Creative Labs Vado HD 8 GB Pocket Video Camcorder, 2nd Generation (Black Gloss with Maroon Accents) - VF0580 BK-MR

Vado HD - love it

11/21/2009

I bought it both for work and for play.. Took it to Maui and it was easy to use, has ample battery life. It did take me a little while to get the hang of it but once I did it is great. I plan to use it to post my listings (I am a Realtor)

Couldn't be More Pleased!

11/21/2009

We have had our Vado approx. 4 weeks and couldn't be happier. The clarity of the picture on our Panasonic 42" HD TV is amazing. The best feature is portability. Just slip in your shirt pocket, purse, etc. Easy to use. As soon as my mother-in-law seen it she had to have one. She has no computer so bought the charger and is haveing a ball showing off on her HD flat screen TV.
You will not be dissappointed!

Fantastic little gadget

11/21/2009

I bought this for my 5-year old. I only had to show her how to power on the device (as you need to hold to power button for 1 second or so to start the device). After that, she just figured out how to record, play back and even delete stuff from the device.
It's the simplicity (and the acceptable video quality) that makes me give this 5-star rating. Uploading to youtube is also a one-click affair.

Here's an example video shot by my daughter
[...]

Without the Vado, I would not have been able to have cherished moments like this.
I know that the Flip is the king in this category, but I found this on special offer on Amazon for $[...] which I thought was an excellent deal.

Terrific pocket camcorder that offers greater convenience than AA/AAA battery driven competitors.

11/19/2009

It's virtually impossible (as so many of the other reviews for this product demonstrate) to discuss the Vado without drawing some comparisons to the ubiquitous Flip. However, that's been done within these pages, and done well, so I'll limit myself on that front to saying that I own both and it's the Vado I find myself grabbing when I want to catch a brief clip.

At first blush, I have to admit that I was concerned about the design of the camcorder, particularly the lens casing which protrudes about a quarter of an inch out from the otherwise compact body of the unit. I imagined this getting caught on things, making the lens itself more susceptible to scratches and debris -- and that just hasn't been the case. While the unit itself is attractive enough, it ships with a white/cloudy silicone sleeve that fits the unit perfectly. So perfectly it can be a little difficult getting it on. Worth the effort however, as it provides a better grip, worthwhile shock and scratch protection and (by my taste) an improved aesthetic, all without compromising access and ease of use.

There are aspects of the device I wonder about over the long haul. I can't say they'll be problems because I just haven't had it long enough (I've been using it a month), but they're issues worth mentioning. The USB adapter, for example, pulls out from the bottom. When you pull it down and out, you're actually bending the L shaped curve through which it is attached to the unit. Which is to say that it just feels like something that over time is either going to be less willing to just spring back into place (to be fair there's a relatively powerful magnet that hold it in place), or worse, this may be a point of structural failure as the plastic used could conceivably weaken, split and even break over time. That may never happen, it may be a bit of flawless engineering, I can't say -- it was simply an observation I felt worth noting. As previously mentioned, the lens itself sticks out a quarter of an inch, rather ungracefully. Imagine a stack of ten to twelve dimes sitting on top of a narrow deck of cards. In contrast to the Flip (something I opened saying I'd try to avoid, but here we are) which brings the lens outwards with smooth edges that flow back into the unit itself, the cylindrical lens encasement on the Vado meets the body with hard corners, which (again) can and do catch end edge of pockets when being tossed back in. As far as the video quality itself, I think this unit (as all of the current 'microcams' tend to) struggles at times to adapt to light contrasts within a given frame, as well as both high and low light situations.

These are not particularly noteworthy complaints, if they're complaints at all, which is in of itself positive commentary about the unit. While I've seen people cite the audio quality as a negative, I find it exceeds my own expectations for this sort of device. It picks up small sounds and background noises in quiet settings, and in the presence of a dominant source (a conversation, a television set, etc.) does a good job of directionally focusing itself on that.

Battery 'life' is what I want to close with, because I think this is where and why the Vado is so much more appealing for me than the competition. No batteries to deal with like the Flip (I know, 3 times now), it charges through the USB connection (and even offers a fast charge mode, although I have yet to use it) and I suspect that a full charge will hold you almost as long (or perhaps a bit longer) than the 8gb will allow you to record in 720p. That's convenient, efficient and a more desirable power solution, and it's why I've chosen this to be my "go to" pocket camcorder -- one that I happily recommend to others.

Ok camera but wait for under $100 before buying

11/19/2009

i have the flip and now this one.
Now granted my flip is not HD so i can not compare that feature of this to the Flip.
I am really trying to like this camera but so far i am not blown away by it.
Honestly for my daily use of capturing my kids i like the Flip better here is why
The VADO is awful in low light which I take plenty of during the day especially in fall/winter time
also the sound capture is not nearly as good as when i have used my Flip.

I do like how easy this is to use . I do like the look but I wish it came with a clear sleeve and not
the milky one which once you put it on can not even see the nice gloss black.

I have not used the HD feature alot on this because so far when I have and tried to view it on my computer
the sound does not mesh with the picture so I know until i change something that is clearly wrong on my computer
it is pointless for me to use it.

This camera is very easy to use even my kids are always using it.
I do not like how i have to charge it on my computer though so i will have to buy the charger and maybe a spare battery too because I do not like when we run the battery down in the middle of recording.

Once i use it more and see how i like the HD part i will update the review.
For a beginner this one would be nice just do not expect it to replace your other video camera
This one is great for the daily spur of the moment shots that you might otherwise miss out on.

Oh another thing i have noticed is the video is a tiny bit shakier than when i use my Flip
again not sure if that is the camera or the operator not used to it yet and comfortable holding it.

I am really not liking the way to charge the battery. Our computer is on the fritz so now i can not use this until i either buy a charger or the computer is back up and running. Can not let it sit on the library computer to charge though i wish i could lol.