Shot during the course of a typical work day, this video is the first I’ve made using my new Aiptek A-HD camcorder. The campus you see is the University of Evansville, where I work as a web developer. The music is from “My Life” performed by Billy Joel. I edited this video in iMovie ‘08 in less than an hour. It was the first time I’d used the new version.
I’m not exactly sure how I stumbled upon it but on Tuesday I started reading online about a very inexpensive pocket camcorder. The reviews were mostly positive and the price was so affordable, I picked one up on a whim that evening. It’s the Aiptek A-HD 720p and while it is lacking some features you’ll likely find on most camcorders, it makes up for these omissions in some rather unique ways. First up, this tiny pocket sized device is tapeless and records full 1280×720p HD video directly onto an SD card and the quality of the video is superb. Also, because it records directly into H.264 format, editing the video is a snap on my Mac and I never have to bother rewinding tapes. I can get over 2 hours of full quality HD on a single 4GB SD card. It can also act as an H.264 video converter accepting composite video in and digitizing it at standard television resolution. Super lightweight, the battery life is long lasting since there are no moving parts and the device is extremely easy to use.
As for the camera’s weak points, it has a very poor internal microphone with a short range. Also, if the sound around the camera is too loud, the audio tends to pop and distort. There is even a subtle hiss. Another issue is that there is no image stabilization or actual zoom worth using. While these issues might have prevented me from picking up another camcorder like this, I was willing to overlook them because of what is by far this camera’s best feature: the price tag. You can pick one up for only $120 bucks. This is hundreds of dollars less than the next available HD camcorder! If you’re willing to live with less than stellar audio and lack of zoom, everything else about this device makes it a worth owning.
The link below is a short 10 second bit of raw video taken straight off the camera so you can see the full HD resolution it records. One last tidbit, the camera’s files will also playback on my Xbox 360 in full 720p HD! This is certainly a fun little gadget.
exampleHD.mp4 - 10sec 1280×720p H.264 video AAC audio
This blog covers the life and pastimes of a modest web developer and damn proud geek who goes by the handle "ckohler". A long time Internet user, he's into video games, movies, computers and technology so expect to see a lot of that here. Just don't expect a lot of excitement. He lives a modest, mundane but otherwise rewarding existence.