Creative Labs Vado HD 720p Pocket Video Camcorder with 8 GB Video Storage and 2x Digital Zoom (Black) OLD MODEL
by Creative Labs
|
List Price: Our Price: $128.88 You Save: $101.11 (44%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $69.95 (click here) Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Creative Labs Vado HD 720p Pocket Video Camcorder with 8 GB Video Storage and 2x Digital Zoom (Black) OLD MODEL
Customer Review: Best image quality than any other pocket camcorder !!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have compared footage from this Vado HD (frame-by-frame) with HD videos recorded at 1080p, 720p, and VGA resolutions from the Sony Webbie PM1, the Sony Bloggie CM5, the Samsung CL65 HD, and a few Canon Powershot cameras. The Vado produces -by far- the crisper frames, and higher image quality.
Pros:
- Best image quality bar none. It even remains blur-free when moving the camera around!
- Very wide lens, ideal for filming objects that are close without having to pan too much.
- Unreal crispness and clarity for its lens size, even in low light conditions.
- Performs well indoors and outdoors and always remains in focus.
- Colors look very bright (especially the greens and reds).
- Battery is removable.
- Real buttons (not touch sensitive) that are responsive and easy to navigate.
- The camera comes with the software (and especially the codec it needs) built in, so you don't have to install anything or hunt the internet for the right codec pack to view the files.
- The digital zoom is not half bad.
Cons:
- NO SLOT FOR ADDITIONAL MEMORY (and for the 8GB second gen. that may be ok, but for the third gen. Vado with only 4GB .. this is plain wrong!!! What were they thinking?!?)
- Colors are sometimes too vivid and the contrast sometimes too high (i.e. when filming the horizon and sky, the sky turns white/over exposed).
- There is no manual settings for saturation, exposure, or white balance.
- Sound is low and does not capture details (or noise).
Minor cons:
- No optical zoom. That would be great to have, but at that size and form factor, it seems unreasonable to ask for it.
Customer Review: Excellent Product for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
I was initially hesitant on purchasing this product but read a review on chris.pirillo.com that compared this products video quality to the other 2 competitors.
I purchased this product from one of Amazons resellers and had it in hand within 48 hours while using the free shipping.
In a span of 25 minutes I was able to open the package, installed the pre-charged battery, shot a couple of short videos of my kids, downloaded the video onto my computer, created an account on www.vimeo.com, uploaded the video and sent announcements to my friends. In another 5 minutes I was able to teach my wife how to use it. Yes it is that easy to use.
The video is stunning for the price point. (Considering I spent $1,200 for a 1080i cam 2 years ago this price is amazing). The viewing angle is great and it looks good after downloading.
The included video editor is not much of an editor but is suitable for trimming the videos.
Some people complain about the silicon cover, but at least it came with one. My Gorilla tripod hasn't arrived yet so I don't know if the USB tab will interfere, if it does i will just trim it as necessary. I like that the usb port is flexible and that it has a small magnet to keep it closed. The LCD was viewable outside on a sunny day.
I am very pleased with this product however it is not a full featured camera replacement. I was able to "sell it to the wife" by saying that it is like comparing a point & shoot camera to a DSLR. One is more mobile for the candid shots and the other is more for events.
I hope you find this review helpful!
Customer Review: Great Pocket Camcorder!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Creative Labs VADO Standard Definition Pocket Camcorder at $39.95 is a STEAL! It is THE BEST of these little camcorders at a ridiculously inexpensive price! I bought several as gifts.
I've researched many of these pocket camcorders, and I choose the VADO because it is simple to use, ultra light, built in software, 2GB storage and excellent picture quality.
The controls are extremely easy to use and the VADO weighs a mere 3.5 ounce making the VADO the lightest pocket cam. The Li-On battery comes with a half charge, the directions recommend charging the battery 4 hours for a complete charge. You can get 2 hours of recording time after a full charge. The camcorder provides 2GB's of storage. The software is built into the camcorder eliminating the need to download software. Even though it's a standard definition recorder, the picture quality is astoundingly crisp and clear and so is the sound quality! Uploading to YouTube, Photo Bucket and sending videos in an Email is a snap! This is truly one of the very few pocket cams that are ready to use right out of the box!
I've recorded in bright daylight, low light and night light(highway driving) all footage recorded crisp and clear!
I bought an accessory bundle here at Amazon.com to complete this sweet little compact package. The bundle includes: a car charger, wall charger, AV In/Out Cables and a 6 foot USB extension cable! This accessory pack is made for the "standard definition" VADO only and was priced less than $20.00! The accessory bundle and camcorder makes a great gift for everyone! I carry mine everyday!
Customer Review: An Easy No-Brainer
Summary: 5 Stars
It's tough to believe a product this small would perform so well, but it does!! The portability is a huge plus, and the simplicity is what every non-geek dreams of. Nothing to download into your computor as the program to operate it is built into the camera itself! Although the playback screen is small,(as is the whole unit)and the speaker just allows you to hear what you've recorded, don't be discouraged. Once you download onto your computor through the ultra-simple USB hook-up, the picture is excellent (especially on HD+) and the sound is excellent because the microphone is actually quite sensitive in what it picks up. This camera is like a cellphone in size. It can always be with you w/out taking up too much space.I've never put music to a video before , yet with this unit I was doing just that in about 3 minutes. Definetely check out [...] for more good advice and instructions on this unit. It's great to keep a high quality videocamera on yourself for those unexpected moments in life. The accessories are a good idea. I'd suggest a protective cover,an AC charger(or a USB charger that plugs into a wall.) If you are going on vacation check out the underwater plastic pouch that lets you snorkel up to 15' deep to get underwater pictures. If you do long segments of recording(weddings etc) think about an extra battery, otherwise 1 is enough. For the price this is a great unit that is alot of fun!! The practical and fun applications are endless. Remember.....the Gen3 unit has less memory 4gig than this unit (Vado HD) which has 8gig. The memory is worth it!!Customer Review: decent little video camera for Mac users!
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this two weeks ago, as a replacement for my previous camcorder (JVC GZ-MG20US). I was also considering Flip mino HD and Kodak Zi6, but I went for this one, for various reasons. The video quality is very satisfactory, but the sound quality is little doubtful (compared to my previous camcorder). As mentioned by others, the image stabilizing is not very good, but it's bearable. The lens has f number 2.3 (brightness; which actually matters when you shoot in indoor), which is pretty decent for this little device. And I got this [...] using a promo code. So, if somebody plans to buy this, try to look for a promotion code online.
pros:
-good video quality
-can buy additional battery and charger (from creative.com)
-files easy to handle (.avi)
-not too expensive (especially when you have promo code)
cons:
-poor sound quality??
-poor image stabilizing (which is bearable..)
notes:
-you might want to buy a pouch for this, or a little bag.
-(you might want to buy a little tripod, because this doesn't stand by itself)
-MAC USERS : you don't need any software, but make sure that you turn this device on before you connect to computer via USB. For some reason, mine freezes if I connect it to computer when it's turned off. To view the recorded HD quality files in MAC OS, you might need to install the free codex "perian"
Considering that I'm gonna be using this for about few years (it's not gonna be forever..), this is a pretty good choice for home use.