Category — Camcorder Reviews

Since B&H gives the new Canon XH-A1 an extremely positive in this month’s newsletter, I decided to take a closer look at this new HDV camcorder.

“Along with basic image quality, the most important aspect shooters look for in a professional camera is the customizable options available to them. Canon has long been known for providing as much manual control as possible, whether on its basic point-and-shoot digital still cameras or its top-of-the-line video camcorders. The XH A1 is no exception, going far beyond most cameras in its price range.”

The XH A1 can shoot in HDV or DV, NTSC or PAL, and has a 20x zoom! And it also seems to hold up in low-light situations without having to raise the gain to an outrageously high level. The manual settings are easy to understand while the auto-settings don’t box you into fixed situations that you can’t adjust either. You can change color saturation and gamma settings with ease and hook up an SD card to take still pictures or save camera profiles.

You can also add an iris ring to the lens barrel, use the servo zoom and Instant Autofocus to ensure sure and steady video captures despite your camcorder expertise level. All of these features backed by the power of high-resolution digital video. And with the Canon signature of quality, the buyer can feel secure in spending $3200 on a professional yet affordable HD camcorder.

Source: Hands-On with the Canon XH A1

Canon has expanded it’s Vixia camcorder line with the release of three new camcorders, including the Vixia HF11.  Perhaps the biggest buzz about the HF11 is it’s dual flash memory capabilities.  Simply put, the Vixia HF11 allows you to record to an internal flash drive and an SD card simultaneously.  That means more flexibility, and a faster transfer of video files than with digital camcorders that don’t have dual flash capabilities.

Other improved features with the Canon Vixia HF11 include 24 MB per second recording for greater detail, and smoother transitionining in capturing movement.  With a 32GB flash drive, the Vixia HF11 stores 12 hours and 15 minutes of high definition video, sports 12X optical zoom, and features a 2.7 inch multi-angle adjustable LCD screen.   Read more about Canon’s expanded line of  Vixia camcorders.

Kodak is jumping into the pocket video camera game with the Kodak Zi6 camcorder.

Kodak Zi6 Camcorder

For under $200 bucks, I think this Kodak camcorder has strong potential to do well. It’s modeled after those Flip camcorders that can instantly upload to Youtube via USB. You really can’t go wrong with a simple, inexpensive, and sleek camcorder. The Kodak model is also instantly equipped to connect your HDTV and display up to 32 GB of video footage. And as an added bonus, this pocket camcorder records in 720p resolution!

I’ve always been suspicious of the ultimate longevity of those other pocket video cameras, but Kodak is a brand most people trust and I suspect these camcorders will hold up. Find out more about the Zi6 here.

Source: Camcorder Info

I’ve heard of these simple, no-frills camcorders made by Aiptek, Flip, and Creative Labs. I guess that forced RCA to step up its digital camcorder game. They’ve created the RCA Small Wonder EZDVD2BD that comes with it’s own dvd burning station!

Am I the only one going, wha? Burning a dvd from your camcorder really isn’t that difficult, all you need is iDVD or Roxio and a firewire cable. But if you can snap a Kodak Easyshare digital camera into a dock and print pictures, then why not be able to burn camcorder footage through a dock. And if this RCA camcorder costs less than $200 bucks, that is an enticing deal for busy families who just want to record a special event and save it on DVD.

At the Black Ghosts concert last night, I saw a hipster with one of those neat-o vertical camcorders.

I think it was a Sanyo Xacti HD1000. It was so sleek and compact, it mesmerized me in all of its simplicity. It put my walkman cell phone camcorder to so much shame that I lost all desire to use it.

Most of the vertical camcorders I’d seen were those cheap Flip Photo or Aiptek ones you can buy at Walgreens. But the Sanyo models seem okay, almost cool even! They film in HD and use decently large flash memory cards. Now, if I could just find $600-$700 dollars lying around, I too could post youtube concert videos like this one.