[davyo]

I was wanting a budget HD cam with a flip out screen, so I got a Sanyo CG10 a few days ago and have been playing with it and comparing the Sanyo's footage to my Kodak Zi8, Vado HD and Flip Ultra HD,, I gota say I am very impressed, the video looks really good for a budget camcorder and it also has some cool features.


Anyhow,, just wanted to post on here that for anyone looking for a budget cam with a flip out screen,, this one is a keeper,,, and way better than the Aiptec's that I purchased and returned.


Cheers

Davyo

 

[frankseven]

How does it work in the image stabilization department? Radio Shack is selling this thing super cheap right now. Oh, yeah, what about battery life?

 

[davyo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by frankseven /forum/post/18228719


How does it work in the image stabilization department? Radio Shack is selling this thing super cheap right now. Oh, yeah, what about battery life?

Not sure on the IS question as I have not experimented to much with it yet, meaning,,, IS "on vs off".


Battery life, I have read reviews saying its just OK,,, about 40 min,,, everything I read suggested getting extra batterie's,, I ordered a 2 pack off eBay for only 10 bucks.


Cheers

Davyo

 

[Wilson-Flyer]

Hey davyo. Question for ya.


I've been thinking about getting a throw away waterproof for waterskiing and watersports and generally banging around.


Like you, I own a Zi6, a MinoHD and a Zi8 (and some "real" camcorders too, of course).


I've been waiting on the Kodak Playsport based on my experiences with the Zi line. I'm wondering what you think. It seems the Sanyo is a lot more bang for the buck than even the PS will be. I've been watching this guy and it can be found very attractively priced yet it's still twice what the PS will be.


I'm wondering what you think having not seen the PS yet (or have you?). I'm sure you'll have one as soon as they're out. I probably will too! LOL


Any preliminary thoughts based on your experiences with the CG10? It's basically the same as the VPC-WH1 (the waterproof model), right?

 

[davyo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilson-Flyer /forum/post/18230273


Hey davyo. Question for ya.


I've been thinking about getting a throw away waterproof for waterskiing and watersports and generally banging around.


Like you, I own a Zi6, a MinoHD and a Zi8 (and some "real" camcorders too, of course).


I've been waiting on the Kodak Playsport based on my experiences with the Zi line. I'm wondering what you think. It seems the Sanyo is a lot more bang for the buck than even the PS will be. I've been watching this guy and it can be found very attractively priced yet it's still twice what the PS will be.


I'm wondering what you think having not seen the PS yet (or have you?). I'm sure you'll have one as soon as they're out. I probably will too! LOL


Any preliminary thoughts based on your experiences with the CG10? It's basically the same as the VPC-WH1 (the waterproof model), right?

Hey Wilson


Actually I was not planing on getting the PS,,, dont really need an out-door waterproof cam,,,, I am planning on getting the Kodak Slice though when that gets released.


Personaly I think the Sanyo CG10 is a GREAT bang for the buck cam, I have not seen or try'ed out the WH1 so I cant comment on any comparisons.


As far as my thoughts on the CG10, I have only had it for less than a week but so far I am very very happy with it,,, the video quality it puts out is really outstanding.


In the next few days I am going to do some more side by side comparison shooting,,,,, Zi8 vs CG10.


I will say this though,,,, I like the CG10 so much I sold my Ultra HD on CraigsList yesterday.


Cheers

Davyo

 

[Wilson-Flyer]



Quote:
Originally Posted by davyo /forum/post/18230421


Hey Wilson


I will say this though,,,, I like the CG10 so much I sold my Ultra HD on CraigsList yesterday.


Cheers

Davyo

Wow. That speaks volumes. Haven't bought the Ultra yet and probably won't but I really like my MinoHD. If it had any similance of IS, it would be a near perfect camera for its size. For image stabilization alone, I tend to prefer the Zi8.


