Aiptek A-HD 720P 8MP CMOS High Definition Camcorder (Silver)
by Aiptek Inc.
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List Price: Our Price: $83.99 You Save: $116.00 (58%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Aiptek A-HD 720P 8MP CMOS High Definition Camcorder (Silver)
Customer Review: AIPTEK HD camera
Summary: 5 Stars
I needed a knock-around HD camera. Something that would fit in a briefcase, while taking video clips better than SD (standard definition) quality. So, I thought I'd take a chance and order an unknown-brand (AIPTEK), but had decent reviews here on Amazon.
Much to my surprise and enjoyment this camera provides what I need. Of course, it's not like having a semi-pro, or pro-quality HD camera, but for a little guy that costs less than 150.00 you can't beat it! I took the camera out for a spin yesterday to shot some scenes with wife & doggie on a field trip. The results are:
* Nice, sharp HD quality video at 720. Not 1080, but who cares! The color is quite decent, and the sharpness for a little camera is terrific. While it can't match a 3 CCD HD, or a larger CMOS chip camera shooting at 1080 it does the job in a compact form factor. I do expect to take this camera with me everywhere. There was a comment here about the plastic housing...it's not that bad. I wouldn't lend it to kids, or drop it on concrete, but it's sturdy enough to survive in a briefcase, or purse if it had a small little protective hard case. Note: Purses and soft briefcase tend to be especially dusty - not a great place to stick electronics IMO.
* The audio is decent. I was shooting some scenes in the car with an open window and it surprisingly filtered out most of the road noise and caught the dialog inside! The mic. is placed on top of the camera. This can cause some noise if you move your hands about the camera while shooting. However, as with any camera there is some accommodation given the ergonomics. On saying that I do wish the record on/off button was larger, and the joystick controlled a tad bigger. Folks with ham-sized fist (like me) might have to fumble around a tad more than say someone with dexterous fingers. Low light conditions came out a tad grainy. But then again, you can't expect the little camera to do everything. One of my new CMOS camera is equally as grainy as the AIPTEK in dark-lit conditions. There is a night-mode selection in the camera, but I have yet to try it out.
* Transfer to Macintosh. All I had to do was hook up the USB cable and the Aiptek was recognized as an external hard drive. I simply transferred all the files into my mac and now they're ready to be edited as .mov files. So, it's a breeze to edit in imovie, as well a Final Cut. Very, very simple.
* Longevity - I don't know. I've had this camera now for three days. If it breaks, I'll just get another one!
So all in all, if you are shooting casual video and don't care too much about semi-pro quality video and audio this little guy will probably fill that niche well. It also shoot stills and has a flash. I haven't really evaluated that, but I would tend to use my dedicated digital still camera for that.
Customer Review: Excellent entry level HD (you get what you pay for)
Summary: 5 Stars
To begin with, this is -not- a conventional digital camcorder.
Unless you find it too toy-like as others have found, it seems to be delivering exactly what it promises:
The lowest cost HD DVR for sale on the market.
A point-and-shoot eight megapixel digital camera.
Digital playback device that can show Quicktime media (when storage cards greater than four gigs are used (max 32 gig SDHC) (compatible with Apple products).
The quality is excellent and the only drawback I've seen so far is that the playback speaker is too small and delivers very nasty tinny audio. Much like the audio from almost any small microspeaker. Use your headphones when watching playback. Much better.
Of all the video resolutions you can use,(there are three) the smallest (CIF)(352x240) gives you the most bang for the buck in storage....
A two gig SD card will hold up to 320 minutes of video. That's -five- hours plus! You'll need to recharge the battery at least a couple of times to fill a one or two gig card at that rate.
The middle resolution is (D1) (720x480) is very close to VGA (slightly wider) and you can only cram 144 minutes full video onto a two gig SD.
The HD resolution is full true HD (1280x720) and will only record for 60 minutes before filling up that same two gig SD card. However, there are larger cards available now, and I still like have a few extra two gig cards in my pocket.
Battery life is estimated to be 90 minutes (factory spec) but I haven't pushed that far yet. My other Aiptek, the IS-DV, maxxes out at VGA (640x480)resolution, cannot handle longer than 48 minutes before depleting the battery.
The difference? The IS-DV is 2 year old design, and Aiptek is pushing the envelope.
Final verdict?
This is a very good product, worthy of consideration from both first time buyers and jaded users who are used to far more expensive gadget loaded camcorders.
