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Search results for: “xacti”

  • Zoom finally adds HD video to a portable audio recorder, but still no mic input

    I’m always complaining about how most consumer-level camcorders don’t feature microphone inputs, or even decent mics. My Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 has pretty good mics for camcorder of it’s size and price. But because the mics are on the camera and there’s no input to add an external mic, they’re still inappropriate for interviews or any…

  • The best camcorder is the one you have with you

    There’s a common idea amongst serious photographers that it’s a good idea to always have a camera on you, because you never know when you’ll see the stuff of a great picture. Seeing as how it’s often impractical to always have an SLR or other larger camera with you, many photogs adopted smaller point-and-shoot cameras…

  • Interesting new Sanyo flip-style camcorder

    Sanyo just announced a new Xacti camcorder that looks interesting due to the way it breaks from the company’s typical pistol-grip style camcorders and due to its lens. The VPC-PD2BK has a form-factor more like the Flip-style cams, but with a 3x zoom lens that looks like it came from a compact still digicam, therefore…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Sanyo Taking Another Shot at Handheld Hi-Def Cams. Is It a Case of Utility More Than Quality?

    I continue to be intrigued by these little “Hi-Def” camcorders (scare quotes intentional) by Sanyo, even if not enough to acquire one. I haven’t been able to get my hands on one because I don’t know anyone who has one and no local stores carry them. When they first came out last year reviewers gave…

  • The Uneasy Road to Hi-Def

    The question regarding hi-definition video is not if?, but when? Most people don’t have HD TV sets, but HD can be streamed and shared over the internet using all major video codecs, bandwidth permitting. So, for the serious independent or amateur videographer now is a good time to consider going HD if it’s time to…

  • Speaking of HD…

    Sony introduced a new HDV (High-Def on miniDV) camcorder this model year at a relatively low price of $1600. It only has one chip, but it’s a CMOS instead of a CCD, which means that it’s less susceptible to inter-pixel distortion. DV Guru has a short review of the HDR-HC1 and finds that the camera…

  • HD Stealth Cam for Indy Videographers?

    Camcorderinfo notes the announcement of a Hi-Definition pocket camcorder from Sanyo that records to SD flash memory cards instead of tape. The HD1 is not quite full HD like you can get with HDV camcorders — it records 720 progressive at 30 frames a second, which is mathematically superior to the 720×480 interlaced 30 fps…