I really guess I ought to sell my Mino but since it was my first miniature "baby", I have to keep it for old times sake. I have a tendacy to say I'm gonna sell things when I buy replacements and just never get around to it; hence my Canon XT and XSi and I'm about to pull the trigger on a T2i. I know I am. I just can't help myself! LOL


I really want something waterproof. I don't mind a mini-size form-factor as opposed to miniature for what I'm going to do with it. I just don't know what to buy. I'll probably make a decision when the PlaySport actually comes out and has some reviews since it will be in the next few weeks anyway.


Thanks for all of your help and advice. You are an asset to this forum. It's a shame it's so under-utilized, IMO. This site should have the premier forum on the net with reference to HD camcorders yet this section just doesn't seem to be able to get any teeth. Maybe with time.


Anyway, thanks!

 

[Wilson-Flyer]



Quote:
Originally Posted by davyo /forum/post/18230421


Hey Wilson


Actually I was not planing on getting the PS,,, dont really need an out-door waterproof cam,,,, I am planning on getting the Kodak Slice though when that gets released.


Cheers

Davyo

BTW, just looked very quickly at the Slice. Hadn't heard about it. Nice box from what I see. I'm about to buy a Canon SD3500 tomorrow for vacation in a few weeks because my wife has taken my SD780 and made it her own. LOL


You may want to take a look at the SD3500. Looks very similar to the Slice on the surface and from no more than I have read. Gotta have a P&S on vacation and the reviews on the SD3500 have been very good. My personal experiences with Canons is pretty biased. I have had great luck with their entire product line over the years so I tend to lean towards them. Kodaks digitals, my experiences haven't been so good. Just my $0.02.

 

[davyo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilson-Flyer /forum/post/18230675


Wow. That speaks volumes. Haven't bought the Ultra yet and probably won't but I really like my MinoHD. If it had any similance of IS, it would be a near perfect camera for its size. For image stabilization alone, I tend to prefer the Zi8.


I really guess I ought to sell my Mino but since it was my first miniature "baby", I have to keep it for old times sake. I have a tendacy to say I'm gonna sell things when I buy replacements and just never get around to it; hence my Canon XT and XSi and I'm about to pull the trigger on a T2i. I know I am. I just can't help myself! LOL


I really want something waterproof. I don't mind a mini-size form-factor as opposed to miniature for what I'm going to do with it. I just don't know what to buy. I'll probably make a decision when the PlaySport actually comes out and has some reviews since it will be in the next few weeks anyway.


Thanks for all of your help and advice. You are an asset to this forum. It's a shame it's so under-utilized, IMO. This site should have the premier forum on the net with reference to HD camcorders yet this section just doesn't seem to be able to get any teeth. Maybe with time.


Anyway, thanks!

Thanks for the kind words Wilson,, I do try to be asset like.


For what its worth, in case you did not know, Flip sells a waterproof case for the Ultra HD http://store.theflip.com/en-us/produ...aspx?SKU=AWC2T .


I wonder if anyone makes and aftermarket waterproof case for the Mino HD ???


But yea,, sold my Ultra HD as I no longer had a need for it after getting the Sanyo CG10,,, the main reason I liked the Ultra HD is for the stereo mic's which the CG10 has,,,, I might even sell my Vado HD,,,, the main thing I like about my Vado is the super wide angle lens,, which the CG10 also has.

I guess the CG10 has kinda replaced my Ultra HD and Vado HD with the features that I need,,, the CG10 has all the features.


Im sure I will keep both my Zi8's (I like the Zi8 so much I bought two of them).


Cheers

Davyo

 

[davyo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilson-Flyer /forum/post/18230696


BTW, just looked very quickly at the Slice. Hadn't heard about it. Nice box from what I see. I'm about to buy a Canon SD3500 tomorrow for vacation in a few weeks because my wife has taken my SD780 and made it her own. LOL


You may want to take a look at the SD3500. Looks very similar to the Slice on the surface and from no more than I have read. Gotta have a P&S on vacation and the reviews on the SD3500 have been very good. My personal experiences with Canons is pretty biased. I have had great luck with their entire product line over the years so I tend to lean towards them. Kodaks digitals, my experiences haven't been so good. Just my $0.02.

