Recommendation for SDHC camcorder

[jerry2308]

Hi guys,

Am considering getting a SDHC camcorders.Have shortlisted a few but not sure which is better.

Have considered sony sx40,panasonic SDR-S26GC9 and canon fs100.

Can anyone give me some comments on which is better?One of the SE at HN told me that only sony has got night shot,is it true?

Also have seen many talked about sanyo xacti,heard its affordable and good.whats the price range like if i were to get it locally.think i saw some at simlim square but did not ask about the price.

My budget is not more than $700 for the camcorder by the way.

[jerry2308]

Looking at the Xacti HD1010 too.Read alot of good and bad comments from users.according to warehouse123.com,its only USD442 now which is pretty cheap for a HD camcorder.

Anyone can give any advice here?

[meremortal]

I just received my Canon HF100 from Amazon.com for a total price (including shipping) of about SGD$900.

It is retailing here for SGD$1899.

I just rechecked the prices on Amazon and it looks like the prices have moved up...I got mine for USD$542. There is a new model out, HF200, you might consider getting that one.

[peekarwe]

I am also on the lookout for such a camera now and I have shortlisted 2:

1. Xacti HD700 (1 yr old model, pistol grip, 7mp photos, 5x optical zoom F3.5 max)

2. Xacti TH1 (new model, camcorder grip, 1.1mp photos, 30x optical zoom F1.8 max)

and just recently, a whole slew of cameras from canon in compact form with HD (720p) recording as well skewed the equation, adding one more choice:

3. Canon 100is (12 mp camera, 720p video, no 60fps at VGA video)

I am now tending towards TH1 cos of F1.8 glass for better indoor performance and I probably can get a bit more bokeh out of that lens. But the downside of that is that the picture quality is gonna suck at 1.1mp. But the HD700 is very limited at F3.5 and indoor performance will have to be compensated with High ISO settings.

Does anyone have any video comparisons for these two cameras? I found one for the Canon, which is http://www.vimeo.com/3520298 and I think it's slightly jerky and not so smooth leh.

[Netasia]

Xacti TH1 has a sensor size of 1/6", HD1010 is 1/2.5".

[jaegersing]

Sensor size is one consideration. If the lens is sh*&^*&% then the image will be sh*&^*&% too.

[peekarwe]

Well. My reasoning is this. If the lens is bright enough, then the ISO need not be pumped so high and sensor size becomes less of an issue. Also, the sensor size, though small, is sufficient for the video resolution (TH1 - <2mp for video), though not for photos.

[jaegersing]

Originally Posted by peekarwe Well. My reasoning is this. If the lens is bright enough, then the ISO need not be pumped so high and sensor size becomes less of an issue. Also, the sensor size, though small, is sufficient for the video resolution (TH1 - <2mp for video), though not for photos.

A small sensor with high resolution means that the individual pixel sites are tiny. This means (in general) they will collect less light, they will be noiser, the sensor will produce deeper depth of field and will show soft image due to diffraction effects when you close the lens smaller than f8 (approx).

Specs only tell part of the story, it's better to get hold of some video samples taken in various lighting conditions.

[kayheem]

Well, you can check out:

http://www.camcorderinfo.com

Besides the image quality, you have to look at the format of the file, which may not have many good 3rd party software to edit or author the video.

Do be aware that buying from USA is cheaper as the format they use is NTSC. This may not be entirely bad, if you have other equipment that can work with NTSC. I bought a camcorder (NTSC) in the past, but realized later I cannot playback on my old PAL TV.

Many still cameras can do video, but I still prefer a dedicated camcorder for video.

[Netasia]

HD1010 VIDEO SAMPLE
view in HD mode.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH5u5-HC7is

[TsQ]

Originally Posted by jerry2308 Looking at the Xacti HD1010 too.Read alot of good and bad comments from users.according to warehouse123.com,its only USD442 now which is pretty cheap for a HD camcorder. Anyone can give any advice here?

dont get that camera.. as its HD.. and gun-type holding.. and lousy anti-shake.. the picture after u load it up to ur PC will show a lot of jittering..

[TsQ]

Originally Posted by peekarwe I am also on the lookout for such a camera now and I have shortlisted 2: 1. Xacti HD700 (1 yr old model, pistol grip, 7mp photos, 5x optical zoom F3.5 max) 2. Xacti TH1 (new model, camcorder grip, 1.1mp photos, 30x optical zoom F1.8 max) and just recently, a whole slew of cameras from canon in compact form with HD (720p) recording as well skewed the equation, adding one more choice: 3. Canon 100is (12 mp camera, 720p video, no 60fps at VGA video) I am now tending towards TH1 cos of F1.8 glass for better indoor performance and I probably can get a bit more bokeh out of that lens. But the downside of that is that the picture quality is gonna suck at 1.1mp. But the HD700 is very limited at F3.5 and indoor performance will have to be compensated with High ISO settings. Does anyone have any video comparisons for these two cameras? I found one for the Canon, which is http://www.vimeo.com/3520298 and I think it's slightly jerky and not so smooth leh.

HD700.. the lens is very much in tele mode.. its quite narrow and u hv to really step backward to capture most scenes.... gun type holding, i hate it as ur hands tends to move a lot when u hold it that way. Sanyo image stabilizer is pretty lousy too.. so u need REALLY steady hands for this model

Xacti TH1 .. this has similar tele lens , again very narrow field when video-ing. Since this is the palm style way of holding, hand shake is minimised compared to the gun stick type.

