Kodak launches Zi8 1080p HD camcorder
The Kodak Zi8 is an upgraded version of the Kodak Zi6, which offers 720p HD recording, and has been fully tested in the Which? labs as part of the Kodak Zi6 review.
As well as recording in full HD 1080p the Zi8 can also take 5Mp 16:9 widescreen still photos. There’s a 2.5-inch LCD screen and built-in image stabilisation to reduce blur.
The swing-out USB plug makes charging, copying and uploading video files to Facebook and YouTube quick and easy according to Kodak.
Additional features include Smart Face Tracking, plus Kodak claims that the Zi8 will give improved results and more accurate colours in low light conditions.
Zi8 pocket camcorder has external mic jack
The Zi8 has an SD/SDHC card slot that can take cards up to 32GB in capacity, giving a recording time of approximately 10 hours. There’s also an HDMI socket so the Zi8 can connect directly to an LCD or plasma TV, and the Zi8 improves upon the Zi6 by adding a rechargeable battery.
Read the Which? head-to-head review that pits the Kodak Zi6 against the Flip Mino and Ultra.
Other pocket HD camcorders to consider include the Creative Vado HD, Flip Ultra HD, Kodak Zx1, Sony HDR-TG3E and Toshiba Camileo S10.
Richard Parris, Which? camcorder expert, said: ‘Pocket camcorders are a great choice if you want straighforward recording and uploading to sites like YouTube. With the improved HD specs on the Zi8, Kodak has a very interesting product to add to the popular pocket camcorder market.’
The Kodak Zi8 will be available to buy for £149.99 from September 2009, and will come in aqua, raspberry and black.
Sony Handycam HDR-XR100
Product Summary:
The good: Relatively fast startup; comfortable design.
The bad: So-so video quality for HD; annoying touch screen and interface.
The bottom line: While it’s a perfectly serviceable HD camcorder, the Sony Handycam HDR-XR100 should deliver a little more of everything for the money.
Price range: $559.00 – $749.99
Though it’s not the least expensive model in Sony’s AVCHD camcorder lineup–the Handycam HDR-CX100 fills that spot–the hard-drive-based HDR-XR100 looks, feels, and performs as if it should be. Boxy looking, in a boring two-tone silver and black plastic, the XR100 isn’t nearly as attractive as the CX100, and as you’d expect from a hard-drive model, it’s bigger and heavier as well. There’s nothing particularly wrong with the simple but functional physical design–as with similar models the hard drive’s protrusion affords a more secure grip–but it feels a bit cheap for its class.
| Key comparative specs | Sony Handycam HDR-XR100 | Sony Handycam HDR-CX100 | Sony Handycam HDR-XR200V |
| Sensor | 2.4-megapixel Exmor CMOS | 2.4-megapixel Exmor CMOS | 2.4-megapixel Exmor CMOS |
| 1/5 inch | 1/5 inch | 1/5 inch | |
| Lens | 10x f1.8-2.2 42 – 497mm (16:9) | 10x f1.8-2.2 42 – 497mm (16:9) | 15x f1.8-2.6 40 – 600mm (16:9) |
|
EVF |
No | No | No |
| LCD | 2.7-inch touch screen | 2.7-inch touch screen | 2.7-inch touch screen |
| Media | 80GB hard disk, Memory Stick Pro Duo | Memory Stick Pro Duo (8GB flash built in) | 120GB hard disk, Memory Stick Pro Duo |
| Maximum bit rate | 16Mbps | 16Mbps | 16Mbps |
| Manual shutter speed and iris | No | No | No |
| Accessory shoe | No | No | Yes |
| Mic/headphone jacks | No | No | No |
| Audio | 5.1 channels | 2 channels | 5.1 channels |
| Body dimensions (WHD, inches) | 2.8 x 2.8 x 5.1 | 2.3 x 2.4 x 4.5 | 2.8 x 2.8 x 5.1 |
| Operating weight (ounces) | 14.5 | 11.7 | 16.6 |
| Mfr. Price | $749.99 | $599.99 | $999.99 |
While it’s not a one-button operation, the controls are relatively sparse. To the front of the drive sits a covered recess with mini-HDMI, proprietary AV (for component and composite video), and USB connectors; there are no microphone or headphone jacks, flash, video light, or accessory shoe. Next to the lens is the manual lens cover. On the top front sits the 5.1-channel microphone, an unnecessary gimmick that Sony could have eschewed to get the price down a little more. Atop the rear of the hard drive sits the zoom switch and photo button. The switch is a bit wobbly and hard to control, making it difficult to get a consistent-speed zoom. On the back of the camcorder, the record button falls comfortably under your thumb, but the camera/camcorder mode switch above it is a bit flat and hard to feel.
