 "Is that a camera in your pocket...?" |
| Review Date: December 5, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Visor Blue, Arizona |
First, a major problem with a lot of reviews is that people with unknown skills buy things with unreasonable expectations and post authoritative sounding reviews. Most don't seem to even look at the manuals, they just try using the equipment at their own intuitive level and then post bad reviews and take advantage of the return policy. I have a good friend that does this.
The people that read the manuals and actually learn to use things and are too busy enjoying them to bother coming back to post. So, we see bad reviews and think that some really cool things are junk.
Personally, I'm no novice. I own three video cameras and a number of digital still cameras that I know and use well, yet I am constantly missing good to even great shots/videos as I don't have a camera with me. I tried, but just got tired of "lugging" them around unless I had a specific purpose in mind. What I wanted was a pocket camera that I'd have with me whether I planned to shoot or not.
I wasn't sure what I wanted so I stared with pocket still cameras that also shot video and, after playing with a few, decided I'd be happier with a pocket video that shot stills. I did a lot of research online looking at web sites with actual still and video samples. Saw some very nice stuff from a Sanyo CG65, CA65 the HD700. The HD700 seemed to suit my needs so I looked at Sanyo's web site and read all the specs, etc. Sanyo seems to have several web site, but one Japan based one, (sanyo-dsc dot com -- click on English on the top) has a "Let's shoot more Movies" which shows some things I didn't know the camera could do and even tells you how to do them. Searched some more and found several user reviews of the HD700 with sample videos and stills that convinced me to try the camera so I ordered from Amazon, in brown.
Camera arrived and I immediately loved the feel of it. It slid into my pocket!!! I read the manual while I charged the battery and ran out to play with it in auto mode. Wow! The still pictures were quite sharp, a bit too sharp for me so I set it to Soft which I really like. The video quality was quite nice. I couldn't get over the fact that I could just pull the camera from my pocket and get that kind of quality! I made a print from one of the still pictures and it looked VERY good. Showed it to a friend who has since ordered a HD700 (red) for himself and he wasn't even in the market for a new camera.
I went out the next day and shot all day with it; indoors and outdoors. I shot in a few stores -- garden departments are great for color and close-up tests, at a park, shot some construction workers, etc. The results were much better than I expected. The only glitches I had were operator errors, new camera, I'm still at the fumbling stage.
I don't shoot low light pictures and knew from the beginning this is not a low light camera, neither are any of my video cameras. Not a problem as I don't tend to shoot in low light, but if I did and wanted to use this camera (or my others) I'd add light, a tripod (there's a tripod mount on the bottom) or both. I did do some quick low light tests by bracing myself against a wall holding the camera with my elbows in and in a two-handed grip, also by setting the camera and my hand on something (shelf, shopping cart, table, etc.) to steady things during the longer exposures and the results were nice. I'd recommend a pocketable tabletop type tripod or one of the flexible ones you can also wrap around things to help get steady shots.
I, also, knew that the 38mm part of the 38-190mm (35mm equiv.) lens isn't considered wide, however, it's wider than I'd thought and works fine for me. Found a Phoenix Magnetic Mount 0.45x lens here on Amazon that works WELL with this camera giving you 17mm, now that's wide! Search vimeo dot com for this camera and see the test videos.
My suggestions: Step one, download the PDF version of the manual (or use the printed one -- I like PDFs as I can search them) and go through it. Most of the "problems" I've seen posted here and elsewhere are covered in the manual. Step two, check out the Sanyo HD700 tip site. Step three, play and experiment with it. Read up on how to do things (the shortcuts features is really cool) and take it with you and see what you and it can do. Step four, search for some Sanyo HD700 related forums and ask questions.
I LOVE this camera and its new home is in my pockets. Mission accomplished. |
Bang for the buck, good value for the price you pay
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| Review Date: December 3, 2007 |
| Reviewer: K. Lin, Walnut, CA, USA |
i bought this (red) on Amazon on Black Friday, for$399.
It is an excellent deal considering the price you pay.
I was a little worried with the reviews posted (some good, some bad), but after receiving the gadget and used it myself, I am convinced it is the best value I have spent $400 on.
My friend camped over 48 hour outside BestBuy to get some nice deals, but I didn't have to suffer the cold nights with someone smoking dope or cigarettes a few chairs down; I still got a great deal online on Amazon.
The picture quality is excellent in mid to well lit conditions.
I shot some footage today while playing weekly badminton in a gym, The result was amazing. It was clear, crisp, and all of the details captured.
The 7.1MP picture quality is not bad either. I have a Sony F828 with 8.1MP quality. I have to say this one, even though lacking much of the functions, the picture quality is not bad.
