Tag: camcorder

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Gift Guide: VholdR ContourHD – HD Helmet Camera

A colleague as just ordered VholdR ContourHD – HD Helmet Camera from Amazon.com. Currently Amazon is providing an $80 coupon code for this Helmet Cam. The offer is valid through December 19th, 2009, or while supplies last.

The current price is $249.99 and to take advantage of this offer add the camcorder to your Shopping Cart, enter promotional code CONTOURH at checkout, and Amazon will apply $80 in savings.

This Helmet Cam records up to 720p (1280×720) video. Supports microSD up to 16GB.

VholdR_HD

If you prefer 1080p Helmet Cam, you can get VholdR ContourHD1080p. Current price as of December 6th, 2009 is $329.99. The coupon code will not work for this model though.

VholdR – Countour HD

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Canon Vixia HFS100 Camcorder Raw AVCHD Sample

Canon Vixia HFS100 – Retail Price $1099.99
Canon Vixia HFS100 is priced as low as $969.00 at Amazon.com (July 15th, 2009).
Canon Vixia HFS100 is priced as low as $869.00 at Buy.com (July 15th, 2009).

Check out the sample video from Canon Vixia HFS100 below.

canon_vixia_hfs100

ISO of the raw AVCHD files is also available here.

Canon Vixia HFS100 features:

  • 1920×1080 HD video recording
  • 24p and 30p recording mode
  • 10x Optical Zoom with O.I.S.
  • 1/2.6″ 8.59 Megapixel Full HD CMOS Image Sensor
  • 24Mbps Recording

Canon Vixia HFS100 is pretty much the same camcorder with Canon Vixia HFS10. Canon Vixia HFS10 records to SDHC card and the bbuilt-in 32GB Flash Memory Canon Vixia HFS100 records only to SDHC card. If you’re looking to buy Canon Vixia HFS100 and want to check out the recording quality, download the raw AVCHD files from Canon Vixia HFS100. The 1/2.6″ CMOS Image sensor makes both Canon Vixia HFS10 and Canon Vixia HFS100 stand out among their competitions. Sony HDR-XR520V has a 1/2.88″ CMOS sensor.

canon_vixia_hfs100_1

canon_vixia_hfs100_2

canon_vixia_hfs100_3

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Disclaimer:

If you bought anything through Amazon link above, and I get some kickbacks.

“If you buy Canon Vixia HFS100, I can buy this Canon Vixia HV40 HDV Camcorder or  the Canon Vixia HFS100” to paraphrase the great Robert Schimmel.

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Panasonic HDC-HS20 Camcorder Raw AVCHD Sample

Panasonic HDC-HS20 – Retail Price $749.95
Panasonic HDC-HS20 is priced as low as $609.95 at Amazon.com (July 15th, 2009).
Panasonic HDC-HS20 is priced as low as $618.06 at Buy.com (July 14th, 2009).

Check out the sample video from Panasonic HDC-HS20 below.

panasonic_hdc_hs20

ISO of the raw AVCHD files is also available here.

Panasonic HDC-HS20 features:

  • 1920×1080 HD video recording
  • 80GB HDD & SD Card Hybrid
  • 16x Optical Zoom with O.I.S.
  • LEICA DICOMAR Lens
  • iA Mode with AF Tracking & Touch Screen

I do not like Hard Drive based camcorders for personal reasons. The Hard Drive capacity is getting bigger and bigger; I am having hard time archiving the raw AVCHD files. Panasonic HDC-HS20 also uses SDHC card as recording media. I’d get Panasonic HDC-SD20 instead of Panasonic HDC-HS20, but that’s just me. Having to own and use numbers of Panasonic and Canon AVCHD Camcorders, I’d now go with Canon Vixia HV40 HDV and Canon Vixia HFS100. The 1/6-inch MOS image sensor is a bit small to produce crisp and vibrant video. Compared to Canon Vixia HFS100 and Sony HDR-XR520V, Panasonic HDC-HS20 is way outclassed. But considering the price, it is a much better choice for those who are looking for an HD camcorder at a lower price.

panasonic_hdc-hs20_1

panasonic_hdc-hs20_2

panasonic_hdc-hs20_3

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Disclaimer:

If you bought anything through Amazon link above, and I get some kickbacks.