Within the LCD recess sit the speaker, covered Memory Stick Duo Pro slot, and power, Easy operation, one-touch DVD burning, play, and display options buttons. You control the camcorder predominantly through the touch-screen interface. Unfortunately, the 2.7-inch LCD isn’t really big or responsive enough for easy navigation. Interestingly, however, the screen was a little better than that on the CX100–it’s a bit easier to view in direct sunlight and doesn’t seem to accumulate fingerprints. But the camcorder uses the older, frustrating menu system rather than the newer one introduced this spring. The menus are structured in such a way that it’s almost impossible to remember where to find some of the settings. Under the Home menu you can choose from the three basic capture modes–movie, photo, and Smooth Slow Record (for example, to record golf swings)–though the mode switch also lets you choose between movie and photo. Under this menu is also a tab for image-viewing options; Others, which are random options for in-camera editing, and TV and USB connections; Manage Media, which is where you choose whether to record to the 80GB hard disk or to a card; and Settings for options like SteadyShot stabilization, selecting high def or standard def, face detection and Smile Shutter, and Output settings (for example, TV type and HDMI resolution). Under the Options menu you’ll find more shooting-related settings, including spot meter and focus, manual focus and exposure, white balance, scene modes, and recording quality (bit rate). So while you select Movie Settings in one spot on the Home menu, and standard versus high def elsewhere on the Home menu, you select movie quality in the Options menu.
Like the CX100, with the exception of the face detection, Smile Shutter, and scene modes, the camcorder has no bells or whistles to speak of. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it could use a wind filter.
The SR100 records in the AVCHD format at 1,920×1,080/60i. At its highest quality, the 16Mbps mode, you can record a little over 7 minutes of video per gigabyte of storage. That’s about 9 hours and 40 minutes on the hard drive. If you drop to 9Mbps mode, that increases to about 15 minutes per gigabyte.
| Key comparative specs | Sony Handycam HDR-XR100 | Canon Vixia HG20 |
| Sensor | 2.4-megapixel Exmor ClearVid CMOS | 3.3-megapixel CMOS |
| 1/5 inch | 1/3.2 inch | |
| Lens | 10x f1.8-2.2 42 – 497mm (16:9) | 12x f1.8-3.0 42.9 – 514.8mm (16:9) |
|
EVF |
No | No |
| LCD | 2.7-inch touch screen | 2.7-inch |
| Media | 80GB hard disk, Memory Stick Pro Duo | 60GB hard disk, SDHC |
| Maximum bit rate | 16Mbps | 24Mbps |
| Manual shutter speed and iris | No | Yes |
| Accessory shoe | No | Yes |
| Mic/headphone jacks | No | Yes |
| Audio | 5.1 channels | 2 channels |
| Body dimensions (WHD, inches) | 2.8 x 2.8 x 5.1 | 2.9 x 2.5 x 5.4 |
| Operating weight (ounces) | 14.5 | 17.6 |
| Mfr. Price | $749.99 | $899.99 |
It seems like the autofocus system has more trouble than usual distinguishing subject from background, which slows it down a tad. And the LCD simply isn’t very sharp; it’s nearly impossible to tell if something’s in focus or not. Furthermore, the battery doesn’t last very long; it’s rated for less than an hour under typical usage, which jibes with my experience. On the other hand, the XR100 starts up surprisingly quickly for a hard-disk-based unit.
