Tagged Products - 720p+7.1mp

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Canon Powershot TX1 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera

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10 power and 12 power zoom was negligible though, but unlike the S3, a zoomed-in, low-light shot is impossible for this camera, so in low-light you might as well have a 3 power zoom, because that's the most you're going to get out of it.
3. The autofocus is also much slower and misses more of the time, especially zoomed in or in low-light conditions.
4. You don't have the ability to set the focus point manually, like you do with the S3, and there are also no manual controls for f/stop or shutter speed like on the S3 - only ISO (which I limit at 200 or the shots are too ugly with noise).
5. The 1.7 inch screen is barely big enough to be able to properly frame a shot, but most of the time I just find myself frustrated with it's size.

Pros:
1. it does have a very neat function to manipulate the color setting of the picture AFTER you take it. So you can make every shot you take B/W, Sepia or any of the other options that the camera has. This is really great for me because I used to switch between modes quite a bit and always have a few shots that I wish I would have taken in another mode.
2. Video quality is superb (just like the S3) putting every other camera maker's video mode to shame. But the zoom and start/stop buttons are impossible to manipulate without shaking the camera significantly.

Compared to the SD 1000 -

Cons:
1. Although it probably doesn't seem like much, having to flip out the screen and wait for the lens to pop out is kind of a drag and I find myself not nearly as willing to pull it out for those spontaneous shots as I do the SD 1000, just not as convenient as you would think.

Synopsis -

Although I do think the TX 1 does a good job of filling the middle ground between these two cameras, I just didn't realize that I wasn't willing to sacrifice any of the features of the other two - what can I say, I'm spoiled! And overall if I could only have one of these three cameras for the rest of my life I would choose the S3 despite its conspicuous bulk.

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Canon Powershot TX1 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera

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10 power and 12 power zoom was negligible though, but unlike the S3, a zoomed-in, low-light shot is impossible for this camera, so in low-light you might as well have a 3 power zoom, because that's the most you're going to get out of it.

3. The autofocus is also much slower and misses more of the time, especially zoomed in or in low-light conditions.

4. You don't have the ability to set the focus point manually, like you do with the S3, and there are also no manual controls for f/stop or shutter speed like on the S3 - only ISO (which I limit at 200 or the shots are too ugly with noise).

5. The 1.7 inch screen is barely big enough to be able to properly frame a shot, but most of the time I just find myself frustrated with it's size.



Pros:

1. it does have a very neat function to manipulate the color setting of the picture AFTER you take it. So you can make every shot you take B/W, Sepia or any of the other options that the camera has. This is really great for me because I used to switch between modes quite a bit and always have a few shots that I wish I would have taken in another mode.

2. Video quality is superb (just like the S3) putting every other camera maker's video mode to shame. But the zoom and start/stop buttons are impossible to manipulate without shaking the camera significantly.



Compared to the SD 1000 -



Cons:

1. Although it probably doesn't seem like much, having to flip out the screen and wait for the lens to pop out is kind of a drag and I find myself not nearly as willing to pull it out for those spontaneous shots as I do the SD 1000, just not as convenient as you would think.



Synopsis -



Although I do think the TX 1 does a good job of filling the middle ground between these two cameras, I just didn't realize that I wasn't willing to sacrifice any of the features of the other two - what can I say, I'm spoiled! And overall if I could only have one of these three cameras for the rest of my life I would choose the S3 despite its conspicuous bulk.

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Canon Powershot TX1 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera

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are protected.

Video and Photo Quality:
I was impressed by both the quality of the videos and photos. The only pitfall is the ratio of still photos is 16:9 unless you go into the menu and switch to 4:3. That's not horrible, but I wish there was a button to easily switch back and forth. The zoom was awesome. The videos and photos have great saturation and color.

Use of Buttons/Camera:
The buttons are small and if you are going to hold the camera up and record video for 30 minutes it can be a bit of a pain. However, I don't plan on recording 30 straight minutes of video. If I did, I'd likely be on a tripod. The zoom button works very well and smoothly for transitions during video recording.