I will take a peek at the SD3500 but the funny thing is I have not had much luck with Canon's and tend to have better luck with my Kodak's,,, go figure

If I told you how many Kodak P&S's I own you would be shocked,,, Im kind of a camera junkie.


I became a camera junkie to save money as I used to be addicted to buying LCD and plasma panels, sound systems and video projectors,,,,,, camera's are much cheaper.


Besides, I need to save up to buy the 72" Vizio LED LCD the day it gets released

Cheers

Davyo

 

[Alfmeister]

If waterproof is what you want then wait for the Kodak Zx3 Playsport. It will be as good as the Zi8 but without macro or an external microphone jack which if you are snowboarding would be broken anyway.

 

[davyo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Alfmeister /forum/post/18236321


If waterproof is what you want then wait for the Kodak Zx3 Playsport. It will be as good as the Zi8 but without macro or an external microphone jack which if you are snowboarding would be broken anyway.

Not sure where you got the "Zx3" model number from,, as far as I know the camera is only called the PlaySport.


The reason I was suggesting the waterproof case is for anyone that already owns a Flip,,, its much cheaper to buy a case than a whole new camera.


Cheers

Davyo

 

[davyo]

For "Alfmeister",,,,,,, I stand corrected,, I saw/found several websites including Crutchfield that are calling the PlaySport the Zx3.


Cheers

Davyo

 

[Alfmeister]

The Sanyo is a top competitor to the Kodak Zi8. I weighed the pros and cons and for me the Kodak was the clear winner. I think audio is at least as important as video.


Pros

-Big 3" screen

-5x optical zoom

-Good macro focus


Cons

-No external audio input. Reviews say audio hum and buzzing from the camera can be heard due to the optical mechanism. Microphones not really stereo since they are about one cm apart.

-AVC H264 mpeg-4 video format which some say can't be directly imported into Windows Movie Maker.

-Proprietary input connections.

-Hard to find component video cable not included. $20+

-Power save (non-defeatable) turns off video after 10 minutes unless a button is pressed.

-No accessory power input.

-No HDMI output.

-720P 30fps only HD format. No 720/60 or 1080/30.


I really wanted to find a way to like this camera since my Kodak lacks any real zoom. That's the only real advantage the Sanyo has over the Kodak Zi8. But that would mean redesigning the Zi8 to fit the optical mechanism into the case and as Sanyo and Sony have shown that means a pistol grip that isn't as pocketable as the current model.

From Computeractive.co.uk

Quote:
Most disappointing was an operational whining, barely noticeable at first, that became distracting on quieter video clips.

 

[Alfmeister]

@frankseven

The review at camcorderinfo.com states

Quote:
The Sanyo VPC-CG10 has digital image stabilization, but the camcorder didn't show any stabilization improvement when the setting was engaged. In fact, the CG10 actually produced a shakier image with its DIS turned on than it did with its DIS turned off.

 

[fishywishy]

if it had good eis and 720p60 id get it

 

[davyo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Alfmeister /forum/post/18243416


The Sanyo is a top competitor to the Kodak Zi8. I weighed the pros and cons and for me the Kodak was the clear winner. I think audio is at least as important as video.


Pros

-Big 3" screen

-5x optical zoom

-Good macro focus


Cons

-No external audio input. Reviews say audio hum and buzzing from the camera can be heard due to the optical mechanism. Microphones not really stereo since they are about one cm apart.

-AVC H264 mpeg-4 video format which some say can't be directly imported into Windows Movie Maker.

-Proprietary input connections.

-Hard to find component video cable not included. $20+

-Power save (non-defeatable) turns off video after 10 minutes unless a button is pressed.

-No accessory power input.

-No HDMI output.

-720P 30fps only HD format. No 720/60 or 1080/30.


I really wanted to find a way to like this camera since my Kodak lacks any real zoom. That's the only real advantage the Sanyo has over the Kodak Zi8. But that would mean redesigning the Zi8 to fit the optical mechanism into the case and as Sanyo and Sony have shown that means a pistol grip that isn't as pocketable as the current model.

From Computeractive.co.uk

For me the Kodak Zi8 and the Sanyo CG10 are about even (I own both).


