The new Opteka High Definition

Nothing changes the way you see the world like High Definition, and no company does High Definition like Opteka. In the professional setting, Opteka’s glass optics define High Definition. Change the way you view the world. Enjoy outstanding detail, enjoy enhanced clarity, enjoy Opteka. The new Opteka High Definition

The new Opteka High Definition

Nothing changes the way you see the world like High Definition

Choose a camera that redefines the entry-level digital SLR category. The PENTAX K-x offers high-end features including Live View, HD video and photographic performance that challenges higher class models.

Buy/More Info

The new Opteka High Definition

Featuring a whopping 16GB of memory, the compact MS-MT16G Memory Stick PRO Duo Mark 2 media card is the perfect solution for storing and transferring high resolution video and still photos recorded on compatible Handycam camcorders and Cyber-shot digital cameras. Designed for high speed and stellar storage capacity, this media is capable of holding approximately five hours of HD footage or 4,500 8-megapixel images.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great Deal
Although with electronic accessories always fluctuating in prices, this memory stick is a great value, lots of storage, works great with my Sony Camera

5 Stars Perfect
Perfect little companion for my camera. Works great and I can take plenty of pictures and video. I never even reach the maximum capacity. Plenty of room if you take a ton of pictures like me.

4 Stars Memory Card
The delivery of this product was done very quickly and i really appreciate it. i wasnt happy about the shipping part since i bought the other 2 items with free shipping. even though i bought products worth $300 i had to pay shipping for this one item.

4 Stars 4 GB duo sony
Capacit may not be sufficient once several videos are recorded. * or 16 GB seems to be more appropriate.

5 Stars Must have
This is a must have for anybody with the Sony Handycam. It is so much easier to tape and download, no DVD to format and much more time on your hands to film!

Buy/More Info

Become an instant celebrity or paparazzo! This sleek pocketable design is built for easy video – there is no lens cap, no dials to turn, or settings to set. Just turn it on and hit record to capture the action, adventure, and all the juicy details in stunning HD! Make your cinematic debut on any HDTV. Or just pop the USB in the nearest PC and you’re ready to share the fun on YouTube. Edit, add music, and personalize your flick and easily share with your adoring fans. There’s no such thing as ”you should’ve been there” with the Zi6.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Works great in Iraq
I bought my Zi6 at Target back in June just before deploying to Iraq. Think I paid $149.00 and had to add a memory card. Mine works great, I have some great footage of patrols, Iraqi Kids getting toys, the land scape moving down the road, and a few shots going thru Mosul at night. I filmed most of it looking thru the glass of an armored vehicle. It also takes fairly good still pictures. Easy to carry and holds-up good, I have dropped my several times and it is still going strong. I do recommend buying 2 extra rechargeable batteries and swapping them out. I have 2GB card in mine and can get a few pictures and about 45 minutes of video.

5 Stars Easy
I love this. Perfect for recording on vacations or out & about & uploading to various websites. We got a great deal on Amazon with free shipping only only $130 when the new zi8 was released a couple months ago. Obviously the zoom isn’t much & it’s not the best in dark settings, but overall, you can’t beat it for the money! It’s so small & lightweight & the batteries last for a really long time. Ours came with rechargeables & a charger… but the best thing is it takes regular AA in case you’re out somewhere & run out of batteries… you don’t have to spend a fortune in a pinch. We took ours to Disney & that trip alone was worth it! No lugging around a bigger or more expensive model, worrying about it etc. Shop for a good deal & you’ll feel even better about this purchase~!

1 Star Total piece of junk
I got this camera a few months ago for a trip. Since then, it has proved itself totally and utterly worthless. I’ve had it for about 4 months now, and it won’t even tape. I have kept it in tip-top shape, but it refuses to film for over a minute in any mode. I’ve tried everything, replacing the SD card and batteries, but this terrible camera is simply a piece of junk. Caveat emptor sums it up pretty nicely.

