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

Vado HD 8gb is impressive

1/26/2010

As a professional videographer, I spend most of my day in a live truck. Having a new granddaughter that stays with us during the day, I wanted my wife to have an easy way to capture video of her quickly and easily when I'm not there. The Vado HD has made that process as simple as it gets. Turn it on, press one button, and you get a high definition clip that can be easily moved to your desktop or laptop. Most any decent editing software will handle these files and the quality is actually quite good at 720P. As with all video cameras, the more light you have on your subject, the better your video will look so I believe it serves no purpose to complain about "graininess" in really low light conditions. Move your subject closer to a stronger light source putting that source behind you and you will have a much better product. I like the wide angle lense as well as the HDMI cable that's included when other brands of pocket video cameras don't give you one. All in all, I think the Vada HD is a solid little camera and would recommend it to anyone who needs to shoot high quality home and travel videos on the fly.

Put away that mini DV recorder

1/25/2010

Time to put away the old mini DV tape recorders. This is the fastest and easiest way to record now. All files saved in AVI for easy upload to web. Images are bright in low light. I made a 4x6 print from the snap shot function of Vado's movie maker and it compares to a 2mp or more print. I had plenty of battery life and although the first Vado I ordered needed returned due to pixel drops , Amazon shipped me out a new one in less than 2 days time. Definitely recommend it to anyone with a website that constantly needs new video. I also love the quality from a DVD burned movie. Lot better than my Mini DV recorder , although I do miss the 20x zoom from that camera.

convenience combined with a minimal learning curve

1/21/2010

Let's say I'm visiting with my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter, and my granddaughter starts doing something that I'd like to capture on video for posterity (which at this point is just about anything). I slide my Vado HD out of the Case Logic "Universal Pocket" (model UP-2, available at Amazon) that I bought to carry it in (a perfect fit, padded for protection, and it comes in colors), press the on/off button, wait a second for a chime that tells me the Vado's ready to record, then I press the record button and capture the moment. Assuming the camera is within arm's reach and the pouch is open so that I can slide the camera out without first opening the pouch, without rushing this takes about six seconds. Assuming that the lighting is good - daylight or a well-lit room - the resulting video quality is excellent. As the lighting conditions decrease, so does the quality of the video, and this is of course to be expected. I have, however, used it outdoors at dusk in rural areas where there is no ambient manmade light, and the results have been considerably better than I anticipated.

Thank goodness that Creative Labs, unlike some pocket camcorder manufacturers, make the Vado with a user-replaceable rechargeable battery. I have a PDA that I used for several years until it could no longer hold a charge. It does not use a battery that is made to be replaced by the consumer. It is apparently possible for consumers to replace the battery, but it means buying an off-brand battery and opening up an electronic unit (the PDA) that is not made to be opened by non-technical consumers like myself. So the PDA is now useless to me. It may be years before my Vado needs a new rechargeable battery, but it's good to know that when it does, replacing it will be as easy as replacing the battery for a battery-powered clock.

Because the Vado's USB connector has a tab sticking out of the bottom of the camera, the camera cannot be made to stand on its own on a flat surface, so for hands-free operation a tripod is handy if not essential. I own two mini-tripods, both of which are a perfect fit for the Vado but only one of which I would recommend, and that's the flexible Joby model GP-1. (The one I don't like is the Dolica Mini-Tripod.)

While I've experimented with the Vado's digital zoom function, I rarely use it for the same reason I usually don't use digital zoom on any of the digital still and video cameras I own. That is because digital zoom - which strictly speaking is not really zoom but instead simulates zoom - is accomplished at a loss of image quality. On my digital cameras, all of which are relatively inexpensive, the loss of image quality is almost always noticeable to the naked eye. This of course doesn't matter if one is recording something for a reason where image quality is not of primary concern, such as when making a digital video record of one's possessions for insurance purposes (a task the Vado is ideally suited for).

I prefer the look of the second generation Vado HD to the look of the first generation, which has a matte, monochromatic finish as opposed to the second generation's glossy with colored accents finish. But I have several friends who tell me they prefer the look of the first generation Vado.

The sound is good, and in my experience the microphone is sensitive without being oversensitive. I once owned a pocket camcorder (an RCA non-HD model) with a microphone so sensitive it picked up the sound of my fingers on the camcorder whenever I moved them.

I think this camcorder would make a great gift, including for those who might be technologically challenged, as it is so easy to use and there is virtually no learning curve. I appreciate how convenient it is to use. As I say above, as long as it's within arm's reach and the lighting conditions are adequate, in about six seconds I can be recording.

GODAWFUL SOFTWARE AND TECH SUPPORT

1/18/2010

Unlike others, I was impressed with the Vado's sound, and the wide-angle picture is excellent, even on a 50" plasma. But good lord, Creative has simply no interest in fixing all the bugs and glitches and engineering sloppiness that makes it virtually impossible to edit or even upload with any ease. I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO EDIT OR BURN TO A CD or DVD, DESPITE A DOZEN QUERIES TO CREATIVE'S TECH SUPPORT. I'm told each time to download/buy another 3rd party software. They're not even trying. AVOID THIS PRODUCT.

Creative Labe Vado HD 8 GB Camcorder 2nd Gen

1/7/2010

Item was used on Hiking trips by daughter and son used it when he goes mudding and they enjoy how easy it is to use and the great picture you get. Sound is muffled if you try to record with gel cover on item.