Hi all, A week ago, or so, I decided that the video camera recorder (aka camcorder) we had, a Canon MVX450, wasn't really up to what we wanted, a video camera suitable for showing videos on our HD TV. At the same time some money happened to arrive, that we hadn't planned for, so we invested in a Canon HF10, a tiny camcorder that uses the AVHD format, a highly compressed format (still up to 17 Mb per second!), which gives an amazing resolution. Together with the offer of a free IOmega USB hard drive, and some money back scheme from Canon (about $150 back, in exchange of the barcode from the box)! The odd thing with this toy is that it has no hard drive, nor uses any tape, nor uses DVDs! It is all flash! It is very basic, no viewfinder, no thrills, and very simple to operate, but still just amazing! It takes both stills and videos (at varying resolutions), has both built-in flash memory and can use SD cards, up to 16 Gb (the built-in is 16Gb, the HF10's sibling, the HF100, has no built-in flash memory). Would be the ideal camera for Mark Sanders, me thinks, and I wouldn't be suprised if it came in a water-proof version soon! Weighs less than a pound, by the way! Never have I found a camcorder that feels so easy to operate, yet gives such good results! The price can be debated, as can the lack of a viewfinder be, but otherwise, it excels in both sharp sunshine, indoors, and after sunset! It simply runs circles around the Canon camcorder we had before! And the stills it takes are very good - the best I've seen taken by any camcorder! Having also tried it with a Raynox telephoto add-on, which sadly lowers contrast quite a bit, I must say it is the best toy I've had for years! Not quite up to professional standards, not least due to the extremely compressed format, it is be ideal for most of us! It eats batteries though, as just viewing the results exhuasts the batteries, so you should buy the biggest batteries there are, and plenty of them, if you're going away on an expedition! Although the optics are amazing, it doesn't include a wide angle, just a 12X zoom! But you get a lot of performance, out of a small package! Take care, Tord, Sweden -- Be Yourself _at_ mail.com! Choose From 200+ Email Addresses Get a Free Account at www.mail.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Thanks for the tip, Tord. I'm real unhappy with my Pentax Optio W30. It has never come close to the picture results that I got with my W10. I can only imagine I got a bad unit, but my latest pics just confirm my disappointment. I've been thinking of switching to a true camcorder, but figured it best to wait for a good HD unit, so I'll look into yours. I like the idea of using flash memory; seems more reliable than HD or DVD units. I have some plans for a waterproof housing I could use even if it doesn't have a WP model. Might have to wait till Christmas though!!! Mark Sanders -----Original Message----- Would be the ideal camera for Mark Sanders, me thinks, and I wouldn't be suprised if it came in a water-proof version soon! Weighs less than a pound, by the way! *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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