It's compact size means my 9 year old daughter can play and experiment shooting some videos. I got a 8GB SDHC card and it works wonders. Even though my old SD reader, (7 in 1), couldn't read the new SDHC, by using the cradle, I still can transfer all of the videos and pictures onto my Macbook Pro very easily and fast. Of course the iPhoto and iMovie imported them and offers unprecedented ease of editing.
Some minor improvements or suggestion for Sanyo:
1. the wide angle is not wide enough when you don't use the zoom feature. You need to stand at least 15 feet away to shoot the wide (HD) format.
2. The zoom engages too fast; it doesn't have the pause then fast zoom (accelerate) on the control, so when you push the zoom, it immediately zooms too much. Needs to be more smooth.
3. The picture quality in a darker room, is, I have to admit, not good; very rough.
4. Battery gets hot (not really hot, but begins to bother you a bit), after shooting for 5 min.
5. Wish the playback volume was louder (speaker volume tooooo little).
Don't let the above 5 minor issues bother you. It is overall a very good package for under $500.
Most people, even if they bought the 1080HD camcorder, don't necessary need it or use anything for that quality level. And unless you have a very steady hand or use tripod on everything, your 1080 will show shaking videos very clearly and give you a HD headache.
I am extremely happy with this purchase and highly recommend to anyone.
This one is sure to capture a lot of nice memories for years to come. |
Definitely a good buy
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| Review Date: November 28, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Jeffery Patch, Huntington Beach, Surf City USA |
I don't get all the bad reviews on this product. I almost didn't buy it because of the harsh reviews on here but I did some more research and found great sample footage and positive reviews on a major camera forum which is what sold me.
It is a great little camera. I've only used it indoors with mediocre lighting so far and have been pleasantly surprised. Outdoors is supposed to be even better.
720p video looks great on my Macbook and my HDTV. Streams perfectly through my Xbox 360 as well.
It's small and easy to use. I am a former film student who has worked with high quality 3ccd cameras but was never happy with the quality of SD DV. This little sucker beats them by far and is a fraction of the cost.
It doesn't have an input for a microphone and the manual features are basic, so it may not be what you want to shoot a movie with. But for family videos or even fun little short videos for the internet, this is a good buy. |
Great small camcorder with lots of features
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| Review Date: December 12, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Debra Chong, San Francisco, CA United States |
I went ahead and purchased this camcorder although there were a lot of negative reviews. AM VERY PLEASED and not disappointed. Similar to Joz and Visor Blue's comments, if you learn how to use it and follow the Sanyo tips, as well as just have some perspective, it takes great short videos and great pictures. It does not have a viewfinder and you are left framing and focusing the picture/video with the viewing screen. This takes a little usage to become familar with but very easy once one has practiced a bit. The videos are clear, detail is crisp and this is the same with pictures taken with the camcorder. It is easy to transfer clips and pictures using the secure digital card and importing into iTunes is easy, as well as uploading the clips to YouTube.
I bought this camcorder to have fun with, nothing serious. Had a mini-DV camcorder before (JVC reviewed on Amazon) which I never used very much as it was unwieldy, not intuitive in the controls and cumbersome to transfer video files (never did master this). Out of the box, this was easy to learn to operate, as well as it comes with every accessory you need other than a secure digital card to operate it with your HDTV and computer.
It is a great carry around item and light and just great in the color red. Easy to slip into a pocket, bag or just carry.
Since I got this camcorder for $299, it is a steal of a deal. You can pay more and get a larger camcorder but if you want convenience and ease of use, this camcorder is worth considering --- even if you pay more than $299. I was set to buy the prior generation model at $300+ but when I looked at this item again, the price had dropped $200 and I was set that I was going to push the buy button quickly to ensure that I would get this beauty. |
Awesome Tiny Camcorder
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| Review Date: December 13, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Pinger12, Napa, CA |
I had some trepidation ordering this based on some of the reviews here. Fortunately, I am a member of the discussion group at Steve's Digicams and was able to read through a long thread by users of this camera--some having had it for months. I quickly realized that this is not a "point and shoot" out of the box camera. It requires study--a full read of the manual and a lot of practice. That said, it is one awesome machine. I can't believe the quality of both the HD video and the still pictures. Like most camcorders it has difficulty in low light situations--but there are tweaks and workarounds for that too--in the manual. If you are lazy and don't want to put some time and effort into a camera this isn't for you. However, if you do put some study into it you will be amazed by the results.
My only concerns are about the size of the camera--and the build quality associated with the very small size. Only time will tell if it stands up. |
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