http://forums.steves-digicams.com/ en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:40:58 GMT vBulletin 60 http://forums.steves-digicams.com/techforums_v2/misc/rss.jpg http://forums.steves-digicams.com/ http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162445-showcase-videos-life-through-eyes-kodak-zi8.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:23:49 GMT *A show case for videos and pictures of the Kodak Zi8 .* *Please display your work here for all to see, of the kodak zi8 * *Life through the... A show case for videos and pictures of the Kodak Zi8 .

Please display your work here for all to see, of the kodak zi8
Life through the eyes of Kodak

Videos and Pictures Please all comments to the Kodak ZI8 topic, Please keep Pictures to its proportion, or it will be edited, and PM back to you. thank you for your coperation.

below is a example of how this Showcase shall look:

Click Pics as they are video links thank you.



]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams fishycomics http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162445-showcase-videos-life-through-eyes-kodak-zi8.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162395-youtube-now-does-1080p-streaming.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:33:16 GMT http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2...o-youtube.html

Standard url hacking applies (new one is "&fmt=37"). The video below is an example of one:
original - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f-MYl-HzNw
720p url - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f-MYl-HzNw&fmt=22
1080p url - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f-MYl-HzNw&fmt=37

I've tested it by downloading the stream. 1920x1080 -> h264 High Profile@Level 4 - 3200kbps + aac 128kbps => mp4. Enjoy! ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams AkumaX http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162395-youtube-now-does-1080p-streaming.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162372-kodak-zi8-hdmi-output.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:56:38 GMT Does anybody know if it's possible to monitor audio while recording with the Zi8? I was noticing there's an "A/V" out port and there's an HDMI out port. Would it be possible to connect headphones to either of these and listen during recording? ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams Private Idaho http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162372-kodak-zi8-hdmi-output.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162362-better-jazz-moviepix.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:33:52 GMT I am trying to decide between these two camcorders. One is the Jazz model which seems to be discussed a lot here. The other is MoviePix which is sold... I am trying to decide between these two camcorders. One is the Jazz model which seems to be discussed a lot here. The other is MoviePix which is sold at Walmart. Here is a link to the details

Jazz 720P HD Digital Video Camera
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows...o%2BCamera.jsp


MoviePix MP5A4 HD 720P Digital Video Camcorder
http://walmart.ca/Canada-Electronic....yId=54&tabId=1

Which do you think the 'superior' camera? Basically I am looking for picture/sound/video quality. Ease of use, overall quality. ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams jasonn http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162362-better-jazz-moviepix.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162336-negative-feedback-rca-ez409hd-small-wonder-hd-camcorder.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:45:56 GMT I came across this, if it is true it is regrettable. I was hoping that the RCA could at least present a good option to the Kodak zi8. Check the... I came across this, if it is true it is regrettable. I was hoping that the RCA could at least present a good option to the Kodak zi8.

Check the user reviews. Maybe not the ultimate hybrid, but will be interesting to see an credible site review eventually.

http://www.amazon.com/RCA-EZ409HD-Sm.../dp/B001RIYOBK
http://www.aeronauticpictures.com/di...der_Black.html
http://www.sentry98.com/RCA/RCA-EZ40...all-Wonder-HD/

http://www.mobilemag.com/2009/01/09/...on-the-skinny/ ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams Wayne12 http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162336-negative-feedback-rca-ez409hd-small-wonder-hd-camcorder.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162290-any-these-knock-offs-worth.html Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:13:43 GMT I bought a Kodak Zi8 today (should be here Wednesday) but was looking on ebay at various models - Jazz, etc. I noticed a bunch of no name... I bought a Kodak Zi8 today (should be here Wednesday) but was looking on ebay at various models - Jazz, etc.

I noticed a bunch of no name camcorders that had some pretty low price tags and good features. Most of them shipped directly from Hong Kong.

My question is this - are any of them actually worth it?

Tim ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams TimCastleman http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162290-any-these-knock-offs-worth.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162175-jazz-hdv-189-your-thoughts.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:11:12 GMT Greetings: Has anyone made a review on the Jazz HDV 189 Camcorder? What type of quality does this camcorder have? Has... Greetings:

Has anyone made a review on the Jazz HDV 189 Camcorder?

What type of quality does this camcorder have?

Has someone used this camcorder, would appreciate your feedback.

Regards Robert ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams RobMtl007 http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162175-jazz-hdv-189-your-thoughts.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162132-magix-movie-vs-powerdirector.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:37:14 GMT I am looking for a replacement for Magix Movie 14 edit since it doesn't seem to handle either my Sanyo HD1010 or Aiptek GVS files very well in the preview window. The preview has stuttering or jerking playback even on the lowest resolution.

