 | Kodak PlayTouch Video Camera (Black) NEWEST VERSION
Kodak Play Touch Review-what comes in the Box -- 2010-09-09
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RNB1SI6GU5DZC This review highlights what comes in the box with the Kodak PlayTouch and an important item that is NOT included in the box.Kodak PlayTouch Video Camera (Black) NEWEST VERSION
Features that helped me purchase this camera over other competitors include:
* 5MP Photos are available
* High Def video in 720P resolution at either 30 or 60 frames/second
* High Def video in 1080P resolution at 30 frames/second
* External Microphone Jack-this allows you to plug in a microphone and extend it away from the camera to provide better sound. You can also use a stereo mic. in this plug.Sony ECM-719 Stereo Microphone with Music/Meeting Mode Switch
* Easy to use USB connector for connection to PC or Mac
* Simple upload process for Youtube, Vimeo, Facebook and other video sites.
* Positive experience with predecessor to this version-the Kodak Zi8.
Recommend you purchase an extra battery, SD memory card and case shown here: Kodak 1047398 Pocket Video Case,
Patriot LX Series 32 GB Class 10 SDHC Flash Memory Card PSF32GSDHC10 (Black)
Kodak Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery/KLIC 7004
I own a Flip HD Mino, the Kodak Zi8 and now this Kodak PlayTouch. The Kodak camera's are always in the most demand from family members and my professional photographer son. In my view, this is the best pocket video camera available today.
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 | Canon VIXIA HF R100 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder - 2010 MODEL
Great image and features but the autofocus makes some noise in quiet scenes -- 2010-08-18
At least one reviewer mentioned that the camera makes a clicking or whirring noise when recording quiet scenes. This is true and is due to the autofocus. When switched to manual focus the noise goes away completely. This doesn't help matters much, but if you're recording something that doesn't require constant focus changes (e.g. far away objects where the focus is at infinity anyway) then you can let it focus automatically first then switch it to manual focus before starting recording. If you're into video editing and plan on having music or narration over the original audio track then I wouldn't consider the noise a point against buying this camera.
Noise aside, the 'Instant Autofocus' really is instant. I let it focus on my hand very close up and as soon as I pulled it away it snapped the other end of the room right into focus.
Other than that the camera is great for the price. The picture is amazing on the highest quality setting but still very good at the lowest setting. The automatic lens cover (though fairly ubiquitous now) is awesome. It comes out of standby almost instantly and allows you to start recording while barely missing any action. The 20x optical zoom is quick and great to have as it makes composition more versatile. The camera itself is tiny (and I have small hands), so it's very easy to hold and operate.
One thing to note about the image stabilization is that when you're playing back something in slow motion (that was recorded using high zoom) the image can look slightly wavy and distorted occasionally, but it's not that bad (due to the image stabilization doing its job). When watching at normal speed, though, it's unnoticeable. If you plan on doing a lot of slow motion playback, I'd recommend using a tripod with the image stabilization turned off.
Battery life is pretty much what the Canon specs state, which is decent but not amazing. I'd recommend buying a couple more (if you're out in the boonies with no electricity) on [...] or Amazon. DON'T buy Canon batteries as they're way overpriced. I got a 1700 mAh battery and car/wall charger for $15 on [...] and haven't had any problems.
The manual states that not all HDTVs will work with the camera when using an HDMI cable. I have a 32" Toshiba and it doesn't work. It could be the model or the brand, who knows. The camera does work fine with the supplied component cables. This doesn't bother me as I usually transfer the video to my computer and put it on a flash drive, which I then plug into my Blu-Ray and play from there. It's a much better interface as I can use the remote just like I'm watching a movie and don't have to fuss with the limited camera controls.
Overall I'd highly recommend this camera, especially if you live in the U.S. where everything is so ridiculously cheap. I live in Canada where prices tend to be a bit higher and many companies don't ship here or the customs fees basically negate any savings from the lower base price.
