Sanyo HD2 - My Thoughts
Ever since I bought my Sanyo HD2 people seem to keep me asking about it. Just this morning a friend dropped me a note that said “tell me everything you don’t like about it.”
So instead of writing e-mails over and over I figured I’d post my thoughts on the camera. Plus that way Google will find it and other people I don’t even know can give it a read through. Hopefully it helps some people. I’m in no way affiliated with Sanyo or anything like that. My shopping was looking for a compact, HD capable, tapeless camcorder. It really came down between the Canon and Sanyo, but the latest Canon was not out yet.
What I Don’t Like:
- The fact that it doesn’t have a digital output on it to run directly to the computer is stupid. It has a dock that will do it, but the non direct is pointless. I’m sure there is a way around this but i haven’t read the manual yet to figure it out. I would love to just plug it in and run VidBlaster directly off of it.
- The auto focus is slower then I’m use to. But, I’m also use to $4000 DV cameras *grin*
- It’s not the best in low light, but I knew that going in
- The MP4 format is awesome for file size, but my PC doesn’t know what to do with it. I’ve been told I won’t have any problems on the Mac, but of course have not been able to test that yet. It is one of the first thing I’m going to test though. Yes, I know there are converters, but I should be ablle to grab the files and work with them on the PC. Maybe I need a special program?
- The lens cap comes off very easy which always worries me, but I haven’t traveled a whole lot with it yet
- I wish the design had some small rubber strip or slightly formed edge to make it even a better grip in hand. I’m still figuring out how to minimize shake when holding. It’s so small which is great, but it’s so small that it’s hard to balance sometimes
- I’m not sure if I needed to spend the extra money for the HD or not. I did thinking long term, but it might have been wasted money. Depends on the person.
- The zoom is VERY touchy. Doing a slow and casual zoom is almost impossible.
What I Do Like:
- The small size is amazing. I can bring it anywhere.
- It comes with a pseudo hard shell case for the camera that has a belt loop. I haven’t put it on a belt, but I like that I can put it in this and pack it away without worries.
- The SD Card storage is great. I put a 4 GB one in it and it holds plenty
- I like the dock that it comes with. It charges the battery and allows for easy access of the footage from the camera to the computer.
- The footage it shoots is great for what I use it for
- The ability to take still photos is an interesting bonus. I don’t use it much, but the shots I have taken are very good. Great for casual photos to go along with the video when you don’t want to bring two devices.
It may sound like there is more bad then good. That’s just that I’m overly critical and plus I think a review should focus on the negatives since that is really what people are most concerned about. If they’ve gotten to the point of reading a review they already know the good things most likely. Don’t get me wrong. I’d buy this camera again and I’m happy with the decision. It was the right decision for me.
If you find this useful let me know. Also, if you have one of them let me know what you do and don’t like about it so that others that find this page will find it more useful. Variety of opinions are important when buying something.
May 20th, 2007 at 11:15 am |
Thanks for writing this up! I was going to ask you about your Sanyo and then noticed you blogged about it. LOL
I still haven’t bought a video camera yet. I really need something that works pretty good with low light so maybe your camera isn’t for me. Hmm …
May 20th, 2007 at 12:08 pm |
Well don’t forget that in this size and price range none of them are going to be optimal in low light. It’s a trade off for the price and size.
It does pretty good at concerts which is what I’m guessing you are thinking of using it for.
May 20th, 2007 at 12:44 pm |
I have the same problem with my wacky guerilla video camera. Until the almighty Mac arrives you can use a free tool called Super to convert your mp4 to something that your editor works with better. You’ll have to nagivate the absolute worst organized website in the world, but it’s actually a really nice tool. http://www.erightsoft.com
May 20th, 2007 at 2:52 pm |
I looked at this unit initially several months back, but the deal breaker for me was it looked like the microphone was on the opposite side of the LCD..is this true? Which made it not practical for one-handed “filming myself” clips, since the mic would be pointing in the opposite direction.
May 20th, 2007 at 3:42 pm |
Yes, Frank this is in fact true. It makes you have to be extra creative when filming yourself. It does have an external microphone port though. I’ve been meaning to play with that to see how it works.
May 20th, 2007 at 5:53 pm |
As you know… despite the list of negatives you supplied me with, I went and ordered one. All of my research said this was an incredible “buy”. I got to see some High Def footage and was impressed. I had the same reservation as Franklin McMahon until I finally saw documentation of the external audio connection. I can’t wait to get mine. I even have a mini “steadycam” setup to use it with… I’m stoked.
May 20th, 2007 at 6:20 pm |
Awesome news about the external mic…I want one now! An external clip mic would be perfect. P-Dub or C.C…are there any examples of clips online? Straight from the camera (not compressed or converted)?
May 20th, 2007 at 7:30 pm |
Well I went out and bought the same camera, but not in HD. So far I luv it! I use it on my pc instead of a mac. I agree the whole docking thing is just a waste. I just pop the card out in and put it into my computer, files pop right up!! I also love the fact that its mp4 file. I can use sony vegas to edit it and upload it. Fits right in my bag and Im ready to go.
Now a negative some would say is since its MP4 I cant upload to youtube.com. I can use blip.tv which I just luv so much better the youtube cause it is a lot faster to upload.
Brit
May 25th, 2007 at 10:37 am |
I bought this camera to video my daughter’s wedding. As father of the bride, I needed something small to put in my trouser pocket, and I needed something that fired up quickly and with decent battery life. The HD2 is a blast. The footage is very good, the colours are rich and the definition is great. I used SDHC cards, and bought a SDHC card reader to download clips to my PC. I also bought Ulead’s Videostudio 10+ to edit the clips and render to DVD ( converted to Pal 16.9 720×576 25fps)
The result is excellent and compares very favourably with the pro video my daughter commissioned.
For the money, the convenience, useful battery life, and excellent results, it has no rival.
For the future I would like an HD3 with a Pal 16.9 25fps SD option, and it would be great also if an edited HD video could be put back onto an SDHC card for HD playback onto my HD TV.
Thomas.
June 15th, 2007 at 5:34 am |
I’d like to see some clips, in SD and HD and also in low light and outside, also focusing in on something. Can you hook us up with something?
October 9th, 2007 at 12:55 pm |
To edit the MP4 files, download QuickTime or iTunes. The QuickTime Player is just like Notepad for video … cut, copy and paste is dead easy. You can then export to a sub-megabit movie for the web, or save the existing video with the original encoding.
CK.