I tried version 15 and it doesn't seem that much better although I noticed it now asks you if you want to convert the mp4 file to an internal format whereupon it will play smoothly. It doesn't seem to do this for the Aiptek GVS files, probably because it uses the Quicktime engine. I know that Magix admitted to me that the mp4 import was buggy though I don't know if they altered this in 15.

I tried the latest Video Studio X2 Pro from Ulead and it seemed to have similar problems and finally I tried Cyberlink Powerdirector 8. I am amazed in that it not only plays both files smoothly in preview but it will even do the transitions in preview smoothly too! It's buttery smooth compared to Magix Movie. So I will play around with it a bit longer to make sure that it doesn't have any surprises. It doesn't seem as intuitive as Magix but if it has the same features I'll put up with any minor idiosyncrasies as long as it allows preview of edited video without any stutters.

I recently upgraded to Windows 7 as well and the native Movie Maker, which is part of the free Windows Live downloads, as well as Windows Media Player will now handle h264 files as well. Having said that, while the Aiptek GVS files play fine in the Media Player, Movie Maker doesn't display any video when imported even though it supports the mov extension. It handles the Sanyo HD1010 MP4 files though.

The preview in Windows Movie maker is buttery smooth like powerdirector so I don't know why Magix Movie has trouble even on the lower resolution settings. ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams rgvcam http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162132-magix-movie-vs-powerdirector.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162094-dxg-launched-its-hd-a80-10-0megapixel-1080i-full-high-definition-camcorder.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:14:54 GMT DXG launched its HD-A80 – 10.0Megapixel, 1080i Full High Definition Camcorder with 60fps

It has been a long time since the initial show was released. But from now on everyone who has been focusing on the HD-A80 (also called DVH-A80) does not have to wait any longer.



Last month, DXG Technologies, the manufacturer of HD-A80, one of the fastest growing digital camcorder manufacturers, announced that new affordable and amazing HD-A80 high-definition (HD) camcorder is available at retailers worldwide for around $320.

"When searching for the perfect camcorder, people list great quality video, ease-of-use and value for their money as the most important factors," said Paul Goldberg, senior vice president of sales and marketing at DXG Technologies. "The HD-A80 gives consumers real 1080i Full HD quality video, plus a 10.0-megapixel CMOS imaging sensor, compact size and amazing looking and everything they need to shoot, edit, review and share their most memorable experiences. It's the ultimate package for a fraction of what they're used to spending on a high-end camcorder."


Experience Full High Definition at an Affordable Price

The HD-A80 features the highest level of video capture on the market today – 1080i -- or up to 1920 x1080i resolution at 60 frames per second (fps). The HD -A80's bright 3.0-inch touch screen TFT and 50X super zoom lets consumers frame a subject and review videos clearly and at close range. The HD -A80 also shoots up to 12.0MP still photos -- better than many digital cameras today -- and comes with the ArcSoft TotalMedia™ Extreme video editing software for easy editing and creating personalized home videos and movies.


Function and Fun at Their Fingertips

DXG makes shooting videos simple and fun by intuitively placing the HD -A80's buttons all within easy reach, eliminating complex menus and making it easier to record spontaneous moments in HD. Also included with the HD -A80 are all the cables required to connect the unit to a laptop or computer via USB 2.0, or to a TV through S-video or composite cables -- a great feature for reviewing and sharing videos with family and friends. All consumers need to do to begin recording is purchase an SDHC card -- for up to 16GB or 8 hours of HD video -- to pop into the unit.

More information on this Full High Definition Camcorder HD-A80 and online shopping can be found on http://www.vostrostone.com/electroni...rs-HD-A80.html ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams Darjorn.wang http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162094-dxg-launched-its-hd-a80-10-0megapixel-1080i-full-high-definition-camcorder.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162082-newbie-any-decent-camcorders-100-a.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:14:47 GMT Looking to buy a 'decent' inexpensive digital camcorder, we are on a budget so looking at the ones around $100 or less. I don't expect much and I don't need a ton of features, but would like optical zoom and decent battery life at least. I know you get what you pay for, but are any of the ~$100 ones good for a basic vacation camcorder? Looks like most in that price range are DXG and Aiptek, neither of which I'm familiar with. Thanks! ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams DaveNetMan http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162082-newbie-any-decent-camcorders-100-a.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162060-end-my-rope-search-300-gbp-good-hybrid.html Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:34:12 GMT Hi,

So I've literally spent now 2 weeks looking for a good hybrid during all my free time. I'm exhausted, and frustrated. I've downloaded hundreds of vimeo quicktime source file. I've read endless reviews. This is what I came up with in my search for small, good quality hybrid.

