Aiptek A-HD+ 1080P High Definition Camcorder
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend 1080p30/720p60 HD DV/5MP camera - Rechargable Battery Product details and pricing info |
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34 Customer Reviews Posted
- Very Impressed
- I like the fact that it's small and mobile and you can take it anywhere. I put a 4gb memory card in and so far I've had no issues. I think it's a pretty good investment.
- 2008-12-01, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- low quality
- The aiptek camcorder I purchased has several flaws of which two are fatal: for starters the ccd has very low sensitivity so unless you are outside on a bright sunny day and tape slow motion events the picture is dark, reddish and in general of very low quality. The second serious problem is that the size of the files produced do not get even close to what the advertisements describe. There is no way to fit more than a few minutes into the internal memory and the external card is of limited help. Finally when I contacted aiptek about the second problem they did not even bother to respond.
- 2008-11-30, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Not bad for the price, but the MOV format is a pain
- This is highly portable and well-designed. It has pretty nice features for the price, and shoots some pretty high-quality video if it is held still (as on a tripod.)
My biggest complaint is that it (like many other video cameras) inexplicably uses the QuickTime .MOV format native to Macintosh. This means difficult, lengthy and error-prone conversions (especially audio sync) in order to edit with Windows PCs.
The included software is perry weak. - 2008-11-30, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Great Camcorder! Not Perfect, But Great.
- Ok. Just so you know I'm not just your average person playing with this camcorder. I am a video editor and install a good bit of HDTVs. I look for things that most people do not look for in video. I have to say, for me, I like this model better than the Action HD, which is technically a step up from the A-HD+. I had the Action HD, but could not get over the noise of the the auto focus and zoom on every video I recorded. It drove me to return it. The Action HD does have a slightly better video quality, a lot better 3x optical zoom, and a very nice marco mode (for close ups from 6-2inches away), but the auto focus clicking on the audio of every video kills it for me. The A-HD+ has great video. The fixed focus takes a little getting used to. Once you do this thing rocks! It has a "macro mode", but its more just up close shots. If you are shooting something within 1.5 feet use the macro mode and it will come right into focus. Just don't get to close or it will blur. The audio is a little quieter than the Action, but a lot cleaner. In the right light you can't beat the price and quality. Yes, the low light recordings are a little grainy, but I can live with that (most cameras aren't great in low light). I haven't ran the battery all the way down yet, so I don't really know how long it last. It doesn't come with a remote or tripod like the Action, but it does come with a lens cap (which non of the other models seem to have). I'm sure you can find those for cheap. The greatest thing is you can just hook it up to your computer and dump the video right off the sd card (I have a 16GB which hold 4.5 hours of 1080 video). The software that comes with it ROCKS too. The digital theater plays the video back better than any other player I've seen.
Pictures are ok. Don't use the 8MP setting. It's not really 8MP its enhanced. The Camera is only 5MP and it "upscales" to 8MP. But I didn't buy this to take pictures.
Cons:
-The zoom is really jumpy (not smooth at all) and only digital.
-Reds are exaggerated. They tend to be bright and unnatural.
-Auto brightens and dims (exposure). It's very noticeable on some video. (But in the right light its perfect)
-No tripod or remote
-Mic is on top of the camera, not on the front
-Marco mode switch can easily be activated in your pocket resulting in blurred video at regular distances. (Have to remember to check before recording)
But I remind myself how much I paid and the how good the video quality is and it puts a smile right back on my face. I never imagined that you could get this kind of quality from a point and shoot camcorder. - 2008-11-18, 1 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Very good for the price
- As a HD camera, it's a great inexpensive choice. (I found it for $119.99 online elsewhere.) It's very easy to learn to use. Battery life is excellent and the 32GB SD card capacity means plenty of HD record time.
I do have some critiques for Aiptek though. The mic is not good quality. The bad placement of it only makes it worthwhile to capture the operator's speech. Forget it for trying to capture your subject's sound. (There's a mod on You Tube for it but it will void your warranty.) Next is the "distance/close up" switch on the right upper side. It constantly gets changed by simply handling the camera. So you must make sure it's set properly before filming or you'll wind up with blurred useless footage. The zoom is a 4 step 4x operation rather than a smooth zoom. It's okay but a smooth zoom would have been much nicer. And Aiptek... a carry pouch or sleeve would be nice too!
Finally, I had to purchase the remote control separately. While you can live with out it, I found it to be extremely useful. You'll want it too. So they should have included it in the package. - 2008-11-11, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