Decent Picture, Audio annoyances -- 2010-07-05
I Received the HFR100 as an early birthday gift and at first it seemed alright. But then i really started testing it,and came up with an overall conclusion to the camera. It's not all it's cracked out to be, and could be better for the price.
Reasons:
The 60i Frame rate is pointless. If you're going to shoot shoot with this camera shoot in 24p or 30p. At highest quality it's not too bad... If you're in bright light scenarios. Once you get regular light (i.e. a typically lit indoor room, or a room with natural light coming in) and low light, it gets really grainy. I also realized that you don't get 1080 unless u use the FXP 12mbps mode. Otherwise it's slightly less resolution and not true 1080.
But the biggest kicker that made me really dislike this camera was the noise that comes from the camera and manages to seep into your video. Unless you're shooting a loud scene, you will notice an audible, fast, repeating "Clacking" sound seep into your video. This was the killer for me. I plan on using my next camera for some semi-professional projects. The part that I don't get is why it makes this kind of noise from a Flash Based camera!?
Additionally i don't like that you can't put on additional lenses, the auto focus is pretty slow to react. Image stabilization is useless even slightly zoomed in (Dynamic IS helps a little but not much). No place for a light attachment. The microphone input is nice, but if you're using a wireless mic, the camera person is going to have to hold in his hand or pocket the receiver.
I didn't try the editing software that came with the Camera and used Final Cut Pro instead. It worked fine with that using the "Log and Transfer" option. FCP works with the files just fine. The drawback to the file format that this file uses is that it needs to be converted for a mac to read it by default. Didn't try any other programs to view the video so i can't comment on which programs will work on the Mac.
Bottom Line: If you are just shooting to shoot family vacations or something that may not be seen by a bunch of people? This isn't that bad of a camera for that. However if you care about the quality and the ability to do more than just point and shoot, skip this and spring for a higher model like the HF-M30.
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 | Sony HDR-XR150 120GB High Definition HDD Handycam Camcorder
Fantastic upgrade from my old video camcorder -- 2010-08-09
Purchased this camera before our World Series trip to Orlando. Quickly picked up on all all the functions. The zoom is excellent and the anti-shake works very well as long as you are not fully zoomed in.
The best feature for me is the super slow motion setting - allowing me to video my team as they swing and throw at super slow motion. The video in this mode is crystal clear and I am able to see minor flaws in swings and in pitching.
I also ordered a wide angle lens for my recorder to use indoors at my daughter's volleyball games.
Downloads video easily.
The software that comes with it gives you minimal support. If you want to create anything fancy for your DVD or Blu-rays, you'll need to purchase better software.
Looks poor on a 1080p HDTV -- 2010-07-31
This camera is actually a Consumer Reports Best Buy, so I went to my neighborhood Fry's Electronics to take a look at it in their showroom. To my surprise, they had already mounted this camera on a tripod and hooked it up to a 40" 1080p HDTV through an HDMI port. I played with the camera focusing on people at various locations throughout the store and checked out the results on the TV. The quality was such a disappointment. Edges were fuzzy and pixelated even on faces that the camera auto-focused on. Anything with sharp lines (like the edges of tiles in the ceiling) actually wiggled while the camera was motionless on the tripod. If I hadn't read the one-star review for this model on Amazon, I would have thought there was a problem with that particular camera.
I guess if you were just going to create low-resolution videos to upload to YouTube this camera would probably be just fine. Since I wanted something I could capture good quality home videos to display on my HDTV, I passed over this camera.
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 | Samsung H200 Full HD Camcorder with 20x Optical Zoom (Black)
Great camera overall but mic performance is subpar -- 2010-09-05
Excelent entry level camcorder. The Time Lapse feature is cool. Can change video resolution to save space (these two features where the main reason I choose this model). The free software works well for amateurs and semi-pro (better than I expected). Optical zoom is excelent and digital zoom is not bad. Easy to use and intuitive. In fact, I started using the camera without reading the manual.
Cons:
1) The mic catchs a lot of noise or unwanted sounds, for example, the movement of my hand in the strap, the movement of my fingers over the camera surface, the pressing of the photo or zoom buttons, the lens zooming, my breathing and people talking behind me.