- The ZI8 is the 'best' portable video recording device ATM, when it comes to size only. Unfortunately no flash means it's not so much of an hybrid but more of a camcorder. Webbie, Flip and Vado all have that problem and even worse video quality.
- The lumiz ZS3/TZ7 is the 'best' compaq camera when it comes to video recording. At least that's what I'm told, because the stuff on vimeo is far inferior to the Zi8 output, which wasn't exactly stellar to start with. WB550? terrible video. SX200? nope. H20? Ditto

Is there a consensus in the 300 quid range? The CG10 perhaps? Looks to me as if there were a million device below 200 and above 700, and nothing in between. The lumix LX3 might be the exception, but the video output on that is worse than the TZ7.

Any help would be appreciated :) ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams cigaro78 http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162060-end-my-rope-search-300-gbp-good-hybrid.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162058-aiptek-z700-flash-lamp.html Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:45:47 GMT Hi, i've a little question about this cam: aiptek z700.
Have this cam a lamp for video or only a flash for photo?
thanks ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams alfonzorossi http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/162058-aiptek-z700-flash-lamp.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161966-aiptek-gvs-raynox-lens-adapter.html Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:12:22 GMT I just received a Raynox QC-505 wide angle lens adapter I ordered from Amazon, to use on my Aiptek Action HD GVS. The adapter fits OK on the camera... I just received a Raynox QC-505 wide angle lens adapter I ordered from Amazon, to use on my Aiptek Action HD GVS. The adapter fits OK on the camera lens, but I'm finding that it causes the camera to be just slightly out of focus. I haven't found any reference to manual focus capability on this camcorder, but it does have the means to turn off the Auto Focus.

Can it be manually focused, or is the on/off for the Auto Focus just to hold the focus on a stationary camcorder after it has automatically focused?

Thanks.


ARBY ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams arbycam http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161966-aiptek-gvs-raynox-lens-adapter.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161938-sony-ecm-ds70p-modification-mic-install.html Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:31:56 GMT Welcome found mics online at Ebay under sony ecm-ds70p, and site for ecm mics http://www.frogloggers.com/FORMgallery4.htm I recieved my 5.00 mic,... Welcome found mics online at Ebay under sony ecm-ds70p, and site for ecm mics http://www.frogloggers.com/FORMgallery4.htm
I recieved my 5.00 mic, and reordered my second, to be defective, without checking before I started the install, leaving me with one perfect modded, and a defective with additional part mic, contacting supplyer for a exchange.

here is a video tutorial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS4R4T3PJko

Never a complicated task, any basicskill person can do.

there is plenty of room for margain.

The quality of the orginal I have no complaints, and looking foward to testing the modded one out.

With the simple test I did , both sound of theSony I cannot compare, but of the cam you'll hear some difference, remember we ahve a mono internal vs a sterio external.

I hope you enjoyed the clip. Thank you ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams fishycomics http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161938-sony-ecm-ds70p-modification-mic-install.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161898-aiptek-firmware-hack-project-editor-like-chdk.html Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:14:34 GMT - Has anybody made a firmware hack utility or add-on software for Aiptek camcorders (like the famous CHDK for Canon digicams) to tweak internal... - Has anybody made a firmware hack utility or add-on software for Aiptek camcorders (like the famous CHDK for Canon digicams) to tweak internal parameters or unlock hidden features?

My Aiptek PocketDV T100LE displays as the "camera" icon a different mini camcorder with blue case and silver front, which shape resembles an Aiptek MPVR or Z series (e.g. Z300HD-V, AHD Z500 Plus) camcorder. It also does not displays any brand or model name anywhere, which makes me conclude that the same firmware was likely used for various models (and possibly other brands) those differ mainly in the case shape.

- Has anybody examined this or made a list of technically identical variants?

(For some tech info about the Zoran CPU based T100LE hardware see this thread.)

I don't care much about toy gimmicks like the MP3 player or eBook reader found in other Aiptek models, but I'd like to tweak internal parameters of the image sensor or compression algorithm (resolution, fps, ratio) and mask out bad pixels to improve video quality. Best would be of course a hack that turns the 3.5mm jack additionally into an AV input to connect a helmet camera, so far the PCB can be really software controlled on that level. (I read that other Aiptek camcorders use their jack this way.)

On eBay I saw a no-name mini camcorder named "DV-1 digital player" (written on its screen frame) with 2GB internal memory, 2.5 inch swivel screen, claimed 16 megapixel and only QVGA video at lousy 15fps, which had lots of gimmicks including MP3 player, calculator, calendar, notepad, eBook reader and a NES ROM video game player.

