Tag: camcorder
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From miniDV to dSLR – Contemplating the New Era of Digital Video
When I saw the first miniDV digital camcorders in the late 1990s I was blown away by the edit-ready broadcast-quality picture they captured on tapes half the size of an 8mm videocassette and on cameras smaller than ever seen before. Yet, I couldn’t predict that only about a decade later we’d see the ability to…
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Making the HD Camcorder Leap with Sanyo’s Xacti VPC-CG10
Over the last three years I have not been shy about airing criticism of the newest wave of low-cost flash memory camcorders shooting alleged high-definition video. My critique has largely rested upon video quality being lower than established tape-based HDV camcorders and the difficulty of editing footage shot in the highly compressed AVCHD format. The…
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Flip weighs in with pocket-size HD
The folks who brought you the original pocket-size, one-button Flip camcorder have now released their high-definition version. For the last couple of years I’ve expressed skepticism at both tape-less video recording and the true viability of HD in inexpensive cameras. But recently I’m coming around to the idea, primarily because the cost (under $250) is…
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HD Video for under $200?
Last month Kodak announced its entry into the hot mini-camcorder market, obscurely named the Zi6. Kodak’s big splash with the Zi6 is that it offers HD video for just a little bit more than the standard-def Flip camcorders. Now, Sanyo has had an “HD” flash memory camcorder on the market for a while, though reviews…
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Wired Gadget Lab on Flip Mimo: Good, maybe not work extra bucks
Those of you following these little flash-memory pocket-cams like I am might be interested in Wired’s Gadget Lab review of the new Flip Mimo, which is a smaller, slightly more feature-rich version of their signature $150 Flip camcorder. Though slimmer and prettier the Gadget Lab concludes: It’s a solid little cam that’s easier to transport,…
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Reconsidering Solid State Video
The face of digital photo and video is changing as we speak. Well, not really the face, so much as the skin and innards. Until very recently video = tape and photo = memory card. Now, tape is on its way out, and digital still cameras are getting much better at doing video, too. One…