Aiptek A-HD 720P 5MP CMOS High Definition Camcorder

Aiptek A-HD 720P 5MP CMOS High Definition Camcorder | cool!

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Aiptek A-HD 720P 5...

	Aiptek A-HD 720P 5MP CMOS High Definition Camcorder Aiptek, Inc. Aiptek, Inc. average customer review:based on 67 reviews view larger image
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AIPTEK HD camera

I needed a knock-around HD camera. Something that would fit in a briefcase, while taking video clips better than SD (standard definition) quality. So, I thought I'd take a chance and order an unknown-brand (AIPTEK), but had decent reviews here on Amazon.

Much to my surprise and enjoyment this camera provides what I need. Of course, it's not like having a semi-pro, or pro-quality HD camera, but for a little guy that costs less than 150.00 you can't beat it! I took the camera out for a spin yesterday to shot some scenes with wife & doggie on a field trip. The results are:

* Nice, sharp HD quality video at 720. Not 1080, but who cares! The color is quite decent, and the sharpness for a little camera is terrific. While it can't match a 3 CCD HD, or a larger CMOS chip camera shooting at 1080 it does the job in a compact form factor. I do expect to take this camera with me everywhere. There was a comment here about the plastic housing...it's not that bad. I wouldn't lend it to kids, or drop it on concrete, but it's sturdy enough to survive in a briefcase, or purse if it had a small little protective hard case. Note: Purses and soft briefcase tend to be especially dusty - not a great place to stick electronics IMO.

* The audio is decent. I was shooting some scenes in the car with an open window and it surprisingly filtered out most of the road noise and caught the dialog inside! The mic. is placed on top of the camera. This can cause some noise if you move your hands about the camera while shooting. However, as with any camera there is some accommodation given the ergonomics. On saying that I do wish the record on/off button was larger, and the joystick controlled a tad bigger. Folks with ham-sized fist (like me) might have to fumble around a tad more than say someone with dexterous fingers. Low light conditions came out a tad grainy. But then again, you can't expect the little camera to do everything. One of my new CMOS camera is equally as grainy as the AIPTEK in dark-lit conditions. There is a night-mode selection in the camera, but I have yet to try it out.

* Transfer to Macintosh. All I had to do was hook up the USB cable and the Aiptek was recognized as an external hard drive. I simply transferred all the files into my mac and now they're ready to be edited as .mov files. So, it's a breeze to edit in imovie, as well a Final Cut. Very, very simple.

* Longevity - I don't know. I've had this camera now for three days. If it breaks, I'll just get another one!

So all in all, if you are shooting casual video and don't care too much about semi-pro quality video and audio this little guy will probably fill that niche well. It also shoot stills and has a flash. I haven't really evaluated that, but I would tend to use my dedicated digital still camera for that.

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cool!

I bought this camera so that my family could have some fun making little movies about ourselves. My son has really liked it and I have felt comfortable too. I am not technologically advanced like my son is, so feeling comfortable with a video device is really good. I'd recommend this camera to most anyone who just wants to be able to take moving pictures, is not too worried about sound quality, and doesn't want to worry about technophilic stuff. I haven't edited on my computer yet but am hopeful that my child will figure it out for me.

Better than I expected - happy with purchase

I bought this because it was all I could afford and I needed to record kid's cermonies and events. I was worried because reviews stated problems with low light and sound. But I am happy with results. I found it easy to operate. I am famous for recording feet and shaking the camera. I did forget to turn it off and recorded some feet but I did not have nearly as many problems with camera shaking as I had with our old camcorder. I think because it is so light and small I was better able to keep my hand steady. I bought 4 GB memory card and charged it overnight before using (as other reviwers suggested). I did a few trial recordings of several seconds each to adjust the light etc before the first use and used the settings recommended in other reviews. I did not have any problems with lighting when recording in a dark theatre with stage lights. I recorded a dance performance and did not have problems with tracking, all was smooth. It does take several seconds to zoom and focus. I did not have trouble with sound for dance performance which had loud sound system. Awards ceremony in school cafeteria was harder to hear. Had no problem playing back on TV. I have not yet tried to edit on computer or burn to computer disk. Will update review when I have a chance to try it out. If anyone has tips to edit the clips together using Windows I would appreciate it. I have many individual clips since I was only recording certain performances that I would like to link together into one smooth recording on computer disk for a grandmother.

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Useful, easy to use, inexpensive digi camcorder!

The good: Inexpensive, easy to use, quick to start recording, easy to export (onto a MAC), removeable media (SD card), has a zoom, can take pictures, is light, has a flip screen for self-recording.

The bad: Short battery life, no image stabilizer (hope you have a steady hand), and the H.264 compression is not easy to use. (To use in FCP, I downloaded MPEG Streamclip and converted to Apple Intermediate Codec, which sadly made the clip files 10x larger!). Zoom function is jumpy and microphone is so-so quality.

Bottom line: It's the BEST out there for the price. This will hold me over until I can afford the Panasonic SDR-H200 which I REALLY want! For now, it's the best alternative, and it looks great even on a 42" Plasma TV-now that's awesome!

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