- Are any Aiptek (export model?) camcorders known with that famiclone (Nintendo 8bit) video game player in its firmware? ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams CYBERYOGI =CO= Windler http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161898-aiptek-firmware-hack-project-editor-like-chdk.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161895-aiptek-pocketdv-t100le-review-too-dark-need-firmware-questions.html Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:19:15 GMT I bought on German eBay a used Aiptek mini camcorder which appears to be a "Pocket DV T100LE". It came with no accessories. Fortunately it has at least a standard mini USB jack (no matter of course) which works well with the cable of my Hama USB2.0 SD-card reader and a driver downloaded from Aiptek. The focus lever was missing, so I had to dismantle it and make my own from copper wire and cable insulation. Now it seems to work correctly, but I am very dissatisfied with it, since it records video even worse than my lousy digicam "Jenoptik JD 4.1 x z3" (which has only 320x208 in MPEG2 with bad colours and almost inaudible sound), despite a dedicated "camcorder" should be expected to do that better. E.g. the colours are even less accurate, the MPEG4 looks grainier (Jenoptik behaves much more analogue despite snow) and the picture jerks somewhat during fast pan. But worst is that it tends to film unusably dark.

By the lack of accessories I am not sure if I identified the model correctly (e.g. T250LE looks the same); the grey case looks very much like the PocketDV IS-DV and the bottom sticker label is "DZO-V3TS". But also other eBay vendors sold this type as "PocketDV T100LE". According to Amazon it was released in 2007. Generally Aiptek seems to consider these small camcorder rather a kind of fashion item than an utilitarian device, since they release them in a ridiculous variety of variants those only differ in case style despite very similar technical features. Many of them are not mentioned at all on the Aiptek website, so they can be hard to identify when the case has no model name. Regarding the poor quality, Aiptek's rapid product change cycles smells like a foul trick to avoid too many bad internet ratings by simply changing the model names every few weeks and also use other brand names once a model was rated poor. (Early Aiptek camcorders e.g. filmed only in resolutions far below VGA with jerky 7 or 13fps, which IMO really doesn't deserve the term "camcorder".)

review:

So here is my review of the Aiptek PocketDV T100LE (or whatever it is genuinely called). Regard that this is my first tapeless mini camcorder, so I am not sure how far the described flaws and properties are typical for them and also exist in other cheap models or brands.

- too dark picture / exposure bugs

Its worst flaw is the horrible low light performance, which makes it almost completely unusable indoors after dawn.

The black level of the CMOS image sensor is way too low, so in areas with dim incandescent light (42W halogen in my living room) where I can still nicely read newspapers, the picture turns black. I consider this a severe firmware bug, since it is not just overly snowy or grainy by video amplification like with other poor camcorders, but fully black. Even the white frame of my TV set (a Nokia 417TV highend CRT TV) turns almost invisible, so I only see the (not overly bright) TV picture on the video. In my kitchen illuminated by the 15W kitchen hood incan bulb the cam can see nothing beyond 80cm away from it. Only my light grey tiled bathroom (60W incan ceiling lamp) looks fairly well visible, however already my own shadow looks grainy and almost black despite in reality it is barely darker than the rest of the wall. Setting "exposure" to maximum doesn't help against black pictures, since the algorithm apparently already switches internally to the highest available step when dark.

As a fix there is a so-called "night shot" mode built in, which however reduces the frame rate to something unusable like 5 fps with all moving objects drawing long comet tails (tripod very recommended) because it only increases exposure duration. But even in this quite useless mode the light sensitivity is not better than the daylight mode of average normal camcorders. Also without nightshot the T100LE blurs fast motion and pan noticeably more than a real tape camcorder. This may be result of the MPEG4 data reduction, but likely also of longer exposure time due to its very low light sensitivity. (The only other camera I yet saw with that low sensitivity was an antique Eumig B/W tube video camera from 1970th.)

I am fully aware that there are physical limitations since the tiny 3mm lens of such mini camcorders can in no way compete with the light intensity of the several cm large lens of professional SLR or highend video cameras. But a properly programmed "night shot" should change video amplification, gamma curve and possibly increase noise filters, or at least simply multiply the numerical video output brightness values with a scale factor once the picture turns too dark. Reducing the frame rate is no solution. E.g. even my old webcam "Aiptek HyperVcam" (with similarly cheap fixfocus hardware) offers plenty of different controls to adjust the internal values of its OmniVision CMOS image sensor to produce a properly contrasted (although snowy) picture at low light. The T100LE offers even in webcam mode (of Windows 98SE) only a single slider that reduces the frame rate to increase brightness exactly like the night shot mode.