“If you buy Panasonic HDC-HS20, I can buy this Canon Vixia HV40 HDV Camcorder” to paraphrase the great Robert Schimmel.

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Sony HDR-XR520V Camcorder Raw AVCHD Sample

Sony HDR-XR520V – Retail Price $1,499.99
Sony HDR-XR520V is priced as low as $1,240.99 at Amazon.com (July 14th, 2009).
Sony HDR-XR520V is priced as low as $1,248.00 at Buy.com (July 14th, 2009).

Check out the sample video from Sony HDR-XR520V below.

sony_hdr_xr520v_sample

ISO of the raw AVCHD files is also available here.

Sony HDR-XR520V features:

  • 1920×1080 HD video recording
  • 12.1 MP still image capture
  • 240GB hard disk drive
  • 1/2.88″ Exmor R CMOS sensor
  • Geotagging support with built-in GPS receiver

One of the first consumer grade High-Definition AVCHD camcorders with GPS receiver that I have ever played with. Another feature I really like about Sony camcorders is the NightShot capability which is practically absent from other brands. Sony HDR-XR520V is also capable to record up to 240 fps.

Smooth Slow Record:

The Smooth Slow Record mode increases the record rate from 60 frames per second (fps) to 240 fps, allowing you to capture 3 seconds of fast motion and play the video back in 12 seconds. This is a great tool for analyzing a golf swing or a viewing a bird in flight. In addition, you record an audio track to narrate the video footage.

I only have a short time to play with this camcorder, I found the on-screen menu is a little bit less intuitive. Overall I like this camcorder, the sticker price is a little bit high.

sony_xdr_hr520v_side

sony_xdr_hr520v_gps

sony_xdr_hr520v_manual_ring

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Disclaimer:

If you bought anything through Amazon link above, and I get some kickbacks.

“If you buy Stargate Atlantis: The Complete Fifth Season, I can buy this Canon Vixia HV40 HDV Camcorder” to paraphrase the great Robert Schimmel.

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Canon Unveils New Camcorder Line-Up

Canon announces numbers of High-Definition and Standard-Definition camcorders today (read Press Release).

New HD Vixia Line-Up:

  • Canon VIXIA HF S10 and VIXIA HF S100 Flash Memory Camcorders
  • Canon VIXIA HF20 and VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory Camcorders
  • Canon VIXIA HV40 HDV Camcorder

New Standard-Definition Line-Up:

  • Canon FS22, FS21 and FS200 Flash Memory Camcorders
  • Canon DC420 and DC410 DVD Camcorders
  • Canon ZR960 MiniDV Camcorder

Availability of the products are to be announced.

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Buying Canon Vixia HV30 Hi-Def Camcorder

I am waiting for UPS to deliver Canon Vixia HV30 that I ordered from Amazon.com. Currently I am using Panasonic HDC-SD5, Panasonic HDC-SD9, and Canon HG10 to work on multimedia projects. All three camcorders are AVCHD camcorders, which record on to SDHC or Hard Drive. Canon Vixia HV30 is an HDV Camcorder that records on to HD-MiniDV tapes.

As much as I like the AVCHD format, I found a few advantages using a tape-based camcorder. I will get into that later.

For now, I am waiting for the camcorder to arrive on July 3rd.

Delivery estimate: July 3, 2008
1 “Canon VIXIA HV30 MiniDV High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom”
Electronics; $786.26
Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC

UPDATE:

The following items have been shipped to you by Amazon.com:
———————————————————————
Qty      Item                           Price  Shipped  Subtotal
———————————————————————
Amazon.com items (Sold by Amazon.com, LLC):
1     Canon VIXIA HV30 MiniDV Hi…  $786.26      1  $786.26

Shipped via UPS (estimated arrival date: 03-July-2008).
Tracking number: ******************
———————————————————————
Item Subtotal:  $786.26
Shipping & Handling:  $3.99

Total:  $790.25

Leo Laporte talked about this camcorder a few months back, and he took it to Tasmania for the Adobe Lightroom Adventure.

Canon Vixia HV30 product page @ Canon.com