Sanyo VPC-FH1A Full HD Video and 8 MP Digital Photos (Black) by SANYO
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Digital camera reviews of Sanyo VPC-FH1A Full HD Video and 8 MP Digital Photos (Black)
Digital camera Review: But how much memory does it come with?
Summary: 3 Stars
RE: Sanyo VPC-FH1A camera memory...
NOWHERE on Amazon.com, the Sanyo product web site, nor on the specs sheets, is one of THE most critical pre-buy questions answered:
How much memory, if any at all, does the Sanyo VPC-FH1A vid/still camera come with ????
5 bytes?? 16GB ???
Are you out on your own to make some to include with the camera????
Digital camera Review: Cheap, But Overheats
Summary: 1 Stars
In theory this camcorder seems like a dream come true. Unfortunately in practice, it has one major fatal flaw - it overheats often and automatically shuts off. If you're intending to use this camcorder to record your child's hour-long recital or some other lengthy and continuous event, chances are it won't work. I tried running it continuously for an hour-long event and every ten to fifteen minutes it would overheat and shut off, then reboot and start recording again, totally ruining the footage I shot. It may be fine for shooting short clips in high definition, but I would not recommend this camcorder and actually regret the purchase.Digital camera Review: Decent camcorder for the price
Summary: 3 Stars
Pros:
1. Records in iFrame format. iFrame is just a specification made up by Apple for recorded movies to be more iMovie friendly. It uses the standard H.264 video codec and AAC audio codec. However, it's not HD as the resolution is only 960x540 (although it's still higher than 480p), but the bitrate is set at 24Mbps. That's a lot, considering even the 1080p mode on this camcorder only has a bitrate of 16Mbps. Another plus of the iFrame format is that it's progressive. I'm getting sick and tired of camcorders recording interlaced video. I can't see the point. Interlaced video looked horrible, and requires extra processing time/quality loss due to transoding during editing to de-interlace it. Most consumer HD camcorders, even the expensive ones from Sony and Canon, records in 1080i. Try importing/editing that 1080i clip on your computer, it's more difficult than it should. iFrame clips recorded by this camcorder can be scrubbed smoothly on my 2008 iMac with iMovie09. Out of the box, iFrame is the default recording setting.
2. Records in 720p. As nice and iMovie friendly the iFrame format is, the higher resolution of 720p video is just amazing. You can see details that you won't normally see on 480p/480i videos recorded by standard def camcorders. Now, you must be asking why I put 720p as a pro, considering this camera can do 1080p. Well, that's because other HD camcorders, even more expensive ones from Sony/Canon, cannot record in 720p. Most HD camcorders by other manufactures only record in 1080i. I already pointed out that I hate interlaced video. I'd rather have 720p than 1080i. On my iMac, iMovie 09 choked a little bit with the 720p video. Scrubbing is not as smooth as the iFrame format, buy boy the extra resolution is just nice.
3. Price. I got this camcorder when Amazon had it for $329, which is an awesome deal. Even at $399, this camcorder is still cheaper than the competitors. Most other camcorders at this price range have smaller sensors than this Sanyo.
4. High speed recording/slow motion. Basically the camera records the video at a much faster frame rate than the standard 30/60 fps, and when played back at 30fps, you get a smooth slow-motion effect. Alas, the resolution is greatly reduced. You only get 448x336 on the 240fps mode, and a measly 192x108 resolution for 600fps, too small to be practically useful. Still, a nice feature to have for some fun/creative things, and unlike the Sony CX110 that only supports 3 seconds of slow-motion, the FH1A doesn't have that limitation.
5. Comes with a remote.
Cons:
1. No optical image stabilization. The FH1A only has digital image stabilization, which doesn't really say much. Videos can be quite jerky during movement and panning. However, considering the price, you would have to spend $600+ for camcorders with optical IS. Even the low end Sony/Canon HD camcorders don't have optical IS, and they're more expensive than the FH1A.
2. No built-in lens cap. Can be annoying to remove it and put it on the side of the handstrap if you need to record video quickly. Even Samsung cheap camcorders have the lens-cap built-in albeit with a manual slider.
3. Doesn't come with a pouch. It's nitpicking, but I bought a cheapo Samsung camcorder a while back, and it comes with a soft pouch. I kinda expect a bit more goodies.
4. Annoying instruction voice. Really, I don't need the camcorder telling me to insert an SD card. Good thing it can be turned off.
5. The power adapter. Instead of a compact battery charger, or a compact power adapter that has the prongs built-in, Sanyo's power adapter requires two cables. One goes to the camera, the other is the power cable.
I want an HD camcorder that is iMovie friendly where I can import the videos without transcoding/de-interlacing. The Sanyo FH1A delivers. However, the lack of optical IS kinda hampers the overall video recording experience. Still, you can't beat the features for the price. Here are some video comparisons I took, comparing the FH1A with various other devices with video recording capabilities:
Edit: Arrgh, Amazon caught the urls for my video comparisons. Go to youtube dot com slash pata2009.
Digital camera Review: Does what I wanted it to do. Not a nikon or canon, though.
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this camera because you could record 1080p HD video and at the same time snap pictures (if you so desire). The options in the menu are plentiful enough to adjust to the lighting situation you may have (you just need to know how to use it). The video is pretty decent HD. The only con is the autofocus needs a little more refinement. But for the price (under $400), it's a good camcorder/camera to have. It's already paid for itself with the videos and pics I've taken of my newborn daughter.Digital camera Review: Excellent camcorder
Summary: 4 Stars
I have used this camcorder for several weeks and it has performed very well.
I am very satisfied with it. The only negative thing is the image stabilization
is not very good when zooming in very close to something that is far away. But that
is easy to fix, just don't zoom in so much.