking for cheap & effective solution. I researched about 20 different affordable HD cameras only to find that each one would have a key element missing that I would need, That being expandable memory or tape (Flip MinoHD), external mic line input (nearly all), full 1080i hd (Kodak g7), and something very vital for MY needs…simple to travel with!

I travel all over the world and like to film and edit my adventures. I wasn’t thinking about the fact that if I bought a GL2 I would be carrying a 1′ x 8″ camera all over the place and would have to carry additional tapes as well.

After weeks of research I found this small guy and I don’t regret a thing! It uses flash memory, it has an 1/8″ external mic input, a large flip show, and best of all, it fit right in my pocket while I trek’d all over Asia! Upon my return I dumped all the footage down to Final Cut to find that the footage looked stunning!

Now, It isn’t a miracle camera for $200, it has flaws, but for $200? come on!

Here are the flaws:

-it tries to focus alot, causing some blurry moments

-shooting with “night shot” produces a very pixelated image

-the battery is not the greatest

Here’s how I fixed that:

-I bought a small SIMA LED light (worked fantastic)

-after a few days I learned how to counter the focus issues

-i bought a back-up battery and loved life!

Even if you are experienced with film making, and have really nice cameras, this small guy will be your best buddy for on the go and travel shooting. And with the “open source” timeline in FCP 6…the sky’s your limit with mix and match video types.

I hope this helps anyone who is having distress like I did.

Rating

Tested three low cost HD camcorders:

1st: Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD100

2nd: DXG 569V Silver Ultra-Slim HD

3rd: Aiptek Action HD GVS 1080P

To give you some background for reference. My primary objects for video are family and pets. I use iMovie and Studio8 for video editing. I have experience with other consumer HD cams such as the Canon HF100 and Panasonic SD100 both in a higher price class. For Photos I use a Canon G9 and have therefore not evaluated photo ability of those tested. My main reasons for considering the three cams are price, convenience, and most vital the ease of the file-format. As for now I say no thanks to the AVCHD video format.

For my review I used the following criteria:

Video clip format

Quality of the videos

Quality of sound

Field of view

Focus speed

Feel and quality of the product

Ease of use

Battery life

First up was the…

Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD100:

Video clip format: – MP4- very convenient- played straight away on Mac & PC provided you have QT and a strong graphics card. Also played straight away on PS3

Quality of the videos: – excellent picture clarity but light/dark transitions produced too high contrasts & whites were overblown. Unfortunately the auto-focus was a disaster loosing focus for no apparent reason and without change in the scene. Oftentimes it took several camera swings and zooms to re-gain focus.

Quality of sound: – acceptable with the standard low background hissing.

Field of view: – very narrow (very zoomed in like 40-45mm in the 35mm equiv.)

Focus speed: – a disaster, could not stay focused even when on tripod facing a still scene

Feel and quality of the product: – okay feel, somewhat flimsy as evidenced by the port cover overall the camera is not a stellar design.

Ease of use: – buttons in a very inconvenient layout (without being picky here) I oftentimes found myself in the menu trying to start recording with small hands.

Battery life: – too small time with camera to truly evaluate.

Verdict: camera went back mainly due to focus issue and field of view.

Next in line…

DXG 569V Silver Ultra-Slim HD

Video clip format: – .MOV – played straight away on Mac & PC provided you have QT and a strong graphics card. Unfortunately required conversion for PS3 use.

Quality of the videos: – honestly acceptable for this price class, not as crisp as the above Sanyo but better low light characteristics and better transitions between lights and darks over the Sanyo. Overall slightly lower quality then Sanyo.

Quality of sound: – no hissing but to faint and distant. In small, barely acceptable

Field of view: – acceptable estim. Around 35-38mm (35mm equiv.& about even with many digital picture cameras)

Focus speed: – this camera did not have autofocus but the fixed focus was very acceptable as long as objects were at least 3′ away. The macro mode worked fantastic and the switch was conveniently placed for a quick switch while panning around a room to go in for a close analysis of an object.

Feel and quality of the product: – I was very drawn to this camera for its form-factor, and overall feel. Ergonomically it felt best of the three cameras, it had a quality feel and end for its price class and a very nice 3″ show that was viewable from most angles. Buttons were very conveniently placed alleviating mishaps. The LED light in the front was amazingly bright; it would have been a fantastic small interviewing camera for dim lighting situations if it were not for the poor sound.