Apparently Aiptek knew how poor it was, so they added as another silly feature a so-called video lamp consisting of 2 fairly bright 5mm LEDs (in yellowish warmwhite) those only produced a greenish circular spot in the center of the video picture; unless fully (4x) zoomed, their spot is way too small to fill the filmed area, and at close distance the lamp even overdrives the CMOS sensor, causing a plain white circle in the center of the picture unless the LEDs are partly covered by fingers (which tends to happen unintentionally). I carefully treated the lens-like transparent plastic cover of the lamp with fine sandpaper to scratch fine vertical (important!) grooves into it. On the one hand this makes the spotlight dimmer, but on the other hand it spreads the light over a larger and more oval area, which fits much better into the 4:3 screen ratio than the tiny circle of the unmodified state and reduces overdrive. (Do not scratch horizontally, else the light beam will spread vertically instead.) But in a dark room the camcorder can anyway see a white wall with that lamp only in 1m distance; even night shot mode makes it reach not really farer. Photographing my face with it closely in the dark makes very hard contrast; many parts remain black despite the LEDs are bright enough to blind me unpleasantly. During webcam mode the lamp can not be switched on or off.

In camcorder and photo mode the exposure setting in the menu has only 5 steps [-2, -1, 0, 1, 2], and unfortunately the internal resolution of it doesn't seem to be any higher. No matter how it is set, the automatic exposure control (which can not be turned off) switches the video picture darker and brighter in noticeably coarse steps (unless it is at the range end) when ever the mean brightness of the viewfield changes. This is particularly annoying when the light condition is at the threshold between 2 values, which makes the picture continuously switch brighter and darker like a disco music light, which looks really stupid. (I read that this flaw exists in many other Aiptek camcorders.)

When filming out of the window with daylight, the zero setting was way overexposed (too pale), so I had to set exposure to -2. This reveals that there is obviously a severe firmware bug in the exposure control algorithm, that likely also causes the horrible low light behaviour.

High exposure settings or bright objects (e.g. lamps) make the picture locally overexpose into a slightly pink tinted plain white area. Although such flaws also exist in my Jenoptik digicam, with the T100LE they are much more visible, because the dynamic range of its CMOS sensor is obviously much lower. In the menu a histogram can be enabled to estimate in a bar graph how much of the picture is under- or overexposed.

- low colour depth & distortion

Despite video colour resolution is claimed to be 24 bit, it looks much lower. Particularly in dark areas video often contains visible grainy colour steps those rather look like 16 or even 12 bit colour. I am not sure if this is a limitation of the image sensor or caused by too high video compression. Fast panning also makes a kind of picture distortion (tearing or temporary change of width/height ratio) that I never saw on analogue tape camcorders. The video is recorded as ASF files instead of plain MPEG4. I read complaints that this is a proprietary Microsoft format that is difficult to use on non-Windows (Mac and possibly Linux) operating systems.

- bad pixels

The 3 megapixel (2048x1536 pixels) CMOS sensor of my specimen shows a dozen green and blue pixels spread over the picture. They are mostly visible when zoomed in. Bizarre is that in normal mode the digital zoom produces a grainy preview picture on the TFT without these pixels, while the higher resolution preview mode is called "smart zoom" and needs to be activated in the menu every time the camera is turned on. I am not sure if it is disabled by default to save battery (it may consume some CPU capacity) or to hide these bad pixels from customers during sales demonstration.

- photos - no zoom during playback

In photos of course any bad pixels are visible. Suspicious is that one can not zoom into recorded photos during playback to find and delete blurred ones or see details, which may be another trick to fool customers. Also the claimed interpolated 10 megapixel are nonsense regarding the 3 megapixel sensor. The camera also has a flash with red eye reduction, which is no matter of course for a camcorder. But due to the reddish overexposure sensitivity of the CMOS sensor it is of limited use, because it tints photos pink. Generally the fixfocus CMOS photos have a Polaroid appeal. My old Jenoptik with CCD and optical zoom does that much better.

For me particularly a lack of photo playback zoom would be a complete disaster because I tend to use my digicam also as a notebook to document electronic circuitry during repair or DIY and need the zoom to see details to put parts correctly back together.

With the T100LE the lowest photo resolution is 1 megapixel, which takes still 200 to 300kB per photo. My Jenoptik can take VGA photos with each only 50KB, which is my most used resolution; I tend to take many hundreds of these when I document electronics. They are fully sufficient for my music keyboard website to illustrate enlarged details. Only for photos with many small details (e.g. the main photo of a keyboard) I choose a multi-megapixel resolution (something like 1400KB) and manually compress it further.