Despite using the same sensor and lens as the CX100, I find the video quality less impressive. Overall, it’s slightly soft, even when not scaled up on a large TV; as you’d expect, even more so in dim light and less so in closeups. Outdoor shots look a bit low contrast with blown-out highlights, though most colors–except for some blues, which is not uncommon–are relatively accurate. Video in living-room level light is acceptable if somewhat desaturated. On the upside, the XR100 doesn’t have the CX100′s lens flare problems, but it does frequently display fringing on high-contrast edges. The 4-megapixel interpolated stills look somewhat overprocessed, as you’d expect, and the native-resolution shots have edge artifacts like fringing and halos.
If you’re looking to spend $600 on an HD camcorder, there are a lot of decent alternatives you might want to consider before shelling out for the just-OK Sony Handycam HDR-XR100.
Panasonic HDC-TM10 review
While it’s not the ‘lightest camcorder in the world’, the new Panasonic HDC-TM10 does boast to be ‘the world’s lightest Full HD AVCHD camcorder’. Weighing only 280g, it shares this enviable accolade with its little brother,the equally dinky HDC-SD10.
Amazingly both of these camcorders are small and lightweight enough to fit in a jacket or trouser pocket. Although, you’ll need fairly loose-fitting trousers if you want to try it.
On paper, at least, the silver/black Panasonic HDC-TM10 ticks all the right boxes. For starters, it offers a great way to record HD video (in full-fat, 1920 x 1080 resolution) and to capture detailed still photos. There’s also a 16x optical zoom, with 40x and 1000x zoom modes available when you activate the digital equivalent.
Dual flash storage
The versatile Panasonic HDC-TM10 offers dual storage options – you can record your movies to the 8GB of built-in flash memory or save them out onto SD/SDHC cards, which can be slotted in to boost the capacity.
Dinky
It’s the lightest full HD camera and its small size belies its power
Invest in a 32GB SDHC card, for example, and it could hold eight hours of HD footage filmed in the HDC-TM10′s normal 9Mbps HX mode. The higher-quality 1920 x 1080 pixel picture modes – HA (17Mbps) and HG (13Mbps) – will obviously chew up more of the storage space.
The eight hour capacity drops to five hours 20 minutes for HG and four hours for HA. Conversely, the lower quality 1440 x 1080 HE mode (6Mbps) can eke out the available space to store around 12 hours of video.
Of course, even the best technical specifications can be undone by a terrible user experience. So how does the Panasonic HDC-TM10 actually handle? What immediately strikes you is its compact size. It fits snugly into the palm of your hand, held firmly in place with a small, adjustable strap.
It’s not cluttered with buttons either. There’s an easy-access record button on the back next to the battery release switch. Below this, a simple slider enables you to flick easily between Record and Playback modes.
Design and battery life
Simple
Panasonic included as few buttons as possible to make it easy to use
Flip open the 2.7-inch LCD and you can start recording video and taking digital photos within a few minutes.
The LCD rotates 180 degrees and is touch-sensitive, making it easy to access the main menu and camcorder settings. In contrast, the buttons below the display are slightly unresponsive and require a firm push to activate.
At first, the Panasonic HDC-TM10 can feel slightly fragile. But despite its lightweight construction (we’ve held heavier mugs of tea…), it’s surprisingly rugged. Admittedly, it’s not the sort of camcorder you’d want to drop. But if you did, there’s a good chance it would survive the fall.
Touchscreen
It’s easy to operate and the interface is clear and simple
The small battery slots neatly into the main body of the Panasonic HDC-TM10, above component, HDMI, A/V and mini USB connections. This 725mAh cell can be juiced-up in about an hour and a half and you’ll get roughly the same amount of continuous recording time from a full charge.
Bigger batteries are available if you need to shoot for longer. While Panasonic also supplies a DC cable in the box, which enables you to plug the HDC-TM10 into the mains via the battery charger. Very handy.
Shooting video is straightforward – your thumb is perfectly positioned to click the record button, while your index finger takes care of zooming in/out and taking photos via the controls on the top of the HDC-TM10. The results are excellent.
The lens boasts a focal length of 2.95mm to 47.2mm and a 30.5 filter diameter. This gives the HDC-TM10 a smooth 16x optical zoom, which is supported by Panasonic’s Advanced O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) and intelligent Auto (iA) modes.