LCD Display:
I thought at first it might have too small of a display, however, after using it for a couple of weeks it works very nicely. You can see everything you need to and the quality is excellent and bright.

A couple of side notes:
-The built in microphone is awesome.
-My unit got a little warm when I heavily used it (recording lenghtly vids one after the other), but nothing that alarmed me.
-I picked up 2 Transcend 16GB SDHC CARD (SD 2.0 SPD CLASS 6) with Compact Card Reader and they work great. You get plenty of recording time and photo storage. Fast transfer as well.
-Some people feel that the camera misses the mark in being the perfect video camera or perfect still camera. It's not for that market. Try the camera out somewhere and you will love it. HD video, awesome still shots, compact form...what more can you ask for under $500? Shop around and you can get a really good deal.

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Canon Powershot TX1 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera

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are protected.



Video and Photo Quality:

I was impressed by both the quality of the videos and photos. The only pitfall is the ratio of still photos is 16:9 unless you go into the menu and switch to 4:3. That's not horrible, but I wish there was a button to easily switch back and forth. The zoom was awesome. The videos and photos have great saturation and color.



Use of Buttons/Camera:

The buttons are small and if you are going to hold the camera up and record video for 30 minutes it can be a bit of a pain. However, I don't plan on recording 30 straight minutes of video. If I did, I'd likely be on a tripod. The zoom button works very well and smoothly for transitions during video recording.



LCD Display:

I thought at first it might have too small of a display, however, after using it for a couple of weeks it works very nicely. You can see everything you need to and the quality is excellent and bright.



A couple of side notes:

-The built in microphone is awesome.

-My unit got a little warm when I heavily used it (recording lenghtly vids one after the other), but nothing that alarmed me.

-I picked up 2 Transcend 16GB SDHC CARD (SD 2.0 SPD CLASS 6) with Compact Card Reader and they work great. You get plenty of recording time and photo storage. Fast transfer as well.

-Some people feel that the camera misses the mark in being the perfect video camera or perfect still camera. It's not for that market. Try the camera out somewhere and you will love it. HD video, awesome still shots, compact form...what more can you ask for under $500? Shop around and you can get a really good deal.

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SANYO Xacti VPC-HD700 High Definition Digital Camcorder-Sanyo Vpc-hd700br 720p Hd Digital Media Camera (brown)

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at my manual settings. Out of the box, I took the camera to my son's birthday party at a roller skating rink, where the lighting was somewhat dim. With Full Auto settings, the results were disappointing. With my manual settings, the results were improved and acceptable to me.

The image stabilization feature of the camera leaves a lot to be desired when compared to my Panasonic camera. The electronic image stabilization on the Sanyo still results in very jerky playback. In fact, while there was a noticable difference between image stabilization on and off, it still looked too jerky with the feature on. One side effect of turning on image stabilization on this camera is that the picture "zooms in". When the feature is turned off, it zooms back out. This has lead to a number of complaints by owners of this camera-- it's hard to get everything in frame in a room because of the zoom in. Unfortunately, this is how the feature works-- it must have a "buffer" around the frame in order for the digitial image stabilization to work and this is why it zooms in. TIP: *** If you need to get more people in frame and you have no room to back up, then turn off image stabilization.***

Overall, I am happy with this purchase. It doesn't output the best video in all conditions, especially compared to my other camera. However, it can put out some great video given the time to get the settings tweaked to your liking. I would suggest using a tripod whenever possible for the best results. If you are like me, and enjoy true portability then hauling around a tripod is not always an option. In that case, make sure to stabilize yourself again something to keep the shaking to a minimum.

For me, it was a trade off between convenience and quality. I am willing to give up some video quality in order to gain:
- more portability (can throw it in my pocket)
- digital media (no more buying mini-dv tapes)
- faster import into computer (copy movie files over instead of importing in real-time)
- convenient backup (the dock can have a usb hard drive connected to it, and you can easily back up to the drive)
- 720p output

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SANYO Xacti VPC-HD700 High Definition Digital Camcorder - 16:9 - 2.7 Active Matrix TFT Color LCD

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it is a free program for mac users (PC? not sure) that makes the files leaner for playback, editing, etc.