5 Stars It is what it is.
I got this locally from a BBox that must not have been paying attention. I like many others, read the reviews here and studied all the different opinions. Then I realized that I could not (like others) expect $1000 performance from something that cost me less than $100. The video was choppy when I was uploading to my laptop on the cruise and I had my doubts. With a 20 year computer resume, I suspected the laptop and was proven correct when I watched the clips once I got home. I have also noticed a difference in players (software) trying to play on my desktop. This is not the camera’s fault. The shaky video is also not the camera’s problem. I realize that if the video is so jittery as to be unwatchable, it is on me. If you go into the situation with a little common sense and realize the limitations, this is a steal for out of my pocket and catching an 8th grade basketball game in a matter of seconds. On the other hand if you aspire to make feature films, feel free to spend the money. Amazon has many high quality products available to serve you faithfully. Me, fits the bill perfectly.

2 Stars The camcorder SHOWDOWN: I’ve done the product comparisons for you
If I’m going to spend more than a hundred bucks on an item or somewhere around there, I do extensive research first to know I got the best bang-for-the-buck and, consequently, dodge any potential future buyer’s remorse.

I’ve realized that the time I spend doing my product comparisons is often time that others don’t have so I may as well share what I can.

I’ll start by saying that you’ll see my “Verified Amazon Purchase” on the Flip HD Ultra Camcorder review because, obviously, that’s the one I wound up buying and I’ll share with you why. But what I like in a camcorder may not suit your own needs so I’ll break it down and let you decide what’s best for you via what I found out:

Here are the pocket camcorders I compared:

Flip UltraHD (will be referred to as “F”)

Flip Mino HD 2nd generation(Will be referred to as “M”)

Creative Labs Vado HD 8 GB 2nd generation (Will be referred to as “CL”)

Kodak Zi6 Pocket HD (Will be referred to as “K”)

Why HD cameras only? Brighter colors and better images, wider images

HD SHOOTING TIME:

F: 120 minutes.

M: 120 minutes

CL:120 minutes

K: 25 minutes with batteries they included, 120 minutes if you buy an SD card

MEMORY:

F: 8 GB

M:8 GB

CL: 8 GB

K: internally only 30 MB recording space but it has 32 GB expandable SD/SDHC card slot. Because it comes with such small recording space you really need to buy an SD or SDHC card to maximize its potential, but the potential is really good and this will increase your ability to shoot longer.

RESOLUTION:

All 720p which is excellent, just one step below the top 1080p format.

SOUND:

F:Premier AAC audio. Best sound quality but still not great in winds

M:Premier AAC audio. Best sound quality but still not great in winds.

CL:Poor sound quality; had issues with sound and picture not being in sync.

K:Poor sound quality

ZOOM:

F: 2x

M:2x

CL:2x

K: poor quality zoom on the one I tried but I still think it’s 2x. It has a great macro focus for very close-up objects if, for example, you see a bumble bee and want to shoot it on a leaf a few inches away! Kinda cool.

SIZE AND WEIGHT:

F: 6.2 x 3.1 x 3.1 inches ; 11.2 ounces

M: 2 x 0.7 x 3.9 inches ; 1 pound

CL: 3.3 x 7.9 x 6.3 inches ; 11.2 ounces

K: 4x 5x 2.5″ 2.4 lbs

TECHNICAL DETAILS:

F: USB cable pops out of the back so you don’t need to keep up with a separate cable. Comes with Flip Video rechargeable AA battery pack (recharges when connected to USB); also supported by standard AA batteries. Note: Some sets come with the HDMi mini included and others come with the rechargeable battery pack on Amazon. Looks like one or the other but of course if you need both you can buy the other.

M: USB cable pops out of the back on this one as well. Has child safe button to prevent accidental deletion of videos. Internal lithium ion battery recharges through built-in USB arm

CL: USB cable in camera. Included in box are HDMI cable, USB extension cable, silicon skin & rechargeable battery.

K: Included in box are HD and AV cables and wrist strap and rechargeable batteries and battery charger. Has built in USB arm.

SPEED:

F: 30 frames per second.

M: 30 frames per second

CL: 30 frames per second

K: choice of 30 frames per second or 60 frames per second.