It weighs nothing, a cellphone is slightly smaller, and the battery lasts and lasts. It has very few moving parts, and only one mechanical slide switch that operates the macro mode focusing.
I can't wait to see what's next, Aiptek. Perhaps even smaller? More resolution? Image stabilization?
I'd rate this a nine out of ten, the only fault is that playback speaker.
And it's not really a deal breaker, in my opinion.
Customer Review: The PERFECT little camera
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently purchased the Aiptek A-HD 720P. I thought it would be a good idea to experiment with it before I wrote a review. Here are my thoughts...
I love this camera. I thought, for the money, I would get a decent camera that I could just throw in my bag and go, and get a fairly OK picture out of it. It exceeded my expectations and then some. First of all, it is really the coolest looking gadget. The perfect size to take anywhere, and fairly sturdy. I read some other reviews talking about the camera's frailty - if you're not throwing it around the room and are generally careful with it (which should be standard for any electronic gadget), you'll be fine. Also, this camera is SO easy to use. Basically, open the screen, take off the lens cap, hit record and go.
The picture quality is VERY good. In low light, it tends to be a bit grainy, but I fully expected that. In good lighting (especially anything outdoors in daylight hours) the picture is beautiful - on my PC AND on my 42" Hi-Def TV. It's hard to believe that I am getting a crystal clear Hi-Def picture out of this little inexpensive camera.
Sound quality is pretty OK. Not nearly as bad as some others have said. The mic is on top of the camera, so if you're recording and speaking, you come in loud and clear. Everyone else is medium, but audible.
I also love that this camera hooks up to my Hi-Def cable box so that I can upload TV shows on to the camera, then ultimately to my iPod. It is a fanstastic feature.
As far as uploading to my computer, I had no real issues. I had to play around with what program would play back video the best. I ultimately went with the software that came with the camera. The videos can also be converted to iTunes compatible (took a while with my PC to convert, but once it was done, it looked great).
The camera also takes very good still pictures and has a flash (FYI - the flash is only used for still pictures - does not function for video). Also, very straightforward and easy to upload pics.
All in all, 2 thumbs up for Aiptek. I highly recommend this camera to someone, like myself, who wanted a nice, easy to use, small-sized, inexpensive HD camera that can literally be taken anywhere.
Customer Review: Great little camcorder
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this camcorder. We took it on a 2-week trip, and used it every day. So easy, great still pics (3, 5, or 8 mp, your choice) and very nice video. Can't comment on hd quality -- haven't hooked ip up to hd tv yet, but have downloaded video to computer to watch, and it looks pretty good. Camera is very small, fits in a pocket. Comes with battery (about 2 hrs record time) and cords for hooking up to pc (downloading content and recharging battery), watching video on tv (reg and hd, separate cords included), and regular ac charger. We picked up an extra battery (about $15) and a 4G video card (none was included w/camera) (about $20). This gave us 4 hours of recording time before recharge and download were necessary -- plenty for our needs. Super easy to use, auto adjusts to most conditions. Didn't do well at night, even on night setting, unless object you were filming was well lit againt dark background. (We tried to film some ducks swimming at night, and just got black.) Camera has a tripod fitting, but we didn't have a tripod with us, so video can be shaky if you don't hold camera still -- not too much of a problem, except when we were on a boat. All in all we were very pleased with this camera, and price is fantastic. Plan to give at least one as a Christmas gift this year. (Be careful when you use zoom, give camera time to self adjust before snapping pic, or it will be blurry.)Customer Review: Great Camcorder for the Price!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fantastic camera, particularly for such a great price. It does a fantastic job at recording at 720p, and it has built in standard resolution modes for things like DVDs, or the web, so you just pick the one you want - very handy. I read a couple of reviews about these types of cameras that say that it is hard to stabilize the picture without a tripod - I don't know what they are talking about. The video is very stable, no jittering at all. The menus are easy to navigate, it is light and fits well in your hand, and the screen is great and can be moved around so you still see what you are shooting no matter what the angle. It records in low light very well. Great extra features like video out, HD video out, audio visual in (so you can record from a tv, gamebox or other source). It comes with all the cables you would need for any of the options. And as for being well-made - our kitten got hold of it (he liked the little handstrap) and ran it around the house, banging into walls and such, and it still works great, not a scratch on it. The only drawback is the sound - it needs a foam cover on it or something because it picks up sound almost too well - there is no filter. I would definitely recommend this!