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Canon Powershot TX1 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera

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optical zoom.
I've also found that the Canon face recognition software works well. The red-eye reduction also works pretty well, although I've had a couple photos it didn't clear up.The video looks much better than my old camcorder. I immediately took it to my daughter's water polo game, at an indoor pool with somewhat dim lighting. I was afraid the video wouldn't come out well in that lighting, but it worked wondefully - very good color & balance. The LCD screen is a bit small , but necessarily so to keep the unit compact. The LCD is quite crisp though- much brighter than most. I would say that a person looking for a digital camera that is extremely portable and easy to use, and also needs a camcorder would be well served to purchase one of these. I also got a great price from Worldwide Distributors on Amazon ( about $335). You can also get a Pelican 1010 micro-case which fits this camera nicely for about $13, and a spare Lenmar battery (DLC4L) for about $11 through Amazon. I'm extremely pleased with all the purchases and would highly recommend the TX1 for the family on the go that wants nice pictures & video without lugging a bunch of cumbersome equipment- stick it in your pocket or purse & Go!!!

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SANYO Xacti VPC-HD700 High Definition Digital Camcorder - 16:9 - 2.7 Active Matrix TFT Color LCD

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good.

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Canon Powershot TX1 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera

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28 min of 720p video in the TX1 (though each file itself can be no bigger than 4 GB; this is a limitation of the FAT32 file system of SDHC and not the fault of the TX1), while an H.264/AVC or AVCHD camcorder can compress some 80 min of *1080i* video in the same 8 GB card (it's bitrate-dependent, of course). There is, however, the option of setting the 720p recording to 'LP' mode, which doubles the recording time, giving 56 min of 720p video on an 8 GB card--but I haven't tested how noticeable the degradation in quality is.

Still, huge file sizes are not a deal breaker--just buy a couple of extra 8 or 16 GB flash cards or, better yet, an external travel hard drive with a built in flash card reader such as the Digital Foci Photo Safe (which worked great on our Mexico trip!). A tip: buy fast SHDC Class 6 cards (not Class 2 or 4)--you'll need it for smooth video recording. What the MJPEG codec does have going for it versus H.264/AVC or AVCHD is that virtually any Pentium4-class PC can play it using virtually any media player (Windows Media Player, Real Player, or Quicktime). And MJPEG can be edited by most video editors. This isn't true of H.264/AVC or AVCHD files, which, while efficient, requires significantly more computing power special software to decode/play back and, in particular, to edit.

What kind of video quality do you get in these huge files? In well-lighted environments (daytime outdoors, mainly), the quality is quite good--definitely better than 720x480 DV. Having been stuck in standard-def camcorder land up until now, I found myself smiling with satisfaction at the new-found clarity and detail in the TX1's 720p video and marvelling at how Canon managed to pack HD resolution into a pocket cam. Still, I have to confess that the resolution, despite being nominally 720p, looks softer on my 50-inch 720p Panasonic plasma than what I expect true 720p video to be. It's certainly not as good as a dedicated 1080i HD camcorder (video from my friend's JVC 1080i Everio camcorder of the same beach shots looks crisper and has more detail). And in low-light (evening indoor situations without good lighting), forget about it--the TX1's video becomes grainy, and much detail is lost. Because of its small lens and CCD, low light performance is even worse than my old Sony DV camcorder.

Nevertheless, with the TX1, these days, I no longer lug around both a camera and camcorder (plus all the requisite extra batteries, chargers, and big DV tapes) when I travel. I know full well the TX1's video limitations, so I accept the trade-off for portability.