VIEWING SCREEN: All 2″ except the Kodak was the largest at 2.4″

IMPORTANT NOTES:

F: Best low-light performance for the mini cameras (though not perfect at all) and least amount of blurring and dropped frames in my opinion. You can get an underwater case for this one! Though that may sound crazy for a Texan, we use the camera non-stop on vacations and even when we aren’t IN the water, we are around the water…on boats, in the sand with sea mist, etc. Then we can dive in and record the fish. Comes preloaded with flipshare software…just plug in to computer and it pops up.

M: Colors don’t appear as good on the Mino as the other cameras. Thinnest camera. Make sure you get the one that only comes in the color aluminum or brushed metal. If it comes in any other colors it is the 1st generation MinoHD and they improved upon that one in the newer models. Great audio. Better shooting in low light than most mini cameras. Camera comes preloaded with FlipShare software. Can get still images through flipshare software.

CL: Decent filming in low light. Software is preloaded in camcorder.

K: The only camera in my list without image stabilization which results in very shaky filming. The others have built-in image stabilization to help correct it. What appears to be metal in picture is actually a chrome colored plastic. That said, this had the largest viewing screen of all of them. 2.4″ Very poor in low light and seemed to have far more shaking and blurring due to lack of image stabilization. It also takes still pictures but they are really really poor quality…same as a lesser-quality cell phone pictures but good in a pinch if you want a still shot and have no cell or camera I s’pose. Heaviest for a pocket camera but that’s not good if you want to tote it in your purse daily or during travels. Software is not preloaded in camcorder but a cd comes with it.

And, finally, the reviews of the Flip from experts swayed me quite a bit:

Fast Company: “Flip Ultra HD is Pure Digital’s “Best Pocket Camcorder Yet.” 6-09

USA Today: “New Flip Ultra Video Cameras Might Flip Your Switch” 4-09

Business Week: How do you Invigorate a Recession? Look to i-phone, Flip, Kindle, and Zip Car For Answers

There were lootttts more I came across when researching the Flip Ultra HD but those are some of my favorites.

CONCLUSION: Clearest picture and sound was important to me, expert reviews that pointed to the Flip UltraHD as well and I liked the built in software and the case I can get to shoot underwater. It is the number one selling camcorder as well. So that was my personal decision-making process. However, keep in mind that if you need reading glasses none of that will matter if the 2″ screen is too small for your viewing the shots easily for playback in which case you may wish to get the Kodak if that’s important to you..

Also: No matter which one you get, you will probably want a mini tripod if you ever want to be in the shot yourself do don’t forget those.

Also note: It’s confusing because when these manufacturers make changes in the camcorders, they do not change the names on the new versions, nor do they change the names if it’s an HD version or a non-HD version so be sure you look for the “HD” after the brand name and look for “2nd generation” or “newer version” on the Mino and Vado if you like one of those better so you don’t get the older models.

Hope my obsessive comparing and contrasting for my own purchasing assistance helped you as well even if what you wanted in a camera was different from me.

Buy/More Info

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Takes great video but hard to work with it
I have owned several Canon camcorders through the years and have been consistently happy with them. The HF 200 follows this trend. The camera is really compact and easy to take basic video with. I have played with a couple of the quality settings and I find even with a relatively small 8MB card, I get an hour or two of video with really good quality. The still camera is a nice feature as well but I would compare it to a decent phone camera in quality (not for those really important shots you might want to enlarge). The menus are manageable but not nearly as easy to use as Sony’s touch screen models. You can get low light video with the mini spot built into the camera or you can take the grain and shoot without. Neither is really that great and like every other video camera I have had this one gets the really good results out in the sun or in very bright rooms. Under the right conditions the video is stunning. When you connect to a decent HDTV with a high def cable the picture really blows you away (everyone I have shown video this way is amazed and ready to buy one).

The downside for me is working with the video files. First off, the instructions for getting the video from the camera to your computer are non-existent. It implies that you have to use the bundled software (which is very poor). I am pretty sure if you figure out the folder structure the camera uses you can just drag the appropriate files to your computer but for me (fairly computer savvy but not very HD video savvy) I spent a lot of time struggling with this. By comparison, a non-HD Sony I had for a while was as easy to use as a digital camera taking Jpeg files (but the video was so disappointing I returned it).

