... I wholeheartedly agree with reviewer Clank of Iowa who says that if you are considering purchasing a camcorder such as the Flip Mino HD or similar type of mini camcorder in that price range, you may want to spend the extra money to get Sanyo's VPC-TH1 HD. You'll get 30 X optical zoom and superior audio recording capability and quality.
Of course size if size is of great consideration to you and you want a camcorder the size of the Flip or Vado HD, then you'll find the TH1 too big.
As mentioned, the TH1 has a 30 X optical zoom. That's a pretty powerful optical zoom, and if you don't already know this, there's an important difference between optical zoom and digital zoom. Optical zoom is "real" zoom; the lens moves closer to the subject. Digital zoom is simulated zoom that is achieved at a loss of image quality (the more digital zoom used, the grainier the image).
The TH1 is easy to use, as Sanyo claims. I found it as easy to use as both the Vado HD and the Flip Mino HD, which is to say that it's pretty intuitive, though the TH1 is a bit more complex than the aformentioned mini camcorders and thus there is a bit more of a learning curve involved in learning how to use it.
One must have an SD (Secure Digital) or SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) card to use the TH1(though it did capture a few seconds of video without a card), so that is going to be an additional expense for purchasers of the TH1. Flash memory (as SD and SDHC cards are) is one of the stablest, most durable media formats, as there are no moving parts. Bump a hard disk camcorders while recording and it will likely affect the recording. Hard disk camcorders get hot when recording; flash memory camcorders have very low heat emission. Flash memory camcorders also boot up faster than hard disk camcorders.
The TH1 is an HD (High Definition) camcorder but not all HD is the same. Set to the highest quality recording level, the TH1 is capable of recording at a resolution of 1280 X 720 also known as 720p where "p" stands for "progressive scan." Camcorders capable of recording at a resolution of 1080i ("i" for "interlaced") typically produce clearer images but this depends on the TV the recording is played back on as well as on what is recorded (according to Kerr Cook at Sony HDV Info dot com, "720p recording may hold the edge if you are recording sporting events or where there is a lot of high-speed motion and you want to later Pause and examine, step through frames, extract still snapshots, or do slow motion analysis." Aside from that, Cook says, "For the highest resolution, 1080i can't be beat today...for general recording..."). Technicalities aside, when video recorded at the highest quality level possible on the TH1 is played back on an HDTV via the included AV (audio visual) interface cable, the image quality is good but not great (I'd say a 3 to 3 1/2 on a 1-5 scale, and I'm sorry but I don't know the specs of the HDTV I tested the TH1 on and it was not mine; I do not yet own an HDTV). Image playback quality improves when one uses an HDMI cable (High-Definition Multimedia Interface, which is NOT included with the TH1; the Vado HD comes with an HDMI cable but it seems that most consumer camcorders do not) to playback video on an HDMI capable TV. I own a compact camcorder that can record at a resolution of 1080i, and the playback quality is far superior to the playback quality of the TH1.
The screen is a good size and my aging eyes appreciate it; my other compact camcorder cost more than twice what the TH1 cost and it has a smaller screen.
The audio pickup is good, meaning that the TH1 seems to clearly record whatever sounds it is pointed toward that the camcorder's operator can pickup with her ears.
My guess is that compact camcorders such as the TH1 include still image taking capability because it is easy and inexpensive for manufacturers to include it. As other reviewers note, the still image quality is relatively poor.
The more light when recording, the better the recording quality. This is as true for my more expensive compact camcorder (which is a JVC Everio hard disk camcorder) as it is for the TH1. Thus, video taken indoors is typically inferior in image quality to video recorded outdoors on a sunny day. Turning on as many lights as possible indoors and opening curtains, shades, and blinds to let as much daylight in as possible helps.
Uploading to YouTube is simple, as other reviewers note. The TH1 would, I think, be nearly ideal as a user-friendly relatively inexpensive camcorder for someone whose primary use is making videos to upload to YouTube.
I am obviously not terribly enthused about the TH1, but at the same time I think it's not bad for the price and I am impressed with its 30X optical zoom and ease of use. I have not mentioned the software because I haven't used it. I use Adobe Premiere Elements 7 to edit video (which requires me to convert HD video to DV-AVI, mainly because my computer, a Sony Vaio laptop with the maximum 2GB RAM installed, can't handle HD video very well). ...
Check Amazon Price and Read More Reviews on Sanyo VPC-TH1 HD Compact Flash Memory Camcorder w/ 30x Optical Zoom (Blue)
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