Photos:
I'm no photography expert so I won't go in depth. Suffice it to say that the TX1 photo feature set and photo quality appear equivalent to current-generation canon Digital Elph cameras with Image Stabilization and Face Detection, but with the added bonus of a 10x optical zoom somehow shoe-horned in. Once the camera is turned on, the lens extends out of the body about 3/4 inch, and regardless of zoom, it doesn't extend any further. This 10x zoom lets you boldly go where few other pocket cams dare go and IMHO is almost enough to justify the TX1 price premium over a Digital Elph even if you don't use the HD video.

The manual controls are limited to basic exposure and a white balance calibration mode; there are, of course, various canned shooting modes like 'night,' 'portrait,' 'beach,' 'snow,' etc., and various useless canned color schemes like 'sepia,' 'B&W,' etc.

It's worth noting that the TX1 allows you to take photos while recording video without switching modes, though with a brief 1.5-sec pause in the video for each photo taken. This is a killer feature that regular cameras (that I know of) don't have. No more 'mommy takes photos with the camera while daddy holds the camcorder' or figuring out whether to grab the camera or camcorder when the baby decides to try out a new trick she's been learning. This is one place where the TX1 shines.

There is one quirk that should be known: the TX1 lets you select different resolutons for digital photos and for videos, of course. Max photo resolution is 3072x2304 in 4x3 mode (which is 7.1 MP) and 3072x1728 in 16x9 mode (which is only 5.3 MP; that is, it simply lops off the top and bottom of the 7.1 MP photo to make the 16x9). 720p video is 1280x720, and there is the run-of-the-mill 640x480 video. Ideally, I'd want to set photos to 4x3 7.1 MP and, simultaneosuly, video to 16x9 720p, but the TX1 does not allow this. If I want to shoot 720p video, then I have to set the camera global mode to 16x9, which forces the photos taken to also be in 16x9 (5.3 MP) mode. If I want full 7.1 MP photos, then I have to set the camera global mode to 4x3, which forces the video to be in 4x3 640x480 standard-def. In effect, because I want my video to always be in 720p, I'm forced to accept 16x9 5.3 MP photos. Otherwise, if I want both 4x3 7.1 MP photos and 16x9 720p video, I have to constantly switch back and forth between 16x9 and 4x3 modes. Again, it's not deal-breaker, but it is an annoying limitation.

Finally, even with the anti red-eye function turned on, the TX1 produces terrible red eye in flash photos, worse than any camera I've seen and worse than other Digital Elph cameras. The reason lies with how close the flash bulb is to the lens (directly over it). Considering how small the camera is, I'm not sure whether is a way around it. Perhaps a pop-up flash would help. It does have a built-in post-processing feature that lets you manually attempt to fix red eye in photos one incident at a time, but it's time-consuming and mostly ineffective. The only thing I've found I can do about it is to Photoshop the red eye out of photos I want to share or print.

Form Factor and Ergonomics
Several reviews have disparaged the ergonomics of the TX1 because of the difficulty of one-handed operation of its small boxy shape and controls. But with my medium-sized hands, I got used it in a matter of a few days, particularly using two hands (one-handed operation is just too shaky anyway with my caffeinated hands). To all those complaining about the ergonomics, I say it's a fine trade-off for the small size.

The camera body is metal and has a solid, luxurious feel--definitely a cut above many plastic-bodied digicams these days. I woukd fault only the flimsy thin strip of a battery compartment cover, which requires a delicate touch each time you change the battery. Speaking of which, filming 28 min worth pf video (one full 8 GB card) will drain the battery, so you'll need to pick a couple of spares.

The buttons (all are multi-function, depending on the mode the camera is in) are responsive, and the directional joy stick has a precise, positive feel. The on/off button is slightly recessed into the body to prevent accidental turn-on (and glows green when on), but it nakes it slightly difficult to use.

Wish List for the next version of the TX1 (TX2?):
- 1080i or 1080p using H.264/AVC or AVCHD.
- The TX1 comes with component cables, plenty good enough to display 720p video on your HD TV. But it would have been nice to have HDMI, like the Sanyo HD700/1000.
- Longer battery life and less-flimsy battery cover.
- Reduced red-eye.