Once you do capture the video, it seems there are still not many applications with which to edit it. I have been avoiding the bundled software as much as possible so the best option I found so far was the new Windows Live version of the windows video editor (free download for Vista and Win 7 I believe). It is enough to get you by but I have not had enough time to really get it figured out. On top of that my 1.5 year old “multimedia” powerhouse HP laptop just barely can work with the HD video. Apparently you need more than a 200 GHz Pentium Duo Core with 2 GB Ram and a decent Nvidia graphics card. I have read reviews from folks who just plan to save all their files on hard drives or SDHC cards but that fills up pretty darn fast, even with the lower storage costs now. My last issue is it is really hard to find 16 MB SDHC cards around (for a decent price at least) and even harder to find 32 MB cards.

Regardless, I like the camera and need to get out and use it more (the file management/editing definitely slows me down). I also need to get the larger battery but then it will not be as pocket sized as it is with the 1 hour battery. I guess the bottom line is that there are a lot of trade offs to be made with HD camcorders and this one is no exception.

3 Stars Beware of short warranty and no repair
My Mino HD died after a year and Flip says outside the warranty so they won’t fix. I have been vaery very careful with it sovery disapointed that f it breaks they can’t fix it

5 Stars A sight to behold
Got it for a few days now and shot a few test video clips and couple of photos. Video is fantastic, everything it’s claimed to be. Having stepped up from an old Hi8 tape camcorder, the video is phenomenal. You need to take the time initially to go through the manual and the full menu functions on the camcorder. The default video and photo modes may not be what you want (not at the highest settings) so it may need to be adjusted. Also, you may need to know how to initialize a memory card if you stick in your old one. My 4GB SDHC memory was not recognized initially, a new one had no problems. Also, buy a class 4 or higher SD card to take full advantage of the camcorder.

The software that comes with the unit is a very basic video transfer and editing program and WILL NOT work very well with Windows 7 (tried it on Vista and works ok). Somewhat disappointing that Canon don’t have a upgrade to Win 7 compatible yet. Regardless, the software is NOT good enough if you want to do a lot of editing and slick video work. I’m looking at upgrading the software to either Sony Vegas or Corel Video (used Pinnacle software before and found it to be very buggy). I’ve used similar software before and be forewarned that these software are computer resource hogs, temperamental, and can be agonizing slow to complete a video project.

Please don’t complain about the camcorder if your real problem is inadequate computer hardware and software. You definitely will not get the full power of HD if you are not somewhat computer savvy. I’ve rendered a 3 1/2 minute video clip shot in FXP mode (step below the highest setting), into a 1440 HD clip and it took 20 minutes in Corel Videostudio to accomplish this. So take note, it’ll take hours to render a 1/2 hour video (if the computer don’t choke first). I will say though that the outcome is awesome.

The camcorder is small, easily handled but the small size increases the shakes when shooting, especially when zoomed in (the included optical image stabilizer is a necessity). Mounting on a tripod is a must if you must have steady scenes. The complaints about the power on-off light is correct – don’t know why the light is red when on and green when off. The built in mini video light may help on indoor closeup but seems pretty useless for longer shots. At least the camcorder has a attachment for external flash or mike (most other vendors don’t have this in this price range).

Also took some pictures at the highest setting. Very good but not as good as what I get from my Sony 7.2 megapixel camera. The colors seem a little muted and is not as sharp. The ability to shoot both great video and very good still pictures means that for most purposes, I don’t need to carry a separate camera anymore, especially when the size of this camcorder is smaller than my camera.

I got this camcorder for $520 from Amazon, a good 8 GB class 4 SD memory costs about $20, a good video editing program cost $60, and if you must burn to blue ray disk, I have no idea what that would cost. Finally, if your computer is old then you need to upgrade your computer system. So consider all this before you plunk down your hard earned money for this camcorder, even though it’s a great unit.

5 Stars Excellent features for the price!
I bought this camera for many purposes, primarily was to record my daughters’ B-ball games. It was rated very highly on [...]. I’m no professional, but I do want a quality picture with enough features to satisfy. I record the games in standard quality, mostly because I don’t think the Full HD would be noticeable to justify the added file size.

