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Thread: Best HD Pocket Camcorder

  1. #1
    Senior Member ncusa367's Avatar
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    Cool Best HD Pocket Camcorder

    I love my HV30 and primarily use it for shooting ski movies. However, I am looking for a camera that is small and light that I can carry when I dont want to ski with a backpack. Heres a picture of the general style I am looking for.



    I am looking for the best quality HD camera that is around this size. Thanks

  2. #2
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    sony has a pistol grip, but its expensive. HDR-TG5V or tg1

    sanyo has the HD2000, really good camcorder, 60p for fluid motion shots, cheaper than sony. probably the one i'd recommend, but its not as pocketable. its kinda big for a pistol grip.

    sanyo also has smaller more pocketable 720p xactis.

    or you can always get the latest aiptek if you're on a tight budget.

  3. #3
    Legend SenorKaffee's Avatar
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    This looks like the AHD300 I have. The sound is awful and the rolling shutter in the 1080 mode is not beautiful to watch. If you set it to 720 and have enough light (which is very likely in this situation, because snow is a good reflector) it will do the job.
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    HD2000 is pretty much the same style.

    I took my FH1 via pocket on a gig downtown. Granted that my shorts had big cargo pockets on the sides. And dealing with an actual lens cap is a hassle. The FH1 wont fit in my jeans pockets. But I'm tending to put it on a mini tripod and slip the tripod in the pocket with the camcorder outside the pocket. But then again, I'm a little overweight so my over sized clothes have larger than average pockets. And I tend to favor clothes with deep pockets, a carry over from a different life where I rode a bicycle everyday and clothes with short pockets had your wallet falling out of your pants with every stroke of the pedal.

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    Valued Member frede's Avatar
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    Although the HD2000 will fit in my pocket with a nice little bulge, it's a little awkward to "whip it out." The HD2000 does have a nice little belt holster to hold the camera. Sadly its just a little too easy for the camera to pop out of the holster as it is designed, so I glued a Velcro tie strap on it, so now it only comes out, when I want, but still with just one hand. You can call me "Quickdraw"
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  6. #6

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    Been having a blast with the Flip Video, Mino HD. Stunning for it's size.

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    Senior Member Atnas's Avatar
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    If you are interested in the formfactor of the mino, the mino HD is definitely the way to go. Awesome quality, its size considered

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    I had a Aiptek Action HD I used for a glove compartment cam. It actually had a really clear picture. If you get an Aiptek make sure to get the "Action" GVS model. I don't think the quality is bad at all especially if you want to just throw something in your pocket or glove comp.

    $179.00

    Not my footage ....[ame="http://vimeo.com/3635600?pg=embed&sec=&hd=1"]http://vimeo.com/3635600?pg=embed&sec=&hd=1[/ame]
    Last edited by JERKSTORE; 2009 June 6th at 13:58.

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    The Aiptek GVS is definitely a good idea if your on a low budget and if you can afford bit more, you can pick up the Panasonic ZS3 for $400 or the Sanyo FH1 for $432.

  10. #10
    Travelling MAL 1's Avatar
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    Best pocket HD camcorder? Well of course: that would be the SCARLET!

    (Sorry, bad joke...)

  11. #11
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    i actually like the flip ultra hd. it's a little bigger than the minoHD, but still has a rechargeable battery pack, plus the ability to use AA batteries, twice the recording capacity, a bigger screen, and better overall video than the minoHD--and it's like $30 cheaper. and who cares about manual control on a pocket cam? but an optical zoom would be nice...that fixed lens kinda sucks

  12. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dust'n the Callipygous View Post
    i actually like the flip ultra hd. it's a little bigger than the minoHD, but still has a rechargeable battery pack, plus the ability to use AA batteries, twice the recording capacity, a bigger screen, and better overall video than the minoHD--and it's like $30 cheaper. and who cares about manual control on a pocket cam? but an optical zoom would be nice...that fixed lens kinda sucks
    "better overall video than the minoHD"

    In what way is it better?

