Post by rgvcam on Jul 2, 2006 20:28:22 GMT -5
Having recently lost (or 'misplaced'!) my much loved Aiptek IS-DV MPEG4 camcorder, and not being too hopeful at this stage that it will turn up, I am now mourning over the loss of this device while looking at a replacement. I tended to use it to take video of my 10 month old to send to my family back in the UK and was very happy with the video quality for a cheap MPEG4 device.
Now I was going to replace it with the Aiptek MPVR but started looking at other replacements such as the Sanyos, including a Samsung miniDV that also doubles as an MPEG4 video camera which looks very interesting indeed considering its a similar price to the Sanyos which are MPEG4 cameras only. There are no reviews I can find on the Samsung though, and their MPEG4 only cameras seem to have poor reviews so I am wary on that aspect of the device.
I have been doing a bit of research on the Sanyos and the reason I got interested in these devices is that I was assuming that the autofocus lens as against a fixed focus would yield sharper video. The samples I have come across seem to suggest this plus they record in stereo which even the Samsung miniDV doesn't (although it does on the tape. Seems very odd they didn't include the ability with the MPEG4 recording)
What I would like to know, is how much better the Sanyos are in low light conditions. My Aiptek, was pretty useless to be honest in a poorly lit room, but then it has a CMOS sensor whereas the Sanyo's have a CCD which in my experience with digital cameras etc. seems to give them better low light ability. Of course the cheapest one is over twice the price of the Xacti so I want to make sure that this is a good model to get.
I am not too concerned about the still image size of the more expensive models. What is more important to me, is whether the video is any better on the C6 or C5, or rather whether it is $200 better than the C40 which is the difference in price. From samples I have seen, I suspect not. Also, does the larger sensor make any REAL difference with respect to their low light capability?
Of course you may be wondering why I am posting if I have seemingly answered my own question, but I am more interested in real world answers from people who have used them since often reviews can be a little biased as I have found on camcorderinfo.com who don't seem to have a good word to say on MPEG4 type cameras.
Thanks in advance to all.
Now I was going to replace it with the Aiptek MPVR but started looking at other replacements such as the Sanyos, including a Samsung miniDV that also doubles as an MPEG4 video camera which looks very interesting indeed considering its a similar price to the Sanyos which are MPEG4 cameras only. There are no reviews I can find on the Samsung though, and their MPEG4 only cameras seem to have poor reviews so I am wary on that aspect of the device.
I have been doing a bit of research on the Sanyos and the reason I got interested in these devices is that I was assuming that the autofocus lens as against a fixed focus would yield sharper video. The samples I have come across seem to suggest this plus they record in stereo which even the Samsung miniDV doesn't (although it does on the tape. Seems very odd they didn't include the ability with the MPEG4 recording)
What I would like to know, is how much better the Sanyos are in low light conditions. My Aiptek, was pretty useless to be honest in a poorly lit room, but then it has a CMOS sensor whereas the Sanyo's have a CCD which in my experience with digital cameras etc. seems to give them better low light ability. Of course the cheapest one is over twice the price of the Xacti so I want to make sure that this is a good model to get.
I am not too concerned about the still image size of the more expensive models. What is more important to me, is whether the video is any better on the C6 or C5, or rather whether it is $200 better than the C40 which is the difference in price. From samples I have seen, I suspect not. Also, does the larger sensor make any REAL difference with respect to their low light capability?
Of course you may be wondering why I am posting if I have seemingly answered my own question, but I am more interested in real world answers from people who have used them since often reviews can be a little biased as I have found on camcorderinfo.com who don't seem to have a good word to say on MPEG4 type cameras.
Thanks in advance to all.