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SANYO Xacti VPC-HD700 High Definition Digital Camcorder - 16:9 - 2.7 Active Matrix TFT Color LCD

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28 min of 720p video in the TX1 (though each file itself can be no bigger than 4 GB; this is a limitation of the FAT32 file system of SDHC and not the fault of the TX1), while an H.264/AVC or AVCHD camcorder can compress some 80 min of *1080i* video in the same 8 GB card (it's bitrate-dependent, of course). There is, however, the option of setting the 720p recording to 'LP' mode, which doubles the recording time, giving 56 min of 720p video on an 8 GB card--but I haven't tested how noticeable the degradation in quality is.



Still, huge file sizes are not a deal breaker--just buy a couple of extra 8 or 16 GB flash cards or, better yet, an external travel hard drive with a built in flash card reader such as the Digital Foci Photo Safe (which worked great on our Mexico trip!). A tip: buy fast SHDC Class 6 cards (not Class 2 or 4)--you'll need it for smooth video recording. What the MJPEG codec does have going for it versus H.264/AVC or AVCHD is that virtually any Pentium4-class PC can play it using virtually any media player (Windows Media Player, Real Player, or Quicktime). And MJPEG can be edited by most video editors. This isn't true of H.264/AVC or AVCHD files, which, while efficient, requires significantly more computing power special software to decode/play back and, in particular, to edit.



What kind of video quality do you get in these huge files? In well-lighted environments (daytime outdoors, mainly), the quality is quite good--definitely better than 720x480 DV. Having been stuck in standard-def camcorder land up until now, I found myself smiling with satisfaction at the new-found clarity and detail in the TX1's 720p video and marvelling at how Canon managed to pack HD resolution into a pocket cam. Still, I have to confess that the resolution, despite being nominally 720p, looks softer on my 50-inch 720p Panasonic plasma than what I expect true 720p video to be. It's certainly not as good as a dedicated 1080i HD camcorder (video from my friend's JVC 1080i Everio camcorder of the same beach shots looks crisper and has more detail). And in low-light (evening indoor situations without good lighting), forget about it--the TX1's video becomes grainy, and much detail is lost. Because of its small lens and CCD, low light performance is even worse than my old Sony DV camcorder.



Nevertheless, with the TX1, these days, I no longer lug around both a camera and camcorder (plus all the requisite extra batteries, chargers, and big DV tapes) when I travel. I know full well the TX1's video limitations, so I accept the trade-off for portability.



Photos:

I'm no photography expert so I won't go in depth. Suffice it to say that the TX1 photo feature set and photo quality appear equivalent to current-generation canon Digital Elph cameras with Image Stabilization and Face Detection, but with the added bonus of a 10x optical zoom somehow shoe-horned in. Once the camera is turned on, the lens extends out of the body about 3/4 inch, and regardless of zoom, it doesn't extend any further. This 10x zoom lets you boldly go where few other pocket cams dare go and IMHO is almost enough to justify the TX1 price premium over a Digital Elph even if you don't use the HD video.



The manual controls are limited to basic exposure and a white balance calibration mode; there are, of course, various canned shooting modes like 'night,' 'portrait,' 'beach,' 'snow,' etc., and various useless canned color schemes like 'sepia,' 'B&W,' etc.



It's worth noting that the TX1 allows you to take photos while recording video without switching modes, though with a brief 1.5-sec pause in the video for each photo taken. This is a killer feature that regular cameras (that I know of) don't have. No more 'mommy takes photos with the camera while daddy holds the camcorder' or figuring out whether to grab the camera or camcorder when the baby decides to try out a new trick she's been learning. This is one place where the TX1 shines.



