State Of The Art: Not-So-High- Definition Camcorders

Uh-oh, its started. The electronics industry has begun diluting the term high-definition.

That phrase once denoted the pristine, perfect picture you see in electronics stores on HDTV sets. Unfortunately, the use of that term is slowly becoming a marketing mantra merely meant to move merchandise.

Already, you may have noticed that not all high-def shows on TV look equally good. This month, though, a line has been crossed. Companies have begun selling high-definition camcorders whose video recordings can actually look worse than standard definition.

You can witness this degradation in what ought to be a killer new product category: tiny, hybrid machines that take both still photos and high-definition video. Who wouldnt love such a thing?

You, once you discover the compromises involved.

Three of the first hybrids to market are Canons PowerShot TX1 ($475), Sanyos Xacti VPC-HD2 ($610) and Panasonics very first consumer high-def camcorder, the HDC-SD1 ($810).

All three record onto memory cards instead of tape or disks. You might assume that video would fill up a card very quickly, but these camcorders can accommodate a new flavor of SD card called SDHC (for high capacity). These cards are now available in 4-gigabyte capacities for about $45 and can theoretically go all the way up to 32 gigabytes. (Unfortunately, few existing card readers and cameras can read SDHC cards.)

The beauty of memory cards, of course, is that they give you more control over your filmed scenes. You can skip to another scene without rewinding or fast-forwarding. You cant record over something by mistake. And you can delete a scene from the middle of your masterpiece to free space.

Each model has a flash for still photos, a tripod socket and a joystick the size of a hydrogen molecule. Each lets you snap stills while youre filming, which leaves only a quick black blink in the video. And none have eyepiece viewfinders; the only way to frame your shot is by using the flip-out screen.

Two of the hybrids are astonishingly tiny. Sanyos Xacti (3.2 by 4.7 by 1.4 inches) is an improved version of a model that debuted in 2006. Its still a miniature marvel. It just fits in a pants pocket with a vertical, pistol-grip design that resembles a disposable flashlight.

Canons radical new TX1, clad in stainless steel, is even smaller (3.5 by 2.4 by 1.1 inches). It looks like the love child of the Terminator and a bar of Ivory soap.

Alas, what you gain in miniaturization and portability, you lose in comfort. Both cameras are ergonomic disasters.

If you try to steady the Sanyo by holding the open screen with your left hand, as youll do instinctively, youll muffle or add scraping sounds to your soundtrack because the microphone is hidden in the back of the screen.

The Canon is about the size of the companys Elph pocket cameras, but youre supposed to hold the TX1 vertically, on edge. Thats a real drag, because theres nowhere for your fingers to go without accidentally pushing a button on some surface.

The vertical orientation also limits the screen size to 1.8 inches diagonally. You probably havent seen a camera screen that small since L.A. Law was on the air..

The Sanyo design, with a 2.2-inch screen, is somewhat better. The buttons are all on the edge facing you, one big shutter button apiece for video and stills, plus the Play/Record toggle and the zoom control. A prerecorded womans voice chirps out cheerful status reports (Entering standby mode) and warnings (Insert memory card). You can turn her off, but I kind of liked her.

Bizarrely, the screens of both cameras are squarish, like a standard TV screen, rather than wide, as youd expect on a high-def camera. So when youre filming in high definition, black letterbox bars shrink the image even further. If the Canons widescreen filming area were any smaller, youd have to frame your shots by closing your eyes and imagining them.

Other compromises become apparent when you connect these cameras to your high-def TV. The Canon requires a fussy five-headed cable (three component connectors, two stereo sound). When seated in its dock, the Sanyo lets you connect a single HDMI connector that carries both picture and sound.

The Canon turns out to be a very good, 7.1-megapixel still camera; like the Sanyo, it has a 10X optical zoom. The pictures may not be quite as terrific as Canons own Elph cameras, but stills are clearly the TX1s forte. Photos look fantastic displayed on a high-def TV.

Tag Cloud

External Information

Additional Information

Where Am I?