Ease of use: – very simple to use, excellent menu layout but at times the menu items required a second push to accept a setting.

Battery life: – too small time with camera to truly evaluate but it appeared too small.

Verdict: I would have likely kept this model, but after three days of use the SD card spring mechanism failed rendering the camera useless.

I contemplated to re-order the same model but eventually let it go due to poor sound and weak battery live.

And last…

Aiptek Action HD GVS 1080P:

Video clip format: – .MOV- very convenient- played straight away on Mac & PC provided you have QT and a strong graphics card., unfortunately required conversion for PS3 use

Quality of the videos: – best of the three models tested, clear, excellent contrast, truest colors of the three models, excellent transitions form light to dark areas when compared to the others.

Quality of sound: excellent, slightly over-modulated but acceptable.

Field of view: – best of the three, guessing 32mm-35mm (35mm equiv. make sure you are using the 720P mode for widest angle)

Focus speed: – no complaints here, quick and precise for this price class

Feel and quality of the product: – somewhat flimsy feel and end, the 3″ show does not have as nice viewing angle as the DXG camera. Aiptek could also have chosen a nicer plastic for the case giving it a modern feel.

Ease of use: – the menu layout is could use a workover but workable.

Battery life: – too small time with camera to truly evaluate but it appears Okay.

Verdict: – So far so excellent. Should this one not work out for a valid reason then I will consider stepping up to the Sanyo Xacti HD1010.

It’s the end of April 2009 now and I like this small camcorder. The results are fantastic; this has been a fantastic companion for me throughout my daughter’s first year. Battery life is fantastic. I charge here and there via USB cable after transferring clips to my Mac. You get a excellent 1.5hr or longer with a continuous clip. I can manage to charge only once per week while shooting multiple 1-4 min clips and occasional pictures every day. Since my original write-up I have managed to shoot hundreds of still images and am impressed with the quality (make sure the lighting is plentiful and keep a steady hand in dimmer situations). Beware this is not a Canon still camera and is not intended to take its spot but I managed to get excellent results on a continuous basis.[...]

you might have to copy and paste the links into your browser, I am not sure what youtube does after video is uploaded. Oh, don’t forget to click on the HD button when viewing the clips. The videos generally play smooth so if there are hang-ups of jagged lines while panning then it is likely your computer. The clips run smooth on my home Mac but get a small jerky on my work PC which does not have a dedicated video card.

July17th update:

Still like the camera and carry it by my side on daily excursions with my daughter. I want to request the following from you Aiptek engineers: Please consider a different solution for lens protection then the 1980′s lens cover, and please work in variable zoom speed rather then the single speed.

Rating

I had been thinking about buying an HD camcorder for a few weeks, in anticipation of my daughter’s 1st dance recital. As the event loomed closer, and closer, I determined that buying something online wasn’t going to be feasiable insomuch of delivery time, so sent an email to my brother in-law, who works at a camera store. I questioned him about HD camcorders and whether they sold them, and whether there was anything worth while to buy under $200. His answer was “HA..nope!” He then clarified that there wasn’t anything worth while to buy under $600.

After reading that, I went on the web, and found this product. Not only did it have the technical specifications I was looking for 1080p@30fps and 720p@60fps, but it was also under $200. Even better, overnight shipping was only $20!! The reviews had me, the price was right, and it would be delivered ontime.

The product, simply works awesome. I couldn’t be more pleased. Although I am sure there are better products out there, I simply do not need anything more. It records in HD, it is simple to use, it charges quickly, hooks up to my TV with no distress, and uploads onto YouTube with ease. As a father looking to capture the events in his family’s life, this is the best bang-for-buck around.

Anyone intrested in watching the videos I recorded, go to YouTube and search “2009 YMCA Dance Recital” you should get a least 5 videos by NFJ1978; those are the ones I recorded with this camera. Just remember to click on the “HD” button below the viewing screen when you get to YouTube, as they default you to a non-HD version….

Rating

It takes incredible footage in excellent light, and is OK in low light.

See also http://www.vimeo.com/2807027 Please see plenty of test footage and video reviews of this camcorder on vimeo.com

I also own the GVS’ predecessor, the Aiptek Action HD, and the GVS is a reasonable upgrade. Both are fantastic, but the image stabilization, much better LCD screen, and modest optical zoom enhancement are worth the extra $$$. On the other hand the GVS does NOT have an LED video light, which was helpful, though weak. (thank God Amazon has a excellent deal on Sima SL-20LX)