There is one quirk that should be known: the TX1 lets you select different resolutons for digital photos and for videos, of course. Max photo resolution is 3072x2304 in 4x3 mode (which is 7.1 MP) and 3072x1728 in 16x9 mode (which is only 5.3 MP; that is, it simply lops off the top and bottom of the 7.1 MP photo to make the 16x9). 720p video is 1280x720, and there is the run-of-the-mill 640x480 video. Ideally, I'd want to set photos to 4x3 7.1 MP and, simultaneosuly, video to 16x9 720p, but the TX1 does not allow this. If I want to shoot 720p video, then I have to set the camera global mode to 16x9, which forces the photos taken to also be in 16x9 (5.3 MP) mode. If I want full 7.1 MP photos, then I have to set the camera global mode to 4x3, which forces the video to be in 4x3 640x480 standard-def. In effect, because I want my video to always be in 720p, I'm forced to accept 16x9 5.3 MP photos. Otherwise, if I want both 4x3 7.1 MP photos and 16x9 720p video, I have to constantly switch back and forth between 16x9 and 4x3 modes. Again, it's not deal-breaker, but it is an annoying limitation.



Finally, even with the anti red-eye function turned on, the TX1 produces terrible red eye in flash photos, worse than any camera I've seen and worse than other Digital Elph cameras. The reason lies with how close the flash bulb is to the lens (directly over it). Considering how small the camera is, I'm not sure whether is a way around it. Perhaps a pop-up flash would help. It does have a built-in post-processing feature that lets you manually attempt to fix red eye in photos one incident at a time, but it's time-consuming and mostly ineffective. The only thing I've found I can do about it is to Photoshop the red eye out of photos I want to share or print.



Form Factor and Ergonomics

Several reviews have disparaged the ergonomics of the TX1 because of the difficulty of one-handed operation of its small boxy shape and controls. But with my medium-sized hands, I got used it in a matter of a few days, particularly using two hands (one-handed operation is just too shaky anyway with my caffeinated hands). To all those complaining about the ergonomics, I say it's a fine trade-off for the small size.



The camera body is metal and has a solid, luxurious feel--definitely a cut above many plastic-bodied digicams these days. I woukd fault only the flimsy thin strip of a battery compartment cover, which requires a delicate touch each time you change the battery. Speaking of which, filming 28 min worth pf video (one full 8 GB card) will drain the battery, so you'll need to pick a couple of spares.



The buttons (all are multi-function, depending on the mode the camera is in) are responsive, and the directional joy stick has a precise, positive feel. The on/off button is slightly recessed into the body to prevent accidental turn-on (and glows green when on), but it nakes it slightly difficult to use.



Wish List for the next version of the TX1 (TX2?):

- 1080i or 1080p using H.264/AVC or AVCHD.

- The TX1 comes with component cables, plenty good enough to display 720p video on your HD TV. But it would have been nice to have HDMI, like the Sanyo HD700/1000.

- Longer battery life and less-flimsy battery cover.

- Reduced red-eye.

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Canon Powershot TX1 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera

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have trouble being totally steady. I've decided that this is a two handed camera for video. It's simple to use with one hand when taking stills, though.

To me, the best camera is the one you have with you. I've bought my last camera that will not fit in a shirt pocket. That's the real beauty of the TX1. It's a small camera that you are most likely to have with you when the larger ones are at home on the shelf.

I consider the TX1 to be an excellent camera and a good value. I suggest that anyone considering the TX1 read the user reviews on CNET and other forums. While getting mixed reviews from the pros, most users love this little camera.

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Canon Powershot TX1 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera

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the initial "oh i got a new toy and its shiny and i heart it" feeling wore off, i started analyzing the video clips rather closely, and found that in many of the clips (i would say close to 80% of them) there were noticeable blurring issues. sometimes several times in one videoclip, the subject matter would become out of focus for a second, before refocusing. at first i thought i was just being a bit nitpicky, but after seeing that it was happening quite often, i began to worry. i read the manual and adjusted the ISO to auto, then to HI (the manual recommends doing this if u are having focus and shaking issues), and still there was blurring. (i have not taken enough still pictures to give an accurate review of the quality there).