2) Photo quality is low compared with my cheap casio EXILIM.
3) No shortcuts, almost everything have to be done in the menus. For example, the time-lapse mode and artistic effects require several clicks in the touch-screen.
4) Smart-Auto sometimes fails to identify correctly the lighting conditions or have a lag of several seconds, especially if you you change of enviroment while recording. Moreover, in time-lapse mode, the smart feature is useless because it stay fixed once you start the recording. For example, to record a transition from night to day, I started a recording at night and the next morning the indicator was still in 'Night Mode'.
5) Cannot change FPS. It's fixed in 60.
6) The battery only charges while the camera is off. Maybe this is not failure but a feature to avoid damage of the battery.
It is recommended a high capacity and high speed memory card. In my case, I use an class 10 16GB card and I carry an extra 8 GB card just in case. In the future, I will have a combination of 32-16 GB because HD videos takes a lot of space.
By the way, the camera splits the videos in 2GB files but you can join then in the computer using the included software (assuming your file system is NTFS). Beware, after I updated the software it started to show an error when transfering files to the computer. Not a big deal because I can copy them manually but I suggest not to update unless you create a system restore point.
Outstanding value and video quality -- 2010-08-17
PRO's
~ Small, compact, and light. Almost too small. Large hands would find it awkward to hold if it weren't so lightweight. Button layout (record/zoom/photo) is very well placed and easy to use.
~ Data port covers. All ports have hinged plastic doors instead of a rubber boot/cap. In my experience rubber parts tend to wear out or get lost so I prefer the plastic door.
~ Built in manual lens cover. A simple switch opens the lens cover and you never have to worry about losing it. I prefer manual over automatic as it allows me to leave the lens cover closed while I am viewing videos, transferring files, or charging the battery via USB.
~ Time Lapse. I have only played around with this but it looks intriguing. It's not an option that swayed my decision to buy this camcorder, but it's pretty cool nonetheless.
~ Reversible LCD screen. Like most screens this one folds out and has the ability to rotate so the person being filmed can view the screen. This one can also be folded back into the camcorder in that position so the screen is still visible with the screen closed against the camcorder. This allows you to record without having the camera in such a vulnerable open position. It's a nice touch that shows they're paying attention to small details.
~ Optical image stabilization. The OIS performs extremely well at regular zoom. Performance drops as you zoom of course, but is still well above anything else in the budget category.
~ Video quality. This records in 3 modes: standard definition, 720p high definition, and 1080i high definition. Since data storage is cheap I set the camera to 1080i and SuperFine and left it there. After filming I plugged it into my 50" projection TV. I was pleasantly surprised to find the interior low light performance (the bane of almost all camcorders) was good. However the interior well lit and outside daylight videos were amazing.
~ There is no harddrive. You cannot record without a SD or SDHC card. If you're like me you have several laying around so it's no problem. The lack of harddrive means the unit is lighter, uses less battery power, has fewer things to go wrong, and more importantly is cheaper.
CON's
~ There is no harddrive. You cannot record without a SD or SDHC card. Furthermore, not just any card will do. Class 10 is the manufacture's suggested speed. If you don't have one laying around prepare to drop another $50 or so.
~ Not a lot of manual image control. If you are planning on setting it on "auto" and recording your family reunion or kid's games you won't ever need better control. However more experience users who are creating art will be disappointed with the lack of control. Honestly though, those who require more control than this camcorder offers really shouldn't be looking at budget camcorders.
~ Still images are not great. This camcorder allows you take still pictures while recording video but the resulting still images are nothing to write home about. It's a nice feature, but anyone who has a digital camera or high end phone can get at least the same results or better. Also the software easily lets you extract still images from your videos, so there's really no point in this function. I'd rather they remove this feature altogether and shave some more $ off the already bargain price.
~ The zoom control lever could use some improvement. While it is variable and allows for fast or slow zooming, it is not easy to control smoothly. The second zoom control (rocker switch on the LCD door) is a fixed speed and is so slow that I can't envision ever using it.