Together they can make even the most amateur of home movie makers seem like a seasoned pro
Video and image quality
OIS
Image stabilisation eliminates all but the most violent handshakes – you’ve got to see it to believe it
The Advanced O.I.S technology has been designed to minimise hand-shake, which gets horribly exaggerated when using the zoom. Even the smallest hand movement can become a visible judder that will typically ruin a close-up shot.
So, O.I.S automatically detects and corrects any shakiness, enabling you to shoot more stable footage. And it does this 4,000 times a second. Does it work? Hard to tell. With O.I.S switched on, you’ve no idea just how bad your original footage was.
As for the iA (Intelligent Auto) mode, this is a familiar feature on Panasonic’s Lumix digital cameras. It auto-selects the most suitable scene mode according to the shooting conditions. Combine this with AF/AE (Auto Focus/Auto Exposure) Tracking and you’ll always get the best shot possible. Simply touch the AF/AE icon on the LCD and then touch the object or person that you want to track.
The HDC-TM10 subsequently ensures that your target remains in focus. The technology isn’t perfect, however, and it can be thrown off when zooming or lose its lock when there are several people in view
Once you’ve had a chance to play around with the Panasonic HDC-TM10 it doesn’t take you long to want one. Thanks to all the automatic aids, shooting HD video is close to effortless, whether you’re tackling wide-angled landscape shots, macro photography or fast-moving action. The auto focus can cope with anything you throw at, recalibrating speedily when you shift from distance shots to close-ups.
There’s also a clever pre-record mode that keeps 3 seconds of video in a buffer. This ensures that you never miss some important action because you were too slow to press the record button. We’ve all been there…
Connectivity and playback
Storage
Swap SD cards in an instant with the top-loading card slot
And when you’re done, you can view your handiwork on your telly (using either HDMI, component or composite cables) and the HDC-TM10 supports VIERA Link if you have a compatible Panasonic set. Otherwise, you can hook up a DVD drive and dump video directly to disc or print photos directly from the camcorder to a PictBridge-friendly printer
The footage is crisp and clear, especially if you use the highest quality recording setting.
The 1920×1080 pixel resolution on the HDC-TM10 can deliver some truly stunning pictures with good colour balance and crisp definition.
In fact, the only things that affect what you video are your skill with the 16x zoom, your steady (or not so steady) hand and what you’re actually filming.
You’ll get better results with fast-moving objects if you don’t compromise on the video mode you use.
Plug the HDC-TM10 into a PC using the mini-USB cable and you can obviously copy your photos and video off directly. Video footage is encoded in the AVCHD format as .MTS files. Panasonic supplies its fiddly HD Writer software for content management, plus basic editing and conversion.
Niggles? It’s difficult to find many faults with the HDC-TM10 beyond its sluggish software. We could point out that the microphone doesn’t always give you a clear audio track to go with the fantastic HD video. Its location on the top of the camcorder (rather than the front) can be an issue and there’s no dedicated mic input. But this is really nit-picking for the sake of it. Overall the sound quality is good, especially if you’re filming indoors.
JVC Everio GZ-HM200 review
Does JVC’s Everio GZ-HM200 do the job for casual shooting?
This handful of silver and black will easily slip into a handbag or an inside coat pocket. Its small and dainty controls are not designed for the serious videographer, but it has the HD spec and features to enable casual users to snap and video high quality images.
While the lens and stereo Dolby Digital speakers seem a little puny, it does sport an impressively large 20x optical zoom. Most modern camcorders plaster their megapixel credentials all over the body, but the 3MP modes available here are tucked away in the manual.
Component, AV and USB leads are included as accessories, along with a remote control, but there’s no cable for HDMI.
For its target audience, the HM200′s pictures are far better than what you’d expect from its equivalent models in the past. But for HD, there’s very little to shout about and the pictures are certainly no better than that served up by decent models on supposedly more primitive formats. Both video and stills are lacking the detail of fellow hi-def models and only impress in optimal shooting conditions. Images also tend to look a little washed out.
Audio is okay, if a little bright and harsh and there is some interference from handling noise. The auto functions are a little slow to react, but do a decent enough job. The whole package is fine for those on a budget who are not worried about the best pictures. For the rest, you’re not getting close to what HD can really offer.
