HD Pocket Camcorders

I’m taking a short break from the usual travel stories to write about a more techy / geeky subject: HD pocket camcorders. But I won’t be drifting away too far from the main topic of this blog, because I’ll try to provide you with some ideas and tips for buying the best HD pocket camcorder for shooting travel videos.

I don’t own an HD camera yet, but I’m in the process of buying one, so this post should give you some options and help you decide, in case you’re looking for a lightweight, good video quality camera, like I was. My decision is made!

Look, mom, HD videos! Can I have that?

That’s right! I’m acting like a big baby right now. And the baby wants a new toy! I’ve seen what other people can do with video and now I want to give it a try! I only joined the DSLR bandwagon a few months ago (so I still have a lot to learn in that department), but I want an HD pocket camcorder as well. I guess you just can’t have too many gadgets, when it comes to great memories, right? Plus I’ll have the chance to call myself a “video blogger”. ;)

The best HD camcorder for travel videos?

When it comes to HD digital cameras, there are plenty of choices for a wide range of budgets. Still, I think there are only a handful of cameras that meet the criteria of a true freelance traveler. Here’s my criteria:

Affordable

If I had $900 to spend on a video camera, I would probably go for the Canon HV20 without even blinking, then go shoot some Spielberg like videos. But since I’d rather spend that money on something else (like a plane ticket, accommodation, etc.), I was looking at something below $200 (actually in the range of $100 - $150). This narrows things down dramatically.

Quality

I know some people think “affordable” and “quality” can’t belong in the same sentence, but this is not always the case, especially when it comes to photo and video equipment. Producers try to lower their prices and increase quality each year, in an effort to reach more people. And when it comes to HD pocket camcorders, the battle is on!

Lightweight

When you’re already packing a Nikon D40, 2 lenses, filters and a few other accessories, the last thing you need is a heavy HD camera with its own wires, batteries, etc. On the other hand, a small HD camcorder that you can fit into your pocket sounds much better. I’m not yet sure whether the whole “DSLR + HD pocket camcorder + actually seeing something from the trip” will work, but we’ll see.

The little candidates

Like I said, there’s not much to review yet, so I won’t go into too many details. I will however post a representative video (btw: Vimeo is the place you’d want to look for awesome HD video examples) for each of the HD pocket camcorders that I took into consideration. Here goes:

1. Flip UltraHD - $199

I didn’t find any artistic videos for the Flip UltraHD, but I did find this one of “Gaelyn and John Getting Flipped” (funny!):


As you can see, you get HD video quality and great sound for only $200. You can read a simple review and check a few photos from Jason Hawkins, a guy who knows his stuff when it comes to video and photography.

I personally found the Flip a bit too pricey for what I had in mind. And there were a few other more technical shortcomings I read about.

2. Creative Labs Vado - $194

I found some great, artistic videos from Oscar Villareal. One you can see below, the other can be seen here.


I have to say, after watching Oscar’s videos and reading a few other reviews, the Vado was definitely a worthy candidate. Let’s face it: a camera that allows you to create such a dramatic moment and also turn a simple car wash into a “thought provoking” moment is definitely worth a shot! And it performs pretty well when it comes to recording quick motion.

3. Kodak Zi6 - $129

But in the end, I made a choice that was based more on emotion, rather than judgment. And that emotion was generated by the video below. I can already see myself wondering in SE Asia and live blogging about it. In video mode, of course!


“Wake up, you’re day dreaming again!” (that’s my lovely wife Raluca talking). :)

I won’t deny it, price was an important factor (although $70 is not a big deal), but what I loved most was the fact that I found a camera that can record beautiful foliage and the great outdoors just as well as it can record macro or the busy city life. I got the feeling that you can just put together some shots, throw in a few well chosen effects and you can create a fairy tale like memory in minutes.

Conclusions

I’ve chosen the Kodak Zi6! None of these cameras is yet available in Romania, but I’ll see if I can get a hold of a Zi6 before my next trip (and what a trip that is), which is next month.

I’m not being naive here! Of course all these videos are so great because of the great composition, the well chosen soundtrack and effects and most of all because they were created by really talented people. But I like to keep my options open. I like to have the right tools. Who knows, maybe I’m a talented guy myself! And if I’m not, I’ll do what I always do, whether it’s web design, blogging, photography or life in general: be patient, be passionate and in the end… results will show.

Sorry for the abundance of links in this post, but I really felt these videos should not be missed by anyone looking to buy an HD pocket camcorder.

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See you in my next posts! I’ll try to wrap up the series about my trip to London and the Dominican Republic, because I’ll have a lot to write about. My next trips: Cappadocia, via Istanbul in June and Milan in August. So this would be a great moment to receive my RSS feed and make sure you’re not missing anything. ;)