~ The LCD screen is bright, but like all exposed screens in direct sunlight, it can become impossible to see. While I'm glad to see they left a viewfinder out to save money, they need to go ahead and include a small detachable hood for the screen. It's a minor issue, but one that the entire industry seems reluctant to admit and correct.
~ The AV, HDMI, and USB ports are located so that you cannot close the LCD screen while any of those cables are plugged in. It's no a big deal for the AV & HDMI since you're watching it when those are plugged in so the screen would need to be open anyway. However if you are just using the USB port to recharge the camcorder you are forced to leave the screen in the vulnerable open position for hours.
~ The battery can only be charged while it is on the camcorder. There is no way to recharge a battery while recording with another one. This wouldn't matter if there were a battery pack adapter that allowed you to use AA or AAA batteries, but Samsung does not offer one. If you want to record more than 2 consecutive hours you have 2 options; plug this into a wall or have an extra battery already charged. Going on a weekend getaway with no electricity? You had better buy and pre-charge a battery for every 2 hours of recording time you want. At about $50 per spare battery it can get expensive quick. This is a severe oversight and the only reason this does not get a 5 star review from me.
CONCLUSION:
It appears with this camcorder Samsung tried to carve out the "budget HD" niche. By shaving features here and there they managed to produce a camcorder that has incredible bang for the buck. The basics that they settled on are anything but basic at the price point they are offering. This camcorder gives you the ability to record in 1080i HD, optical image stabilization, 20x optical zoom, and a 2 hour battery for a best in class price.
Not only does this package perform exceptionally well as a camcorder for the entry level HD market, I can't help but think it helps put the nail in the coffin of standard definition camcorders. HD technology made SD obsolete, but cheap prices kept SD camcorders relevant. The comparable low cost and untouchable performance of this Samsung HD camcorder finally shoves SD camcorders over the edge into the graveyard of electronics past.
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 | Sony HDR-CX110 High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Blue)
Great Camera -- 2010-09-05
I love this camera...i wasnt expecting to be so small an have so much options, not to mention about the video quality.
Insanely small and does great job in low light and of course quality and price - must consider this -- 2010-08-31
I got this about two weeks ago
pros - small size - incredibly small - yet great picture. Low light performance is amazing. Good battery life (I added FV70 - as included battery has a life of about 1 hour).
cons - no memory included - so I have to wait to get my new transcend 16GB speed-10 card. Someway it is better as I broke my last camara and spent lots of money trying to get my videos out of that camcorder. Here I can open and take the card out and boom.
Got format fatory software for free - it will read the current format on the card and convert to regular formats (like AVI etc.)
I checked the converted files on PC and looks great. I haven't tried Sony's software yet, but will try it in couple of weeks.
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 | Sanyo VPC-WH1 High Definition Waterproof Flash Memory Camcorder w/ 30x Optical Zoom (Blue)
It is NOT a waterproof camcorder -- 2010-09-07
This product is not splash proof forget about waterproof. I used the camcorder while paddling, mounted on my standup paddleboard, and used twice. It never got submerged, and I followed Sanyo's caring instructions. Instead of most probable locations for the water to get in, i.e. battery cover, AC charging cover and SD card cover, it got water in from lens cover. So my last videos were foggy. Again this camcorder never got submerged in to water. So my final review is that if you are buying for waterproof, do not buy this. Something is certainly wrong with this product.
TheHawk -- 2010-09-07
This is a rugged little camera. I purchased it for use in the outdoors. I like going on canoe trips and taking my camera with me and not worrying about getting it wet from foul weather or an occasional splash of water. I think that this will satisfy my needs. I would like to use it underwater, but I am leery of the seals leaking and finding my self left with a paper weight.If I did use it underwater, I would place some weather guard tape over the sd card door for added protection.If it leaks anywhere, I believe it would leak there.The LCD Screen is not bright enough to use is strong sunlight, but it will enable you to frame the shot.Having a 30x optical zoom is also a big plus when taking nature photography.Using it in the sun this summer, I noticed some moisture form between the lens and behind the glass protective cover.It fogged up the clips that I made, but afterwards went away.Having experienced that,I am not so quick to take it underwater.However having said that,I feel that the camera for under $200 is a good buy.The satisfaction of knowing that you can use the camera in the rain without damaging it relieves my stress.The macro on this camera is also excellent.I would not use this as a substitute for a digital still camera. It is what it is. I will give another review of the WH1 after using it more.