JVC Everio GZ-HM200 review
Does JVC’s Everio GZ-HM200 do the job for casual shooting?
This handful of silver and black will easily slip into a handbag or an inside coat pocket. Its small and dainty controls are not designed for the serious videographer, but it has the HD spec and features to enable casual users to snap and video high quality images.
While the lens and stereo Dolby Digital speakers seem a little puny, it does sport an impressively large 20x optical zoom. Most modern camcorders plaster their megapixel credentials all over the body, but the 3MP modes available here are tucked away in the manual.
Component, AV and USB leads are included as accessories, along with a remote control, but there’s no cable for HDMI.
For its target audience, the HM200′s pictures are far better than what you’d expect from its equivalent models in the past. But for HD, there’s very little to shout about and the pictures are certainly no better than that served up by decent models on supposedly more primitive formats. Both video and stills are lacking the detail of fellow hi-def models and only impress in optimal shooting conditions. Images also tend to look a little washed out.
Audio is okay, if a little bright and harsh and there is some interference from handling noise. The auto functions are a little slow to react, but do a decent enough job. The whole package is fine for those on a budget who are not worried about the best pictures. For the rest, you’re not getting close to what HD can really offer.
Sony HDR-TG7E review
Pros
Dazzling high-def movies. Dual-memory mode. Fast and friendly operation
Cons
Unresponsive touchscreen. GPS is erratic. Only 2.3MP-quality stills in movie mode
Sony’s burgeoning team of Full HD camcorders now includes two models with built-in GPS, which give you the chance to geo-tag movies and stills. The TG7 is the newest arrival, and with a street price of under £800 it’s also the most affordable – the Sony HDR-XR520 costing over £1,300 on its launch.
The TG7 is actually an upgrade to the Sony TG3 launched last year, so as well as its smart, new GPS feature it also boasts a sleeker shape and a titanium body with scratch-resistant coating. And its memory capacity has also been doubled.
Flash and sticks
While the TG3 captured high-def video to Memory Stick only, the TG7 has a 16GB internal flash memory and the capacity to store to Sony’s memory cards.
In effect, 32GB could be at your disposal – representing six hours of video at Full HD’s 1920×1080 resolution, or more if you’re prepared to shoot using lower HD settings.
Weight expectations
The TG7 isn’t super-light, but the fact that it’s no flyweight means it stays steady when you’re shooting. The zoom lever and recording interface have been redesigned from the TG3, and are now easier to use; it’s all very simple and intuitive.
One annoying aspect of video recording is missing ‘big’ moments, and manufacturers have addressed this with a variety of quick-start options. The TG7 is no exception: fold out the 2.7in touchscreen LCD and, without needing to press any buttons, you’re ready to record.
This quick operation is aided by an ability to shoot video and stills simultaneously; there is no need to swap modes. Admittedly, this pegs stills resolution at 2.3MP instead of the 4MP you get if you opt to place the TG7 in its ‘proper’ stills mode, but it can be a worthwhile trade-off.
The right location
GPS is a neat addition, allowing you to see where you are on a map that’s displayed on the LCD, and to then track your journey.
Even better is that through geo-tagging you can look on the map and see at which locations you pressed ‘record’; select a location by pressing a marker on the touchscreen LCD and the video you shot there will play back. Our only gripe is that the GPS doesn’t always work and when it doesn’t it can’t log your position.
Stunning footage
The TG7’s footage is, though, superb. Almost faultless, in fact. Vivid, colourful, sharp, it’s all there, in detail. What’s also pleasing is that the audio quality matches that of the movies, so you get a perfect combination.
Handily, there’s also an optional clip-on wide-angle lens available for the TG7. Called the High Grade 0.7x Wide End Conversion Lens, it’ll set you back a cool £90 from the Sony store, but shop around and you’ll be able to pick it up for nearer £50.
Yes, the TG7 is pricey – too pricey, quite possibly – and the touchscreen can be unresponsive, but for compact dimensions and superior quality you’ll struggle to beat this shooter.