i tried changing the IS mode to "continuous", "shoot only", and "panning", but still got the same results. i shot indoors (which resulted in grainy, dark video clips) and also shot outside in bright sunlight, and still got the blurring. even when im staying completely still, and my subject is also unmoving, i still had issues. but when i would do a quick panning shot, i noticed it was even more pronounced. honestly....i have more confidence in my old SD450, as well as my old(er) sd100 than the TX1 for taking video clips. they may not be HD quality, but at least they were clear. i will say tho, that the few clips that were blur-free were beautiful, except for the fact they were just so few and far between.

i bought an SD6 8 gig SDHC card, supposedly very fast, and noticed that some of the clips would...hang...for a second during playback. i did some research (http://powershot-tx1.blogspot.com/ is a great resource for this camera) and found that this issue is due to slow write speeds of the memory card, not the camera's fault at all. but still, i picked a pretty fast card (and paid a pretty penny for it) so its disapointing that im having these problems.

on a good note (so far), i called canon support and they were very helpful. they helped me troubleshoot what they thought could have been the problem....but it didnt resolve my issues. they recommended that i send it back for repair, which i plan on doing. overall, this is disappointing because....i mean, who wants to send back their new christmas toy to get fixed, after having it less than a month?

in short:

pros:
great design, fits in pocket
records video in 1080x720 with stereo sound
u can watch directly from this camera to your HDTV set
7.1 megapixel still camera
several shooting options, including color swap, B&W, etc
good customer service from canon
supports SDHC memory cards, for longer shooting times
comes with a handstrap (dont laugh. the handstraps have saved my camera from accidental drops countless times.)

cons:
blurring issues when shooting video.
depending on memory card, can have hangups during video playback.
somewhat expensive.
large video files.
bad quality video clips in low light or indoors.

conclusion:
maybe i got a bad model or something, but this camera was a bit of a let down. if i send it back to canon, and it gets returned with all the problems rectified, i will adjust my score on amazon accordingly. i wanted to love this thing. but i cant honestly give it anything higher than a 3.5 stars.

ALSO: i do NOT recommend buying from Broadway Photo in New York. they advertised free shipping, but ended up charging me a hidden $25 handling fee that was NOT on their website. i got a call from one of their salesmen after i placed my order, and got nothing but an upsale pitch. the guy was quite rude and when i asked why i was getting a handling fee, he hung up on me. i would NOT buy from them again.

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SANYO Xacti VPC-HD700 High Definition Digital Camcorder-Sanyo Vpc-hd700br 720p Hd Digital Media Camera (brown)

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those.
- More video. As I mentioned above this is my third Xacti camera. In the past four years I've upgraded from a C40 to CG6 and now the HD700. My video library has increased substantially since it's so much easier to bring the Xacti versus the regular MiniDV.
-Instant On. With this camera you can power on in approx 1.5 seconds. Meaning you are recording that quickly.

What could be improved:
- Low light recording. Essentially all the Xacti's have some issue with recording in low light (even the HD1000 to some extent). I've recorded indoors and the footage is acceptable to me. The camera has a several user controls which aid it getting the right ISO and white balance set. Does the camera produce Discovery Channel HD footage? No and I don't expect it to at this price point.
- Battery. You get a little over an hour of continuous use with the camera. It would be nice if a higher capacity battery was an option.
-Better Lens Cap
-Brighter Flash for stills. Note- this camera is a digital camcorder first and a still camera second.
-Be able to recharge the camera directly from a USB cable

In summary, I'm pleased with the purchase. Hopefully folks reading this will understand this review is from a person who is very familiar with the Xacti line. There are some limitations of this brand (as noted above) but they are out weighed by the fact the unit is so portable. I've caught footage of my kids growing up which I couldn't have (easily) with the old MiniDV. When my kids become adults I'll have tons of good quality footage to give them. Without this camera I probably couldn't easily do this or I wouldn't have the quantity of clips to give them.

So my one word of advice is if you purchase an Xacti model read the manual and learn how to use it.