Pros

-Lightweight

-Canon quality

-Feature rich, but simple to use

-Great picture (even in standard mode), great audio

-Plenty of add-ons (if you want, you don’t need them for regular shooting)

-Inexpensive for feature set

-Flash memory is cheap (and getting cheaper!)

-Great connectivity options- PC to download, or direct to TV for viewing

Cons

-File type- records everything in .mts format, the standard for HD camcorders. It will need to be converted for playing on a DVD/Blu-Ray player. If you are looking for playback on a PC w/o the included software, the best player would be VideoLan Player (google VLC). The software that comes with it is limited, and does include a player as well.

Bottom Line

If you want a great camcorder for regular recording, this is it. Simple to use, great quality picture. Price is very competitive, especially for HD functionality. I didn’t really need HD quality, but it’s very quickly becoming the standard. Better to avoid obsoletion on the front than pay for it later. Just remember to get some flash memory first, nothing worse than having a toy you can’t play with.

2 Stars Prosumer camera, emphasis on the Pro
The camera is great. Very easy to use. Lots of features. We use it mainly to document our new baby and we love how easy it is.

Until we try to get the video off the camera.

As others have noted, the codec (the avc in the avchd) is more advanced than a lot of software can handle.

Warning to Mac users: you can only import the native .MTS files (the format the camera saves in) if you have an Intel machine AND if you are running Leopard AND if you have the latest version of iMovie or Final Cut or Final Cut Express. My Intel iMac running Tiger with FCE 3 and iMovie 2008 is useless without 3rd party software that I’ve found to be very suspect.

Bottom line is that this camera was designed for one group of people (consumers with high standards and an interest in controlling the elements of their video) but can only be used by another (professionals with the latest hardware and editing suites). If you’re in the sweet spot, go for it. Otherwise, this is a very bad purchase.

Buy/More Info

The Flip UltraHD Camcorder combines Flip Videos signature shoot-and-share simplicity with the power of vivid, vibrant HD video. Power on and press record to start capturing incredible HD video in seconds. When its time to share your video, use the flip-out USB arm to connect to any PC or Mac and launch built-in FlipShare editing and video-sharing software. Built-in FlipShare software lets you easily email videos, edit individual clips, make custom movies, capture still photos from video, and even upload video to sharing sites likeYouTube and MySpace

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars use a fan whilst charging to stop it getting hot…
Have had the flip ultra HD for a couple of weeks now. Really love how easy it is to use and i am pretty sure my old panasonic mini DV camcorder is now going to be collecting dust in the corner. Although the quality on the panasonic is far superior, it was just too much hassle to download the videos and to edit and convert them into a smaller file on the pc, which meant i rarely shared my videos of the kids with anyone.

I have read other reviewer’s comments about issues whilst charging, but i decided to go ahead with the purchase anyway since i also have rechargeable AA batteries that i can use. i thought i’d add my experiences so far. I have had issues with the unit giving an error message that it is getting too hot whilst charging, and so i now take off the battery cover and have a fan blowing on the device whilst it is charging, which keeps it cool. not the most elegant solution, but it works!

It seems to take a couple of hours to recharge fully.

4 Stars I like it BUT Image stabilaztion is pretty bad without tripod!
I purchased this for my wife to take on a trip to India and a skiing trip I will take in January. The packaging was great and over-all it is a quality product. For the small purchase price it delivers your moneys worth but everyone needs to understand its limitations. If you can use the camcorder on a stationary table or tripod it will work perfectly. If you take videos on the go in your hand you will NOT be happy with the results. It does not have image stabilization so it is VERY jerky and a chore to watch. If you move the camera quickly you will also get jerky video like it doesn’t have enough frames per second. Keep in mind this is a very small package and can only do so much. I found the audio to be more than acceptable and the video is excellent when placed in a stationary position. If you can live with this restriction I say go for it. Before I purchased this particular recorder I viewed some videos off the web where comparisons were made between several different camcorders and this problem is normal for all small flash memory camcorders. The Vado was the closest top rated camcorder and it has the same problem. This camera does seem to record in lower light areas better than I expected. It isn’t great and it is a little grainy but to me it was acceptable. You have to buy a wall charger seperately if you want to charge it without a USB port. One other improvement I would recommend in future Flips is external memory card slots. It will hold 2 hours but it is strictly internal memory so if you use it up on a long vacation you have to take your laptop and download the videos off the camera to shoot some more. If it had external memory slots you could just slip in another card. 2 hours is a lot of video so for me I believe it will be fine. I love the fact that is powers on in a matter of 1 second and is ready to record right then. No waiting just point and go. I also like the fact you can use regular AA batteries if you can’t wait to recharge the main battery pack. This can really save the day if you forgot to do a recharge and the baby is putting on a production or that tornado is in sight. The flipshare software is very easy to use and if you upload to myspace,youtube or facebook it can’t be any easier than this. For the money and on the go tripod recording I say buy one and enjoy!