For still photo in video cam, dont look at resolution as a 8mp one does not mean much if color and sharpness is terrible.. chk out even if its 2mp , it might looks better then a 8mp one.

if u want good quality flash memory cam, the sub USD350 type wont beat those sony, panasonic at SGD1500.. they simply have better lens and image processor..

however, for the value, these sub USD350 camera are really good values but do take note of their short coming (lousy image stabilizer, "gun stick" holding is cooling looking only, a more 'tele' lens)

[peekarwe]

Originally Posted by TsQ however, for the value, these sub USD350 camera are really good values but do take note of their short coming (lousy image stabilizer, "gun stick" holding is cooling looking only, a more 'tele' lens)

Thanks for your input. It's useful. And yes, a tele lens can limit the usability of a video cam.

[TsQ]

Originally Posted by peekarwe Thanks for your input. It's useful. And yes, a tele lens can limit the usability of a video cam.

if u want to try out HD700 i hv one u can try.. i bet after u try it , u will want to avoid the xacti range unless u really just want a cheap n sufficient HD camcorder..

alternatively carrefour in plaza sing also got one, can always try it out.

Try out TH1 (I going to sometime this wk) .. the lens is also pretty tele (42mm) but there's option to hv a screw in lens.. so a wide angle lens will solve the problem but i need to see if sanyo hv improve the image stabilizer or not.. if all goes well, this cam can be urs for USD310 (USD550 if u want full HD model: WH1)

[Duracell]

Originally Posted by TsQ Try out TH1 (I going to sometime this wk) .. the lens is also pretty tele (42mm) but there's option to hv a screw in lens.. so a wide angle lens will solve the problem but i need to see if sanyo hv improve the image stabilizer or not.. if all goes well, this cam can be urs for USD310 (USD550 if u want full HD model: WH1)

The new palm style Sanyo will be a good selection if people are looking for good HD video camera without breaking their wallet. I think the TH1 should be enough for a casual user.

[doverblk31]

Try the Panasonic new HD camcoder using SDHC card:

TM300 or TM200.

both of them using 3MOS, TM300 uses 32G internal memory while TM200 has 16G internal memory.

[TsQ]

Originally Posted by doverblk31 Try the Panasonic new HD camcoder using SDHC card: TM300 or TM200. both of them using 3MOS, TM300 uses 32G internal memory while TM200 has 16G internal memory.

those are good cams but i read ard, but I dont remember well but it seems the canon flasrh card HD series received better reviews then the pana.. do google ard or try to hv hands on... videocamera review is less common the digicam reviews...

[coffee3in1]

I watched some reviews on youtube that warns about AVC-HD codec. That is, it is ok to view on DVD/TV, but editing/viewing on PC is a different story.

Is it still applicable today?

[TsQ]

Originally Posted by coffee3in1 I watched some reviews on youtube that warns about AVC-HD codec. That is, it is ok to view on DVD/TV, but editing/viewing on PC is a different story. Is it still applicable today?

with a 1080P video in AVCHD is pretty taxing.. from what i was told a dual processor, 3 gig ram is just bare minimum... u need a fast quad processor .. anything that is the best from 1 year ago will do (so if ur desktop is something ard $3k without monitor from early last yr will meet this minimal requirement)

if u got the hardware, then u just need the software.. there are plenty of video editor but only few are good... some uses a lot of CPU power, some don't .. so u hv to see how u balance things out.. if u got a super fast PC then u got more choice.. if u hv a average PC then u might need to get that specific software to better suit ur PC speed

I definitely cannot edit 1080p.. as my PC cannot even play back 1080p smoothly ! .. thats why i am still editing 720P H264 videos...

AVCHD is not all bad if u ask me.. i seen how ppl handle it, and its a good format for consumer to rely on..

edit: this video is from 1080P AVCHD edited in a quad processor with 3 gig ram using Cyberlink's powerdirector: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glUcMfTtSFE&fmt=22

[coffee3in1]

Wow! thanks for the video. It's the only HD youtube video that managed to play smoothly on my laptop. Nice editing.

I don't have the latest computer hardware. I will plan for a new PC in the 2nd half of the year.

So, for the moment... what's the next best format to record in? My apologies for soundin ultra-noob; I just want to take some footage of my baby growing up.

I would like to use ProShow Presenter to show photo and video. I've not bought the software yet so I am open to other choices.

Lots of Pro uses Final Cut Pro. I used it only many years back, quite friendly experience.

Originally Posted by TsQ with a 1080P video in AVCHD is pretty taxing.. from what i was told a dual processor, 3 gig ram is just bare minimum... u need a fast quad processor .. anything that is the best from 1 year ago will do (so if ur desktop is something ard $3k without monitor from early last yr will meet this minimal requirement) if u got the hardware, then u just need the software.. there are plenty of video editor but only few are good... some uses a lot of CPU power, some don't .. so u hv to see how u balance things out.. if u got a super fast PC then u got more choice.. if u hv a average PC then u might need to get that specific software to better suit ur PC speed I definitely cannot edit 1080p.. as my PC cannot even play back 1080p smoothly ! .. thats why i am still editing 720P H264 videos... AVCHD is not all bad if u ask me.. i seen how ppl handle it, and its a good format for consumer to rely on.. edit: this video is from 1080P AVCHD edited in a quad processor with 3 gig ram using Cyberlink's powerdirector: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glUcMfTtSFE&fmt=22