-b

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SANYO Xacti VPC-HD700 High Definition Digital Camcorder - 16:9 - 2.7 Active Matrix TFT Color LCD

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those.
- More video. As I mentioned above this is my third Xacti camera. In the past four years I've upgraded from a C40 to CG6 and now the HD700. My video library has increased substantially since it's so much easier to bring the Xacti versus the regular MiniDV.
-Instant On. With this camera you can power on in approx 1.5 seconds. Meaning you are recording that quickly.

What could be improved:
- Low light recording. Essentially all the Xacti's have some issue with recording in low light (even the HD1000 to some extent). I've recorded indoors and the footage is acceptable to me. The camera has a several user controls which aid it getting the right ISO and white balance set. Does the camera produce Discovery Channel HD footage? No and I don't expect it to at this price point.
- Battery. You get a little over an hour of continuous use with the camera. It would be nice if a higher capacity battery was an option.
-Better Lens Cap
-Brighter Flash for stills. Note- this camera is a digital camcorder first and a still camera second.
-Be able to recharge the camera directly from a USB cable

In summary, I'm pleased with the purchase. Hopefully folks reading this will understand this review is from a person who is very familiar with the Xacti line. There are some limitations of this brand (as noted above) but they are out weighed by the fact the unit is so portable. I've caught footage of my kids growing up which I couldn't have (easily) with the old MiniDV. When my kids become adults I'll have tons of good quality footage to give them. Without this camera I probably couldn't easily do this or I wouldn't have the quantity of clips to give them.

So my one word of advice is if you purchase an Xacti model read the manual and learn how to use it.

-b

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Canon Powershot TX1 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera

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previous camcorder was a Sony with settings operated with by LCD touch control. That was awkward and the displays were confusing. This tiny joystick and the layout of commands is much better.

A bonus was the voice recording function, which I can use for taking notes in the field, either in general or in association with a specific still image.

My first digital camcorder cost nearly $2000 a few years back and it took lousy still images. This cost me less than what analog camcorders were going for then.

What can possibly come next?

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Canon Powershot TX1 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera

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nice, as I have it on a mini-DV video camera, but practically its uses are limited.

Very few cameras will do macro to 0cm (16x12 field of view), without special macro lenses. Super macro with optical image stabilisation is amazing.

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Canon Powershot TX1 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera

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nice, as I have it on a mini-DV video camera, but practically its uses are limited.



Very few cameras will do macro to 0cm (16x12 field of view), without special macro lenses. Super macro with optical image stabilisation is amazing.

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Canon Powershot TX1 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera

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(with a dedicated flash), but all the pictures that I've taken indoor are of very good quality.

To rip all these benefits from the camera, however, you have to invest a good high-speed SDHC card (e.g. ADATA 8GB or 16 GB class 6), which you can buy from eBay for about $60-100 (8-16 GB). Then, you can shoot your video for about 30-60 minutes at the highest resolution.

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Canon Powershot TX1 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera

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(with a dedicated flash), but all the pictures that I've taken indoor are of very good quality.



To rip all these benefits from the camera, however, you have to invest a good high-speed SDHC card (e.g. ADATA 8GB or 16 GB class 6), which you can buy from eBay for about $60-100 (8-16 GB). Then, you can shoot your video for about 30-60 minutes at the highest resolution.

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SANYO Xacti VPC-HD700 High Definition Digital Camcorder - 16:9 - 2.7 Active Matrix TFT Color LCD

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the footage was softer due to the lack of contrast in the lighting, but easily comparible to the miniDV camcorder this was replacing in color and contrast. I filmed my black lab at the beach and the detail of the black lab was incredible when put to a 50 inch plasma by HDMI cable. When sent to the iPhone and iPod video was amazing and proves as a great way to show others when I am on the road or out at the pub. iMovie uploads crystal clear video to .Mac and I am receiving constant questions about what I shot the video with.

The camera comes with a docking station which will allow you to connect to and HDTV via component or HDMI and also has the USB connector and power jack on the base station. The camera charges while in the base station.

Overall, I am totally happy with this camcorder and would easily recommend it to anybody who is going for good quality and simplicity in design and usage.

Cheers!