2 Stars No. Please don’t buy.
I’m sorry to write a negative review. Here are my beefs:

1. The battery dies after 1 hour of use. However, this makes no sense as the drive holds two hours of video.

2. The images are very jittery due to a lack of image stabilization.

Those are my two main beefs and the reason why I think this is a bad choice for a portable video camera.

Is addition, the only way to charge the batteries is by hooking it up to your computer (which is why it’s so strange that the camera holds two hours of video. It seems to me that the battery life should be comparable to the amount of video one can shoot.)

As well, the Flip software is not great. I’ve had other cameras and software that is much more user friendly. The software is clunky and cumbersome.

Also, I’ve shot videos in a well-lit kitchen only to see that the faces of the people in my video were dark and hard to see until I moved the camera right up into their face. This was during the day with the lights on as well.

For $200 or so, I think there may be better options out there. If you can find this camera used or refurbished for a much lower price, then I’d go for it. But even then, you have to be able to live with the limitations. My iPhone takes better video!

4 Stars Good for day-to-day, wouldn’t use for long-term “memories”
We received the UltraHD today (12-9-2009) – shipping was incredibly FAST.

Out of the box the battery had a full charge and I was recording in seconds (not minutes, seconds); the usability is great, the interface is easy, and the software is actually quite good.

The biggest pro: speed. After hitting the power then record buttons, you can literally be recording in 2-3 seconds. This is perfect when trying to capture those special moments (like our 9-month old son throwing his Cheerios all over the place).

The biggest con: pixelation. In low-to-medium light the quality is quite poor (even in a brightly lit kitchen). If it had a bigger/better sensor, I could easily use this to record long-term “memories” of my son growing up. But I’d hate to look back 2-3 years from now and find myself saying “I wish it wasn’t so pixelated” or “We missed X detail because of the sensor”. For comparison, my HTC Droid Eris (a Verizon Android phone) takes comparable videos, although the quality is lower and there is an audio-to-video delay (but no pixelation, especially when recording “blacks” and other dark colors). The HTC Passion is coming out in Q1 2010 with 720p capabilities and I might just return the UltraHD (and my Eris) and use the Passion, depending on cost and image quality.

Regarding the software: you can manually transfer the files in XP, but the software does a great job at grabbing the files from the device, storing them, and allowing you to burn them to a DVD – nice. The configuration options could use some improvement (naming of files and folders, i.e. yyyy-mm-dd-0001.mp4), but overall a very usable piece of software. I tried watching the files using GOMPlayer and/or Quicktime, but my computer wasn’t speedy enough to render the video in sync with the audio. The FlipShare software (for whatever reason) renders everything quite nicely, so don’t freak out about jitter and such.

We plan on using it for a few days, and after such time I will post a follow-up report.

4 Stars Battery will not charge
I purchased this just before Thanksgiving. I could not get the supplied re-charge battery to charge. So I used AA batteries that I had. It worked fine for the holiday. Then I contacted customer support, to let them know about the error message I receive when I try and charge the supplied battery. After numerous suggestions from customer support, nothing worked. So they have sent me a RMA # to send the camera back and have them try and diagnose the problem. This would take 6-8 weeks according to them. I want to use this camera for the Christmas Holiday, which was the whole reason for the purchase. So I have not sent it back, and will continue to use AA batteries. Using the AA batteries, the camera works fine. I have no other complaints about it. It would be nice to just plug in and recharge, but not worth the hassle of the return. Maybe after the holidays, I will send back…..

Buy/More Info