- no file date stamp

A very annoying flaw of the T100LE is that it saves no file time and date stamps. Files are numbered, but they always share the same date "01-01-01 00:00", which makes this device unsuited for any diary-like long-term applications (those otherwise would make sense by the voice recorder feature). Although it can be annoying to set the time after every battery change (capacitors exist to avoid that), it it state of the art that modern digicams can even save GPS position with their pictures and videos, and to get rid of manual clock setting, a proper camera driver could easily be designed to copy the system clock setting from the PC through USB every time the camera is connected.

- SD card data corruption

After my repair, the camera suddenly refused to recognize the SD card (hama 2GB) and only showed its internal flash memory contents. When inserted into my Hama SD card reader, I discovered that the entire card was "unformatted"; the hex editor HxD showed that the FAT and entire contents was partly overwritten with multiple copies of its directory and zeroes, so even recovery programs failed to find any intact files on it. I am not sure if this crash was just a dirty card contact, bad battery contacts or a firmware bug, but with my Jenoptik I yet never had any incidents of complete data loss on an SD card despite the Jenoptik often also accidentally saves only to internal flash memory or records a video file faulty when powered off or empty battery. (The T100LE also records a damaged video file when battery fails.) This is another reason not to use the Aiptek as a video diary.

- stabilizer

The T100LE has a digital picture stabilizer against shaky hands. With video the effect is noticeable, however I don't know if it reduces the frame rate (like I read elsewhere). During panning it might jerk slightly more, but IMO it doesn't really reduce the anyway low video quality.

- digital zoom

It has been written much about digital vs. optical zoom. Everybody knows that the digital one makes the picture grainy when the sensor resolution is too low. However with consumer cameras the mechanism of optical zoom tends to be of very fragile plastic parts (I repaired a Canon Ixus 800IS objective) those are extremely sensitive to strong mechanical shocks and dirt. Thus for a toy or sports or action camera digital zoom definitely is a technically reasonable solution. It also doesn't decrease picture brightness when zooming in, which can be theoretically (not here) a benefit with low light. Digital zoom can also theoretically zoom very fast without loss of sharpness or mechanical wear, and by the lack of motors it consumes less battery power, so it isn't generally bad.

With the T100LE the digital zoom moves somewhat jerky and IMO too slow. It can be speeded up by rapidly pressing the zoom buttons, however the mechanical button click noises are also recorded by the internal microphone (noiseless soft rubber contacts would help here). In webcam mode zoom can not be used.

- no macro mode (near objects blur)

A small mechanical sharpness slide switch rotates the lens among 2 fixed positions for far and narrow. Unfortunately the range is way too small; the narrow setting is intended for 50..70cm and starts to blur narrower objects. Technically it is no problem to rotate such a lens further to focus tiny objects in only 1cm distance; my HyperVcam can do that, and also moving the lens holder manually during repair (I replaced the switch handle) focussed the lens much closer. A completely manually operated focus ring with feelable stopper at the far setting would be much more useful than the silly switch.

- screen always on

The Aiptek T100LE is switched on by opening the TFT monitor lid and turned off by closing it. You can not film with closed lid or TFT turned off, which makes the camera unnecessarily bulky and fragile when used as an action camera (e.g. on a helmet mount). Unlike later models, the T100LE also can not flip the screen around to make self-photos or -videos.

- strong magnet

Another annoyance is that the power-off switch is magnetic sensor in the TFT frame that is triggered by a magnet in the top right of the case rim. I really can't understand why they added this stupid construction which may easily damage cassettes, diskettes or bank cards in a pocket or bag, not least because the employed magnet is much stronger than needed to trigger the sensor. It e.g. can easily lift a screwdriver (the internal speaker magnet is much weaker outside the case) despite a weak magnet triggers the switch also. (Hold the upper screen rim against any magnet to test.) The magnet sensor on the PCB seems to be a small coil, that is likely part of an oscillator that changes its frequency in the magnetic field. Possibly the inventors initially used that oscillator as the TFT backlight transformer which protection circuit turned it off to prevent fire when the frequency changed by failing parts, and as an evolutionary side effect they accidentally discovered that so a magnet could be used to turn the unit off without wiring a switch.

With magnetic radiation there should be a general code of minimization to avoid damage to property and health. So this magnetic switch constitutes a completely unnecessary hazard.

- nasty chemical odour

After using the camcorder, my hands stink badly of electronics. It reeks like a mixture of epoxy, solvents and motor oil odour that is certainly unhealthy. I wiped the case with soap water to clean it, which reduced the stench but could not eliminate it. Particularly the rubber jack lid (may be some acrid plasticized soft PVC compound) keeps stinking.