Sony HDR-TG7E review
Pros
Dazzling high-def movies. Dual-memory mode. Fast and friendly operation
Cons
Unresponsive touchscreen. GPS is erratic. Only 2.3MP-quality stills in movie mode
Sony’s burgeoning team of Full HD camcorders now includes two models with built-in GPS, which give you the chance to geo-tag movies and stills. The TG7 is the newest arrival, and with a street price of under £800 it’s also the most affordable – the Sony HDR-XR520 costing over £1,300 on its launch.
The TG7 is actually an upgrade to the Sony TG3 launched last year, so as well as its smart, new GPS feature it also boasts a sleeker shape and a titanium body with scratch-resistant coating. And its memory capacity has also been doubled.
Flash and sticks
While the TG3 captured high-def video to Memory Stick only, the TG7 has a 16GB internal flash memory and the capacity to store to Sony’s memory cards.
In effect, 32GB could be at your disposal – representing six hours of video at Full HD’s 1920×1080 resolution, or more if you’re prepared to shoot using lower HD settings.
Weight expectations
The TG7 isn’t super-light, but the fact that it’s no flyweight means it stays steady when you’re shooting. The zoom lever and recording interface have been redesigned from the TG3, and are now easier to use; it’s all very simple and intuitive.
One annoying aspect of video recording is missing ‘big’ moments, and manufacturers have addressed this with a variety of quick-start options. The TG7 is no exception: fold out the 2.7in touchscreen LCD and, without needing to press any buttons, you’re ready to record.
This quick operation is aided by an ability to shoot video and stills simultaneously; there is no need to swap modes. Admittedly, this pegs stills resolution at 2.3MP instead of the 4MP you get if you opt to place the TG7 in its ‘proper’ stills mode, but it can be a worthwhile trade-off.
The right location
GPS is a neat addition, allowing you to see where you are on a map that’s displayed on the LCD, and to then track your journey.
Even better is that through geo-tagging you can look on the map and see at which locations you pressed ‘record’; select a location by pressing a marker on the touchscreen LCD and the video you shot there will play back. Our only gripe is that the GPS doesn’t always work and when it doesn’t it can’t log your position.
Stunning footage
The TG7’s footage is, though, superb. Almost faultless, in fact. Vivid, colourful, sharp, it’s all there, in detail. What’s also pleasing is that the audio quality matches that of the movies, so you get a perfect combination.
Handily, there’s also an optional clip-on wide-angle lens available for the TG7. Called the High Grade 0.7x Wide End Conversion Lens, it’ll set you back a cool £90 from the Sony store, but shop around and you’ll be able to pick it up for nearer £50.
Yes, the TG7 is pricey – too pricey, quite possibly – and the touchscreen can be unresponsive, but for compact dimensions and superior quality you’ll struggle to beat this shooter.
Toshiba Camileo S10 camcorder
Capable of shooting in Full HD as well as taking 5MP digital photos from within an 18mm-deep frame that’s little bigger than an iPhone, the S10 nevertheless seems like a short-term investment. After all, phones like Samsung’s are surely in the first wave of a tide of Full HD phones.
For now, a spend of £150 doesn’t sound too offensive, especially since the S10 can easily fit in a trouser or jacket pocket, and compares favourably with the likes of the Vado HD, Mino HD and Kodak models.
Its small size, however, does impinge on its ambitions. Yes, it offers Full HD (as well as standard definition) filming, but its 128MB internal memory is rather restrictive. Used in Full HD mode, that accounts for around two-and-a-half minutes of video; better to invest a few quid in as large a SD card as you can afford – the maximum size the S10 can accept is 32GB, which will store roughly 8 hours of HD.
The compact design also means a narrow lens, making it difficult to get much into the widescreen picture. That lens also lacks optical zoom. There is a limited 4x digital zoom (and only 2x for Full HD video), but this introduces softness and is also slow – and slightly jerky – to use.
The 2.5-inch LCD screen itself is excellent. Clear and with easy to understand onscreen menus, the screen is super-supple – it can be folded both outwards and turn clockwise, so you could easily film yourself doing a piece-to-camera. That said, the narrow lens does mean you need to stand quite a distance from the camcorder if you want film the background.
Hooking-up the S10 to a HDTV using its mini HDMI cable is a cinch, though the tiny LCD screen’s content is then blown-up to many times its size. The graphics in the corner now look decidedly low-res, while manually selecting exactly which photo or video you want to display requires using various controls.
