OK, I know these are very weak camcorders, and probably mostly junk, but there are two very new, very cheap HD camcorders out. I would not even be in the market for a camcorder, but at these prices, I am considering trying one out, but I don't know which one is better ("better" being relative, of course):

Here they are:

http://www.aiptek.com/

and

http://www.dxgtechusa.com/new/products-list.php?pid=38

Again, I would not be buying a camcorder at all were it not for the prices (both under $200), which seem so low that they are almost worth it to see how they do. One concern is that they record in MOV format. Is that normal?

Anyway, are these both EQUALLY bad, or is one worse than the other?

I don't have first hand knowlege of these camcorders, but my brother bought an Aiptek and loved it. I haven't had a chance to see the videos he's taken with it though.

Aiptek Action HD all the way, for video quality at least.

I returned it because of the poor sound and ended up with a Panasonic SD9. I'm actually not convinced that the video quality on the Panasonic is better than the Aiptek - at least for the limited test I did.

Also tried a Jazz 188 ($149 at walmart) but that got returned after a few hours. While the encoding was at the same bitrate as the Aiptek, the quality was significantly poorer.

That is good news about the Aiptek. One question I have as a newbie to camcorders is how I would watch the video on my HDTV, other than directly from the camera (via component cables)? It records in MOV, but after I edit it, how do I get it to the TV? I have a Sansa TakeTV to move videos over, but it doesn't play MOV, just xvid and mp4. How do I get the HD content over to the HDTV?

BTW, what is a decent MOV editing program for Windows?

The HD modes from the A-HD and the Action HD are has 1280x720 30p, 1280x720 60p and 1440x1080 30p. Other camcorders in its price range can only go up to 1280x720 30p. The best value is from Aiptek by a landslide.


Check out my native HD samples and don’t forget about the 3 music videos that I posted on Vimeo.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1021919

Paulo,

Those videos are great! What software do you use to edit the movies, the software that comes with it? Also, after you edit it, can you put it back on the card and play it on the HDTV from the camera as edited?

Aiptek Action HD all the way, for video quality at least.

I returned it because of the poor sound and ended up with a Panasonic SD9. I'm actually not convinced that the video quality on the Panasonic is better than the Aiptek - at least for the limited test I did.

I don't think you can compare the two. The Aiptek might be great for what it is and at that price point but if you want to shoot video that is more than just a "gosh I was glad I had a cam" quality, it won't cut it from what I've seen and read. Zoom is not acceptable (motor sound) and low light conditions are also far superior with Panasonic, not even covering sound recording which is OK (at least with your sample) but not nearly as good as a better camera.

Perhaps it's the 30p but movement in the examples is jittery to even an untrained eye like mine and not close to the smoothness I see in the current crop of 60i cameras. Standing still might be a little better (and there is also much less stabilization.) Faces also show a lack of definition and are "dark" - the Panny is supposed to be amazing outdoors and faces should appear much clearer than this.

I just picked up the Aiptek at Walmart and a 4GB SD card. I figured that any choppiness at 30fps should not be a problem, since I will be using the 60fps at 720p for two reasons. First, it is recommended for action stuff and this is mostly for my son's little league and my daughter's dance recitals. Second, I only have a 720p HDTV! :0)

I have a few worries. First is the noise/sound issue, but I can handle a "get what you pay for" level there. Another is exactly how I am going to edit the HD content on my older computer, which does not handle HD in Quicktime very well at all. Lastly, is how I will get it over to my TV after editing. I suppose I will just copy the new files back onto the camera and play it from there. I do not have a DVD burner, but even if I did, I would lose the HD quality, no? I also have a Sansa TakeTV (which I like), but it only does xvid or mp4, so I would have to convert the files.

The only editing I’ve done so far was for the file that I uploaded to YouTube and it was by using Nero.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM4Wp9j0K10