- hands up! do not kill me!

This shiny mini camcorder (and many similar models) is handheld almost exactly like a pistol. So only its uselessness in low light may prevent policemen or watchmen from confusing it and though accidentally kill filmers of e.g. political demonstrations with a firearm when they believe to see a pistol attack.

Otherwise the similarity with pistols raises the question whether it would be more ergonomical to place the shutter or video button like a pistol trigger or add a simple gunsight as viewfinder on top to permit aiming with closed screen lid to save battery. Possibly the screen should be also placed on top instead of the left side for more stable two-hand operation.

- usable sound quality

Although mono, the recorded video sound from the microphone isn't too bad (but has some static) and also the internal speaker (a 2cm yellcoin) is of appropriate quality for the tiny camcorder. (My Canon Ixus 800IS has only a 12mm yellcoin that has lower volume. My Jenoptik even has no speaker and records sound with something like 3bit 8kHz; even speech was impossible to understand with that thing unless you speak very loud.)

- long battery life

Nice is that the T100LE runs on 2 standard AA size batteries. Of course rechargable NiMH batteries are recommended for any serious use, but in emergency it can indeed run many minutes on regular alkalines. (My Jenoptik strictly needs highest quality "ready to use" NiMH and crashes with alkalines or worn out NiM after only a minute due to extreme peak current and moving motors.)

Despite it makes the case bulkier, I clearly prefer standard NiMH cells over proprietary Li-Ion rechargeables. Lithium ones are often expensive and hard to find (especially some years later when the original goes bad) and especially cheap ones have the fatal tendency of violently exploding in the charger, hands or face like firework rockets and release severely poisonous smoke and residues (hydrofluoric acid, cobalt etc.). I consider lithium rechargeables arson timers and want to keep as few as possible of them in my apartment.

- jacks

The camcorder has only 2 jacks - a standard mini USB jack and a 3.5mm stereo output. When a plug is inserted, the camcorder asks on its screen how to use them. The stereo jack can either be used as a stereo headphone or A/V output jack (i.e. analogue CVBS video on right channel, mono audio on the left). My standard stereo jack plug works only when slightly pulled out; else it shorts audio and video, producing hum and rolling picture, so I am not sure if this was intended for a proprietary plug with more than 3 contacts. USB can be used in webcam or usb drive mode. Unfortunately there is no video input for an external (helmet) camera.

Unusual is that you can exchange SD cards when powered on. (Windows file manager and playback mode window automatically update the shown directory.) However I would not recommend this due to the tendency of data corruption. ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams CYBERYOGI =CO= Windler http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161895-aiptek-pocketdv-t100le-review-too-dark-need-firmware-questions.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161842-wide-angle-converters-warning.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:56:13 GMT Hey guys I bought a magnetic mount wide angle lens converter. Gave it shot today it seemed quite nice. Then I tried to record, to my surprise the... Hey guys I bought a magnetic mount wide angle lens converter. Gave it shot today it seemed quite nice. Then I tried to record, to my surprise the unit (Kodak Zi6) locked up during 10 seconds of recording and again it locked after 3 seconds of recording. This problem was a constant. I resest the unit removed batteries still it locks. Fearing that the cam was gone for good. I decided to remove the batteries and let it sit for a couple of hours. I than placed the batteries back and viola! it's working (no wide angle mounted). I came to the conclusion the magnet played havoc with the camera's circuits and caused all this hell. I'm not ready to try the wide angle convertor again, until much later. Has anyone tried what I've done. I would like to know if it's fine with you. Here is a link to the wide angle lens I was discussing. Thanks

http://www.itechnews.net/wp-content/...angle-lens.jpg
]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams garman http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161842-wide-angle-converters-warning.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161805-top-heap-right-now.html Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:38:54 GMT Hi, I'm new to camcorders. I care only about one thing, best Video image quality while being handheld and under $250.00. It does not matter if it does stills at all.

Quality to me, is accurate color reproduction and at least a decent attempt at auto white balance. High dynamic range, details in shadow, great in low light without being too noisy. Sharpness is a given, I want it tack sharp. Image stabilizer would be great, if it didn't turn the video soft.
I would pick great video over great audio.

There are just so many to choose from today, I don't even know where to begin to look. You guys will know...