It’s a process that is less than intuitive and takes a while to master – a rudimentary remote control would be useful here. At least the HD results – which can be transferred to a PC or Mac as .MOV files – are impressive, especially in bright conditions, though a lot of movement brings blur and footage is not always as sharp as it should be.
Taking 5-megapixel stills, in JPEG format, is a relatively smooth process with decent results, but what you see as a preview on the LCD screen isn’t what you get, making the S10 merely rudimentary as a stills camera. It’s also not possible to take stills pictures while you’re filming video in either HD or SD.
Sanyo Xacti VPC-TH1 camcorder
The TH1 is aimed at those on a budget who still want to benefit from HD recording. It’s 720p rather than Full HD, but that’s still more than adequate for most applications.
The 3in widescreen LCD screen is impressive as is the 30x optical zoom. The TH1 uses SD or SDHC cards though it does have an internal memory capacity of about 40MB, which should be enough in an emergency, for images at least. That internal storage will give you 38 seconds, 57 seconds and 1:49 in the three video modes.
The top resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels at 30 frames per second isn’t bad, however the only other resolution available is a 640 x 480 option at 30 or 60 frames per second. You can capture still images at 1600 x 1200 pixels, which makes this a rather unimpressive 2-megapixel camera. Sanyo bill the TH1 as a dual camera, suitable for both video and still photography, but with just 2 million pixels you’ll probably want a regular stills camera too.
The short body of the Sanyo might not appeal to everyone, but it’s not too bad to use. At first we found the button placement a bit odd, however, over time it became less of an issue. The menus are a simple affair, however, you can put the camera into super simple mode if you so wish.
The Sanyo has a mini sized HDMI connection for you to hook-up directly to an HD TV or amp though the cable isn’t supplied with the camera. The supplied cables will allow you to connect to a TV with a Composite connection.
Rarely does a camera do so badly that we’d warn against using it, but sadly the idea that you might be able to use the TH1 as a stills camera as well as a camcorder is a poor claim. The stills shot with the Sanyo are terrible. Five years ago we’d have been disappointed with quality like this: today it is inexcusable. Rather than suggest you can use this as two cameras in one, Sanyo should have left off the photo function altogether.
Video was better than the still performance, but to be honest that wouldn’t be difficult. Here the Sanyo provides much more acceptable results, but they are only that, nothing more. Video was a touch soft and colours ok, but we’ve seen similar performance from cheaper camcorders.
This is essentially a stripped down version of the Xacti VPC-FH1, which offers more options and Full HD recording. Importantly the VPC-FH1 has a 1cm CMOS chip wile this model has to do with a 0.4cm version. If you’re not bothered about the true HD capture or can cope with a smaller range of features then the TH1 is certainly a nice camera to use. However, the real problem for the TH1 is that it sits uncomfortably in the middle of a range, neither one thing nor the other.
It’s more expensive than the Flip Mino HD and Kodak Zi6 yet cheaper than its full HD brother the FH-1. It doesn’t offer a massive step up in video quality from the budget models and isn’t close to the quality of the full HD version.
Panasonic debuts world’s lightest Full HD cams
The HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 add a bit of light(ness) into your life
Gone are the days when carting round a 1080p camcorder meant back ache and developing arms like Popeye.
Panasonic’s latest batch of Full HD shooters claim to be the lightest of any around, weighing in at a mere 227g.
A quick look at Wolfram Alpha and this equates to, er, 91 times the mass of a US penny.
SD storage
Weight aside, Panasonic has managed to stuff a fair few features into the pair’s diminutive frames.
The HDC-SD10 and HDC- TM10 are identical in specs, the difference being that the TM10 houses both in-built 8GB storage and an SD card slot. The TM10 makes do with just the latter.
Both come with an impressive 16x optical zoom, touchscreen tech and the usual face detection, and image stabilisation gubbins.
They both also utilise the rather cool ‘pre-record’ function, so you shouldn’t miss out on any spontaneous moments of hilarity.
The Panasonic HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 will be in the shops in June, priced at a very reasonable £499.99 and £529.99 respectively.
