Aiptek A-HD 720P 8MP CMOS High Definition Camcorder (Silver)
by Aiptek Inc.
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List Price: Our Price: $83.99 You Save: $116.00 (58%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Aiptek A-HD 720P 8MP CMOS High Definition Camcorder (Silver)
Customer Review: Better than I expected - happy with purchase
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this because it was all I could afford and I needed to record kid's cermonies and events. I was worried because reviews stated problems with low light and sound. But I am happy with results. I found it easy to operate. I am famous for recording feet and shaking the camera. I did forget to turn it off and recorded some feet but I did not have nearly as many problems with camera shaking as I had with our old camcorder. I think because it is so light and small I was better able to keep my hand steady. I bought 4 GB memory card and charged it overnight before using (as other reviwers suggested). I did a few trial recordings of several seconds each to adjust the light etc before the first use and used the settings recommended in other reviews. I did not have any problems with lighting when recording in a dark theatre with stage lights. I recorded a dance performance and did not have problems with tracking, all was smooth. It does take several seconds to zoom and focus. I did not have trouble with sound for dance performance which had loud sound system. Awards ceremony in school cafeteria was harder to hear. Had no problem playing back on TV. I have not yet tried to edit on computer or burn to computer disk. Will update review when I have a chance to try it out. If anyone has tips to edit the clips together using Windows I would appreciate it. I have many individual clips since I was only recording certain performances that I would like to link together into one smooth recording on computer disk for a grandmother.Customer Review: Not bad for the price, but ...
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this item recently. I have much experience with DV and HDV shooting and editing.
I know not to expect too much for this price, but I was tempted by some of the reviews/ratings on Amazon. This was to be a camera I would carry on my dirtbike and quad when riding the trails here in SE Ohio (instead of my Canon SD750).
I can only comment on image quality for HD and 5mb/8mb pictures.
HD video quality:
It's really not too bad, if you have great lighting, no wind, and you don't move the camera too much (no stabilization built-in what so ever). The zoom is digital, and there's no way to disable it (it's horrible and is not smooth).
5mb/8mb Picture quality:
VERY poor. Unless you're resizing the pictures to thumbnail size, image quality is worse than taking a screen cap of a paused HD video you took with this thing.
I will be returning this camcorder after the weekend. My Canon SD750 is almost as good for movies (although non-HD, but audio and movement quality is recorded MUCH better), and there's no comparison for taking pictures.
If you're broke, and don't mind the many shortcomings of this item, this may be a good solution for you.
But you're best off buying a non-HD DV cam for under $300 for much better results.
I have a Canon HV10, which is already a year or two old, and it's quality of HD video and audio is MUCH better than this item (but also MUCH more expensive).
Customer Review: 480p not really 720p
Summary: 3 Stars
This camera might be able to technically record at 720p but compression is higher and motion is chopy in my tests. The D1 mode yeilds the most balanced video. The lens is fairly slow, F3.0 and is somewhat soft. It's also fixed so it can be difficult to judge focus at times.
low light shooting? I'd say the minimum the sensor and compression can handle would the amount of light in a standard bathroom with two 60 watt bulbs or around 50 lux. Any less light and the compression and sensor noise start to become noticeable.
video in is a nice feature. quality is ok. playback on a computer is poor but on a stardard def tv (tested on 20" memorex) was almost good. It was watchable.
the built in flash is a joke. but it could be used to trigger other cheap ($20) slaves
picture quality is better than most camera phones but the lens is the weak link. they claim the sensor is 5mp so why on earth would you want to interpolate in such a cheap camera? You don't gain anything. if anything there is a loss of quality.
memory: if you have files on the internal memory, you can only access them once the SD card is removed. you have to get the firmware updates via email from tech support. The rear port cover is annoying, record button is small. It should have been placed where the flash is.
I am a DP and photographer by profession. I bought this camera because it is small, shoots on SD, $120 and you can take it anywhere.
Customer Review: OK in daylight.. pictures are terrible.
Summary: 2 Stars
My mother bought this camera, and she LOVES it.. I on the other hand, can't stand it. I have a DSLR camera that takes great pictures. I carry it around everywhere I go, but if my mom is there, I'll take a picture of her with the family, but then she wants me to take a picture with her Aiptec cam.
I'm not trying to compare a DSLR with this cam, that's just ridiculous. What I DO want to convey is that for a bit more money you can get a way better cam. There is a review on this cam that says the still shots are alot like the ones you take with your cellphone. That review is so right, but I think that some cellphones take even better pictures. On this cam (my brother and I have dubbed it the Apetec), you press the "shutter" button and it will take a picture about 2 seconds later with TERRIBLE results.
The menu is clumsy and not logical at all. It's completely annoying when you want to look for you pictures or videos.
So why am I giving it 2 stars?? The video part of the camera is OK. You need alot of light, but in good conditions, the video is not half bad, its also not half good. You're spending more than 100 dollars on a TOY. I know the price is attractive, but you just might regret it. If you want great results, save your hard earned money, wait a bit, and buy something much better for yourself.... or you mom. You'll be a better person for it.
PS.. my mom would probably give this 5 stars.
Customer Review: Great little camcorder
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this camcorder. We took it on a 2-week trip, and used it every day. So easy, great still pics (3, 5, or 8 mp, your choice) and very nice video. Can't comment on hd quality -- haven't hooked ip up to hd tv yet, but have downloaded video to computer to watch, and it looks pretty good. Camera is very small, fits in a pocket. Comes with battery (about 2 hrs record time) and cords for hooking up to pc (downloading content and recharging battery), watching video on tv (reg and hd, separate cords included), and regular ac charger. We picked up an extra battery (about $15) and a 4G video card (none was included w/camera) (about $20). This gave us 4 hours of recording time before recharge and download were necessary -- plenty for our needs. Super easy to use, auto adjusts to most conditions. Didn't do well at night, even on night setting, unless object you were filming was well lit againt dark background. (We tried to film some ducks swimming at night, and just got black.) Camera has a tripod fitting, but we didn't have a tripod with us, so video can be shaky if you don't hold camera still -- not too much of a problem, except when we were on a boat. All in all we were very pleased with this camera, and price is fantastic. Plan to give at least one as a Christmas gift this year. (Be careful when you use zoom, give camera time to self adjust before snapping pic, or it will be blurry.)