I dont really agree with alott of your cons for the Sanyo.


As far as Windows Movie Maker the Sanyo CG10 files work fine and import fine if you are using Windows Movie Maker Live.


If your using the older version of WMM its very easy to convert the files to an AVI format (you have to do that with almost ALL camcorders when using the older version of WMM).


One thing I did find odd in your cons list of the Sanyo vs the Zi8 is the files from the Zi8 do not work with the older version of WMM either,,,,, so Im not sure why you listed that as a con on the Sanyo since niether camera will work with the same versions of WMM.


As far as buzzing or humming noise's,,, I have not experienced that at all.


The Sanyo does not have a "proprietary input connection", its a mini USB plug.


The macro focus on the Sanyo works better than the Zi8 (in my opinion).


As far as "No accessory power input" I thought both cameras can be powered externally.


As far as the "Hard to find component video cable not included that cost $20+",,,,, they are on Ebay for way way less than $20.00.


You also said the "audio is at least as important as video" well if your always going to be using an external mic then yes, the Kodak is the winner, but the onboard mics on the Sanyo pick-up and sound better than the Zi8.


Anyhow, I own and really love both of these camera's, they both put out some very nice video and each has their pros and cons, but like I said, I dont agree with many of the cons you listed against the Sanyo for the reasons stated above.


Cheers

Davyo

 

[rexb610]

I just got the Kodak Playsport yesterday..but i'm not blown away with it and will be returning it this weekend. The playsport has 1080p but playback through HDMI on my 52" HDTV is choppy..not smooth the 720 60fps is a lot better. so what's the point of recording on 1080p. my wife loved the form factor but the .mov files are not recognized by my PS3..big downer. i want to just stick the SD card on my PS3 and play (like my Nikon D90 and HF200).


I used to have Canon HF200. I returned because of the file format..not easy to upload and hard to manage the files. I would have kept it but my wife didn't like the size. She wanted something that is easy to access and portable. That takes out FH1, Canon HF S10/S100 etc..


I was deciding on getting HD2000 but the price is almost borderline the real camcorders and the IS is still bad. The HD2000 would have been perfect, great form factor that me and my wife liked .i'm going to pass and wait for the next iteration.


I used to have Sanyo CG6 and that one was a joy to use before i step over to HD. i'm hoping the CG10 would do the same. The CG10 records at 720p albeit 30fps hopefully that is good enough. If the recordings are as good or better than my Nikon D90's 720p 24fps i'd definitely be keeping it. So i'm getting the Sanyo CG10 today at Radioshack to try it out for $129. (cross fingers)

 

[rexb610]

CG10 looks promising so far. I would say the video quality at 720p is not far off compared to videos i took with Canon HF200 (max res) viewed on my 52" HDTV. My wife wanted Flip/Kodak for portability,ease of use and short vid clips of the kids and CG10 i think for the price ($129)/feature is a lot better. I'd stick to this budget camcorder for now as i wait for the upgrade of HD2000. I would still want to get a real camcorder maybe HFS100 or counterpart for longer vids (kids recitals, stage plays/singing,competitions etc.)

 

[davyo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by rexb610 /forum/post/18392422


CG10 looks promising so far. I would say the video quality at 720p is not far off compared to videos i took with Canon HF200 (max res) viewed on my 52" HDTV. My wife wanted Flip/Kodak for portability,ease of use and short vid clips of the kids and CG10 i think for the price ($129)/feature is a lot better. I'd stick to this budget camcorder for now as i wait for the upgrade of HD2000. I would still want to get a real camcorder maybe HFS100 or counterpart for longer vids (kids recitals, stage plays/singing,competitions etc.)

So I take it you think the video is better from the CG10 than the PlaySport ???


Cheers

Davyo

 

[rexb610]



Quote:
Originally Posted by davyo /forum/post/18396866


So I take it you think the video is better from the CG10 than the PlaySport ???


Cheers

Davyo

Yes! Playsport lowlight video made me cringe...there were smearing/ghosting if that's what you call it.


The photo quality with flash is not that impressive as my old CG6.