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 | Sony HDR-XR550V 240GB High Definition HDD Handycam Camcorder
Wonderful camera -- 2010-08-24
I've had this camera for three months now and highly recommend it. The HD video quality (I only use the FX 24 Mbps mode) is stunning. I sometimes think the video is even more realistic looking than the actual scene being shot. I have added a Rode Stereo Video Mic and Vortex Warm Cards to good effect.
I would like to have more independent manual control over focusing, exposure, white balance, etc. It is possible to manually adjust these settings but there is only a small multipurpose rotary knob for this purpose. Also, you can't simultaneously adjust both aperture and shutter speed. A larger lens would be nice, native progressive mode framing, and XLR microphone inputs. In order to get these features, you would have to spend a few thousand dollars more.
I do have a quibble about the "12 Megapixel" still photos this camera is supposed to be able to shoot. Something is missing in them. The stills even lack the depth and vibrancy of the HD video the same camera produces. My wife's 3.3 megapixel camera (a Sony) produces much better stills. It wouldn't bother me a bit if Sony had simply not included a still photo option.
Fantastic Camcorder -- 2010-08-06
XR550V is a fantastic camcorder. The quality of video is outstanding, ergonomics are top notch and having to almost never think about running out of tape/storage is great. However, the best attribute of this camcorder is the GREAT lens. It is one feature that makes this unit so handy for a typical family - no more moving left or right, forward of back - this lens is WIDE enough to capture it all, even in a LOW light. I am very happy with the HDR-XR550V and highly recommend it.
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 | Canon VIXIA HF S21 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder - 2010 MODEL
Canon VIXIA HF S21 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder - 2010 MODEL -- 2010-07-25
Best consumer camcorder I've worked with...
Picture and sound are truly amazingCanon VIXIA HF S21 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder - 2010 MODEL
Canon HF S21 -- 2010-07-15
I was after a High Quality Hi Def camcorder with a Viewfinder! I have had enough of the silly LCD screens with their "Hold & Hope" feature.
The Canon HF S21 meets or exceeds anything I was looking for!!!
The LCD touch screen is actually usable in all but the most extreme lighting conditions.
The image stabilizing is the best I have ever seen and I have not even tried the extra Powered IS stabilizer button yet!
Image quality is superb! One thing I was hoping for was a 'One Camera' for both movies & stills product... This one will do it for me!
Only downside... OEM Battery (BP 808) lasted me about 55 minutes in real world - easy enough to fix.
Bulky - it is about 2 3/4" square and does not comfortably fit my hand or anyone else who picked it up.
Zoom switch is 'pretty good' sure miss those BIG rocker switches they used to have.
Overall, I am excited every time I pick it up!
Must mention, my purchase was Used (can't tell it) and through HD Camcorders & More. They were top notch and I would seek them out for future purchases - like an extra battery.
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 | Canon FS300 Flash Memory Camcorder (Silver) - 2010 MODEL
Comatible with a Mac? Rarely. -- 2010-09-07
To say this camera works seamlessly with a Mac is a joke. It's very spotty at best - and I've spent literally hours (today for example) trying to get iMovie '09 to recognize the camera - even though the camera icon shows up as a drive on the desktop. Yes, I've downloaded video in the past, but it's always a crapshoot. So buyer beware.
I had NO idea Canon would even release a camera that didn't work seamlessly with the Mac Platform. Disappointed to say the least. Help!
canon FS300 flash memory camcorder -- 2010-08-06
Appears to be a good camcorder. I haven't used it yet though because it doesn't come with a memory card.
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