Review : Creative Vado HD
Price: £180
Manufacturer: Creative
Verdict
A decent camcorder but it's more expensive than as-good-or-better rivals
Good points Small and easy to use; bright and colourful recordings; software and cables included
Bad points Some video quality problems; more expensive than most
Last year we reviewed Creative's original Vado pocket camcorder and concluded that it was fine for fooling around and very easy to use, but unsurprisingly not up to the standards of more expensive devices.
A year or so on and the company has come up with a successor, at a price more than double that of the original. The reason for that is that this one records in high definition. The Vado HD is pretty much as small, physically, as the original Vado, but this one has a lens that protrudes slightly from the body (just under a centimetre).
The 4GB of internal memory for storing video has been doubled but the controls remain the same: record and play/pause buttons and another for deleting clips, plus a four-way pad that's used to control playback and to zoom in and out.
The 2in screen on the rear can be used to play back recordings, but when the Vado is plugged into a Windows PC's USB socket you can run the Creative viewer software directly as it's loaded on the camcorder itself. Handily, the USB connector flips out from the bottom of the camera, and it comes with a cable to connect it to the HDMI socket on high-definition television sets.
Quality was much better than from the original Vado. It records in a resolution of 1,280x720 pixels, which is indeed high definition, and colour reproduction and brightness in recorded videos were impressive.
The test videos we shot, though, were not quite up to what you'll get by spending a bit more – for instance the Sanyo HD2000, also on this page. Jagged edges and jerky movement mean that while the Vado HD is fine when quality is not a priority, we wouldn't use it to shoot something important such as a wedding.
In the same vein, the Vado HD's two closest competitors are the Kodak Zi6 and the Toshiba Camileo, which are cheaper by £50 and £40 respectively, and both shoot video as well and in the same resolution as the Vado HD.
It's not a bad camera and its style and good build quality appeal, but at full price it's not a great deal.
Capture high-definition video
Record all your fun moments at an HD video resolution of up to 1280x720p! With the wide-angle glass lens, you can also capture wider scenes and more action in your videos. This precision-engineered glass lens produces sharper and clearer images, giving you professional-looking videos. Vado HD also has 2x digital zoom and works great in dim environments.
2 hours of recording and playback
Simply start and stop recording with the touch of a button. Record up to 2 hours1 of stunning HD plus quality video, up to 4 hours1 of HD quality video or up to 8 hours of video at VGA resolution. The large 8GB internal memory1 and three recording modes give you the freedom to choose the video quality that's best for you.
Connect and share in an instant
Simply plug in Vado HD's flexible USB tab and post your videos directly onto popular web sites such as YouTube™, Photobucket or Box.net with the built-in Vado Central software. You can even save your great quality video clips to your computer for a lifetime of memories.
Edit movies and snap photos
Make and edit your own short movies, or capture snapshots in still and burst mode with the built-in Vado Central software.
Playback video on your HDTV
Connect your Vado HD camcorder to any HDTV with the included HDMI cable and enjoy your videos in 1080i HD quality.
High-quality video compression
The latest H.264 video compression technology provides unprecedented video quality at ultra-efficient file sizes for the best possible viewing experience. Record up to 4 times more videos, compared to MPEG-4 encoded ones.
Large 2", antiglare screen
Set up the perfect shot, review clips onscreen or show them off to friends. Keep the videos you like; delete the ones you don't.
Rechargeable for hours of fun
Enjoy 2 hours of recording and playback with the Lithium-ion battery2; simply recharge via USB. Need more time? The battery is even removable so you can change out for a fresh one.
Accessorize your Vado HD
Pick up an optional accessory for your Vado HD Pocket Video Cam! Choose from a waterproof pouch, mesh case, A/V cable, spare rechargeable battery3 and a battery charger3 to get the most out of your Vado HD.
Source: pcw.co.uk
Price: £180
Manufacturer: Creative
Verdict
A decent camcorder but it's more expensive than as-good-or-better rivals
Good points Small and easy to use; bright and colourful recordings; software and cables included
Bad points Some video quality problems; more expensive than most
Last year we reviewed Creative's original Vado pocket camcorder and concluded that it was fine for fooling around and very easy to use, but unsurprisingly not up to the standards of more expensive devices.
A year or so on and the company has come up with a successor, at a price more than double that of the original. The reason for that is that this one records in high definition. The Vado HD is pretty much as small, physically, as the original Vado, but this one has a lens that protrudes slightly from the body (just under a centimetre).
The 4GB of internal memory for storing video has been doubled but the controls remain the same: record and play/pause buttons and another for deleting clips, plus a four-way pad that's used to control playback and to zoom in and out.
The 2in screen on the rear can be used to play back recordings, but when the Vado is plugged into a Windows PC's USB socket you can run the Creative viewer software directly as it's loaded on the camcorder itself. Handily, the USB connector flips out from the bottom of the camera, and it comes with a cable to connect it to the HDMI socket on high-definition television sets.
Quality was much better than from the original Vado. It records in a resolution of 1,280x720 pixels, which is indeed high definition, and colour reproduction and brightness in recorded videos were impressive.
The test videos we shot, though, were not quite up to what you'll get by spending a bit more – for instance the Sanyo HD2000, also on this page. Jagged edges and jerky movement mean that while the Vado HD is fine when quality is not a priority, we wouldn't use it to shoot something important such as a wedding.
In the same vein, the Vado HD's two closest competitors are the Kodak Zi6 and the Toshiba Camileo, which are cheaper by £50 and £40 respectively, and both shoot video as well and in the same resolution as the Vado HD.
It's not a bad camera and its style and good build quality appeal, but at full price it's not a great deal.
Capture high-definition video
Record all your fun moments at an HD video resolution of up to 1280x720p! With the wide-angle glass lens, you can also capture wider scenes and more action in your videos. This precision-engineered glass lens produces sharper and clearer images, giving you professional-looking videos. Vado HD also has 2x digital zoom and works great in dim environments.
2 hours of recording and playback
Simply start and stop recording with the touch of a button. Record up to 2 hours1 of stunning HD plus quality video, up to 4 hours1 of HD quality video or up to 8 hours of video at VGA resolution. The large 8GB internal memory1 and three recording modes give you the freedom to choose the video quality that's best for you.
Connect and share in an instant
Simply plug in Vado HD's flexible USB tab and post your videos directly onto popular web sites such as YouTube™, Photobucket or Box.net with the built-in Vado Central software. You can even save your great quality video clips to your computer for a lifetime of memories.
Edit movies and snap photos
Make and edit your own short movies, or capture snapshots in still and burst mode with the built-in Vado Central software.
Playback video on your HDTV
Connect your Vado HD camcorder to any HDTV with the included HDMI cable and enjoy your videos in 1080i HD quality.
High-quality video compression
The latest H.264 video compression technology provides unprecedented video quality at ultra-efficient file sizes for the best possible viewing experience. Record up to 4 times more videos, compared to MPEG-4 encoded ones.
Large 2", antiglare screen
Set up the perfect shot, review clips onscreen or show them off to friends. Keep the videos you like; delete the ones you don't.
Rechargeable for hours of fun
Enjoy 2 hours of recording and playback with the Lithium-ion battery2; simply recharge via USB. Need more time? The battery is even removable so you can change out for a fresh one.
Accessorize your Vado HD
Pick up an optional accessory for your Vado HD Pocket Video Cam! Choose from a waterproof pouch, mesh case, A/V cable, spare rechargeable battery3 and a battery charger3 to get the most out of your Vado HD.
Source: pcw.co.uk
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