Thanks
Joe ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams Jlacy76 http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161805-top-heap-right-now.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161739-kodak-zi6-dropped-frames.html Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:03:56 GMT Is there anyway of locking the fps to 30 or 60. I'm getting annoyed with this video camera. I took it out today. It was partly sunny and I found that the fps had dropped to 20fps shooting. Any help or hack would be appreciated. Thanks ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams garman http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161739-kodak-zi6-dropped-frames.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161659-comparison-samsung-hmx-u10-kodak-zi8.html Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:42:36 GMT future spot 1 future spot 1 ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams fishycomics http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161659-comparison-samsung-hmx-u10-kodak-zi8.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161646-one-cheapest-tiny-camcorders-ever.html Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:58:05 GMT This must be one of the cheapest solid state video camcorders out there! Someone informed me of this little gem. Just $17 for a device that... This must be one of the cheapest solid state video camcorders out there! Someone informed me of this little gem.

Just $17 for a device that records VGA with sound:

http://tinyurl.com/ydep4et

The video isn't too bad either as can be seen on youtube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAjgSMNX8c8With

It even has audio too. There are digital cameras that cost more that still don't record sound. There does seem to be an audio problem but I am hoping to confirm that this is probably an artifact of the youtube upload. Sure it's not perfect but then it's $17! The icing on the cake is that it also takes microSD memory cards :D

They'll be giving these away in cereal boxes shortly...!
]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams rgvcam http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161646-one-cheapest-tiny-camcorders-ever.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161624-i-have-dream.html Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:33:03 GMT hello ) ok, so im trying to find myaself a pocketcam that i could bring with me all the time, and i must say im a bit lost with all the choice.... hello )

ok, so im trying to find myaself a pocketcam that i could bring with me all the time, and i must say im a bit lost with all the choice.
all have some good and some bad.


my dream:
- pocket size
- manual controls
- wide angle
- decent low light
- 720/60fps
- external mic input
- able to add custom lens
- good battery
- decent stabilization ?
- 200$/200€ max

must add that im new to camcorder, but analogue photography amateur, thats the reason i dont want an all automatic cam, i prefer to experiment.

till now i didnt find my dream cam, but some are close like sanyo cg10 (but lack of 60fps and external mic) or kodak Zi8 (but lack of manual controls, flippable lcd).

i cant decide myself, but im starting to think that maybe i have to wait a bit more for future new models ?
in the other hand, i cant really wait to experiment lol
help me choosing one ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams chkn http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161624-i-have-dream.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161613-aiptek-gvs-problem.html Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:24:05 GMT I'm a newbie - searched the forum, but couldn't find a reference to anyone else having encountered this problem:

I connected my GVS to the TV, using the HD cable (YPrPb). It worked fine. I tried to turn the camera off by closing the camera monitor, but the light on top stayed on. Not yet having discovered the ON/OFF button that is under the monitor, I turned off the camera by removing the battery.

I disconnected the HD cable, and tried to turn on the camera, but could not get an image on the camera's monitor.

What I'm finding is that the camera is stuck in the external HD monitor mode.

If I open the camera to turn it on, the attached monitor flashes a dark gray screen momentarily, then goes black. If the camera is attached to the TV via the HD cable, the TV display works, but if I use the A/V display cable, it does NOT work.

I haven't been able to find anything about a "reset" for the camera other than removing the battery. I've tried removing the SD card, but this seems to be something internal.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.


--ARBY ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams arbycam http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161613-aiptek-gvs-problem.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161584-rumor-has-aiptek.html Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:11:25 GMT looks likeAIptek ischanging their website again theGVS is off the pages of hd camc, and the Pen cams are only airing at New, and hd cam. so I... looks likeAIptek ischanging their website again theGVS is off the pages of hd camc, and the Pen cams are only airing at New, and hd cam.

so I wonder why the secret. of the Extreme or other hitting USA website. withing a few days.

keep your bannana peals you may be instore fora suprize:cool2: ]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams fishycomics http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161584-rumor-has-aiptek.html http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161564-noise-hybrid-cameras-lines.html Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:14:42 GMT My Sanyo CG10 arrived yesterday. My main complaint at this point is that at low light levels the luma noise consists of horizontal lines across the... My Sanyo CG10 arrived yesterday. My main complaint at this point is that at low light levels the luma noise consists of horizontal lines across the field of view. Noisy lines, of course, but rather than random dots of noise I see random noisy lines, whether noise reduction is on or off, whether High Sensitivity is on or off. It becomes less obvious as the room intensity brightens, but still is present on dark objects, even with quite reasonable lighting.

This is annoying, as the lines make the noise far more objectionable. Is the typical behavior with the low cost CMOS sensors? Is it typical for Sanyo?

Naturally, my main interest is whether I should send back the CG10, which is a open-box unit in any case, and insist on a spanking-new unit.


]]> Hybrid Still/Movie/MP3 Digicams Trevmar http://forums.steves-digicams.com/hybrid-still-movie-mp3-digicams/161564-noise-hybrid-cameras-lines.html