  13. #13

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    Another vote for the Aiptek Action-HD GVS.

    30fps/1080P...60fps/720p...5x optical zoom/auto focus...gyroscopic stabilization...external mic jack...HDMI connection ...5MP stills...night shot mode...0.4 inch macro mode...removable hard disk + built-in card reader...built-in charger for option to charge via USB on pc...extras batteries are cheap...

    Low system requirements: XP/Vista...Pentium 4 (3.2GHz.higher)...Direct X 9.0c (or above)...1gb pc RAM...256MB video RAM...Quicktime (.mov format).

    Comes with USB/component/AV cables...battery...remote control...AC charger...lens cap...camera bag...and user's guide...

    very decent PQ for only $179.

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    Quote Originally Posted by zephyrnoid View Post
    "better overall video than the minoHD"

    In what way is it better?
    better auto white balance. i think they may have actually tweaked the compression a little because the motion looks better too--maybe that's just me.

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    I wonder why the Aiptek GVS isn’t in this list:
    http://www.camcorderinfo.com/d/Revie...Camcorders.htm

    Off topic, I know, but I just had to point that out.

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    After seeing this thread, I went to CamcorderInfo to try and find a review and was wondering that same thing, actually. Looks like a really nice little cam. I think I'm going to buy one for my Mom for her birthday. She would never take the time to convert or edit videos, so the pre-compression and formatting vs. the quality you get from capturing and rendering yourself is a good compromise for her, especially in this form factor. She could slip that puppy right into her purse. And I know she'd enjoy having something to record with once we have our baby and she's got her first grandkid here in a few days.

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  18. #18

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    i saw amazon has refurbed kodak zi6 for 99 bucks. not bad for a pocket hd. i picked up two to make an anaglyph 3d rig. a black and a pink.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Perladdict View Post
    After seeing this thread, I went to CamcorderInfo to try and find a review and was wondering that same thing, actually. Looks like a really nice little cam. I think I'm going to buy one for my Mom for her birthday. She would never take the time to convert or edit videos, so the pre-compression and formatting vs. the quality you get from capturing and rendering yourself is a good compromise for her, especially in this form factor. She could slip that puppy right into her purse. And I know she'd enjoy having something to record with once we have our baby and she's got her first grandkid here in a few days.
    which cam are you talking about?:?

  20. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hulk View Post
    which cam are you talking about?:?
    Aiptek GVS..Perl was referring to the post right before (his):
    Quote Originally Posted by Paulo Teixeira View Post
    I wonder why the Aiptek GVS isn’t in this list:
    http://www.camcorderinfo.com/d/Revie...Camcorders.htm

  21. #21
    Moderator Erik Bien's Avatar
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    Default Speaking of itty-bitty HD cams ...

    Check out the ContourHD Helmet Cam ... $280 at Filmtools and B&H ...

  22. #22
    Travelling MAL 1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Erik Bien View Post
    Check out the ContourHD Helmet Cam ... $280 at Filmtools and B&H ...

    WOW, this thing looks SWEET!

    I think I'll get one just because of what neat POV one can get with this thing.
    Price seems rather nice too, compared to only a few years/months ago.

    Thanks Erik for this 'find'!!!

  23. #23

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    How big are your pockets? (for greenbacks, and for cameras)

    If you're going for truly small I would be tempted to get a Canon or Sony still digital camera that does 720p HD. They're tougher and higher quality then most of your alternatives, plus they have the major advantage of taking great stills. The video's a little weak on some of these, but it's rapidly advancing.

  24. #24

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    Stay tuned for my one pager on GearNinja.com titled
    Guerrilla Citizen Journalism - iReporter Vest Dump
    I portray my hacked Mino HD.

  25. #25

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    Kodak has a new pocket cam; the Zi8.

    1080p, external mic jack (mono), 32gb max card capacity, able to playback slow motion on camera, HDMI capability with included HDMI cable, included rechargeable batteries..remote control capable ( $10 extra)..

    Seems like a pretty good deal for $179:
    http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQueri...q-locale=en_US

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