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

Vado hd a steal at this price,Excellent product for what it is!

1/3/2010

I really like this mini hd camcorder and the 8gb is a steal at this price . First off NONE of these cameras in this class of camcorders have optical zooms/stabilization at this size or similar price points ($90 to $200+) , if your looking for a camera to shoot you back yard Oscar winning short picture please look elsewhere and dont not complain about the results vado hd or any similar flash camcorder puts out. LOL. The Vado HD excels at being a Light compact easy to use flash camcorder that produces very nice 720p hd video. The Vado hd video output (non zoomed, all digital zooms are KaKa) easy beats my old samsung mx 20 silly , yes the mx 20 audio is better (vado audio is good) but in terms of video quality the Vado hd wins. Easy of use the vado hd 2nd gen beats flip mino hd silly too. I bought and returned flip mino hd the touch "sensitive" keys drove me nutty varying needing a hammer smash to activate them, too accidental feather touch, causing popping up the garbage can in the middle of recording a video , I got big hands with big fingers and the Vado HD 2nd gen large tackle keys are a huge plus for me and is a major reason why I got the vado hd 2nd gen over the 3rd gen vado hd. The large 2" lcd on the back is also superior to Flip mino's hds and makes composimg your shots easier, nice for us eyeglass wearers. Now this might should strange be I like it over all size and light weight make it easy to hand hold fairly steady for decent periods of time and find it easier to hold steady over the Flip ultra HD which is bulker ,heavier and less pocketable than the vado hd, yes the Ultra hd can swap aa bateries (rechargeable, lithium, etc...), but if you need to you can get a second vado Hd battery for about 16.00 so if like recording for four hours in VGA mode you can (only god knows why and again you using the wrong camcorder). This camera is a nice design engineering compromise for what it is, that is a small compact high quality flash camcorder that can fit in almost any pocket or purse ,extremely easy to use , to take videos of drunken friends at partys, snow/skate boarding disasters, viedo reviews on you tube, or sweet and silly things that the new born baby, the family pet does or to document the damage to the cars in the traffic accident your were just in etc, etc..... . This is a great TAKE EVERYWHERE YOU GO camcorder that will produce two hours a good 720p hd video. If you understand the uses and limitations of the Vado Hd you be very happy with the camera especially the second gen HD 8gb at this insanely good price . Oh btw for windows users it took a 1 minute google search to find the codec to make all the vado hd videos play with Windows media player also vado hd videos the work with VLC media player if you having issues with the on board video program that comes with the vado, windows see's the vado hd as a mass storage device and you can explore it like any flash drive and cut/copy and paste as you like. Again I love the vado hd it a great take everywhere pocket camcorder.

Very Satisfied With My Purchase

1/2/2010

For those interested I'm a photographer and that's the perspective my review comes from. First I love the widescreen. You want find yourself backing up to get everything/body in the frame (sometimes there is no room to back up). Its like going from an small aps-c sensor to a full frame sensor on a SLR camera. The included HDMI cable and HDMI port on the Vado are bonuses too. Some only have an RCA output (Vado has one too), so you can't hook it up to that nice big HDTV or widescreen monitor on your computer. And nobody is including an HDMI cable as of this date in my research(approx.value $5-$15). The also included silicone skin helps with drops and bumps.

But most of all it's the quality of the video. It has a great picture. The colors are more "true" than others. They use glass for the lens, and I'm sure that has a lot to do with it.

I am adding this to my gear bag to incorporate video into my media. HD quality in the palm of your hands... the possibilities are endless!

Disappointed with the zoom

12/27/2009

I received this a Christmas present. I wanted a more portable video recorder than my dvd recorder and was tired of trying to transfer images from the dvd to my computer.

PROS:
The recorder is lightweight and portable. The battery charged up pretty quickly through the usb connection and I was happy it included an HDMI cable. Picture quality is good and starts and stops recording quickly.

CONS:

Screen size is small. The zoom feature is disappointing. Not good for close-ups. I basically have to be in my kids face if I want to get a closer shot.

Overall: If I know I will be recording something, I will be sticking to my old clunker, but will keep this in my bag for unplanned filming.

Awesome!

12/27/2009

Best camera I could have purchased for my 12-year old daughter. Easy to use. She loves it. The capacity is huge and she is having a lot of fun making and watching videos.

Kinda shaky but built solid. Excellent family camcorder

12/16/2009

Yet another variation of the small pocket video camera, this one has HD and is HDMI compatible. Good for Youtube, fantastic for technophobes, not so great on quality.

The video footage is sharp as long as you stick with stable shots. Motion takes the edge off the HD factor which gets muddier the more you move around. Movement creates annoying artifacts. The footage itself has a 'jerky' quality which would make Abraham Zapruder blush. Changes in light were OK. This must not tax the processor much.

Sound quality is outstanding. It does pick up ambient sound from some distance away. This may or may not be a plus for you.

This was tested on a Mac. Being that this is the first generation of Vado to include Mac software, it's possible that some of the limitations have to do with Apple. I did not test this on a PC. It's possible that on an ordinary television (780 HD or better now) artifacts and stability may not be a huge issue.

I couldn't test that because the included HDMI cable did not work. The camera would turn on, but as soon as I pressed play or plugged the camera into the HDMI cable the screen would go black. On a non-Vado website I visited to check out the problem, it was suggested that the HDMI cable might be bad. That's possible. None of the other reviewers have reported problems with the HDMI cable as far as I can tell.

This model still has some of the prior version's issues: no optical zoom, no view finder. The LCD screen is larger and stays clear in all but the brightest light. That's good because you're going to use it a lot. This is a point and shoot camera; what you see is what you get.

The best part about this version is the removable cell phone style battery. The Creative Labs Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery for Vado HD Camcorder sells for around $15. You can buy it here on Amazon.

You can also get a Rechargeable Battery and Battery Charger Combo for Vado HD for about the price of two batteries, otherwise you need to charge the unit through a USB port. This is particularly easy given the Vado's retractable arm.

As other reviewers have stated - there is nothing easier to use than one of these small format flash based cameras. If you are not inclined to care about multiple screens and special effects, this is a fantastic unit for it's price. Vado camera's tend to run cheaper than Flips with similar features. They are tough, come with a silicone case, and have no moving parts I am aware of other than the charging arm.

This is a family camera that can be passed around from elder parent to child with little worry or need for complicated instructions. There is nothing on the market easier to figure out. You press a button, and taa daa! You are making video! The case prevents scratches. You don't have to buy anything else to make it work better and you can throw it in a purse or pants pocket. Live free and hand it to whomever you want at your next family gathering. That way you can experience what draws other people's attention, like if anyone really cares if your butt is fat :)