Tag: "best pocket camcorder"

Need Help Choosing A Pocket Camcorder!?

I found this question being asked by Morgan on Yahoo Answers where he’s on a quest to find a for himself and I thought I’d give my answer here on PocketVideoCameraHD.com in case you’re interested. Following is the question that Morgan asked:

I currently have the Sony Webbie, but I am tired of the mediocre video quality. Even so, I’ve fallen in love with the rotating lens – I like being able to see where I am in the frame while vlogging. I also like to do short films. But with Christmas coming in a few months, I want to buy a new camera. I’m estimating that I’ll have a budget of at least $200.

What I REALLY want:

  • Preferably a flip camera of some sort, because I’m used to holding a Webbie.
  • Great (not just ok) HD quality that can handle action and low lighting. Image stabilization would be wonderful. A 60fps option isn’t necessary, but it’d be nice.
  • Great battery life, as well a memory card slot. I’d prefer that videos could be as long as the space left on the card.
  • A screen to see myself while recording myself… if that makes sense.
  • Quick startup and minimal time between pressing a button and the function being executed. (Shutter speed, etc.)

It should be able to stand up on its own without a tripod, and it can’t be too conspicuous. I often vlog in public and I don’t want to get any weirder looks than I do already.

I know this is a lot to ask for with a budget of Christmas cash; but I’m not going to buy something and be disappointed. I want a pocket camcorder that I can use for years to come without (m)any regrets.

Our Answer To His Quest To Find A Pocket Camcorder

Now, that’s a lot of requirements and needs that Morgan has. Not all of them can be completely fulfilled but I think that there’s two great options for him. First of all, all of the pocket camcorders will help him as they are small and convenient and hopefully will keep down the ‘weird looks’ he’s getting for vlogging in public.

Kodak and Sony Pocket Camcorders

The need for a memory card slot already takes all offerings of Flip Cameras out of this. That leaves us with Kodak and Sony pocket camcorders to look at. Based on all of his requirements we’d go with either the Sony Bloggie Touch (see our Sony Bloggie Touch (MHS-TS20/B) Pocket Camcorder Review) or the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 (see our Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Camcorder Review).

I’d probably give the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 a slight advantage here as it has some cool video recording features like Black and White and stuff that will allow to shoot some really cool videos for vlogging. Having said that, there’s also one requirement that Morgan probably hasn’t really listed but should be considered. As he’s vlogging a lot in public he might actually have to consider using a pocket camcorder that is somewhat rugged and could get wet. I somehow think it would be strange to only vlog in public when it’s nice weather…

The Best Pocket Camcorder

Anyway, that does bring up the probably overall strongest contender for his needs. Which one is it? Well, it’s another Kodak model, the (see our Kodak PlaySport Zx5 HD Waterproof Pocket Camcorder Review). It has pretty much all the features of the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 plus it’s rugged and waterproof.

Check out the pocket video cameras we mentioned in this post here:

Check out our other Pocket Camcorder Reviews and make sure you can make an informed decision before you buy a pocket camcorder for yourself or for friends and family.

You can find Morgan’s question on Yahoo Answers by clicking here.

Top 5 Pocket Video Camera Comparison

After reviewing a lot of pocket camcorders we thought it would be helpful to have a pocket video camera comparison where we crown our top contender in each of these five categories:

  • Best Still Picture
  • Easiest To Use
  • Best Travel Companion
  • Best Sports/Action Pocket Camcorder
  • Best Overall Pocket Camcorder

We hope you agree that there’s really no way in a pocket video camera comparison to crown the single . As with many things the best of something depends on your needs and use and we thought that our categories represent what each one needs and uses. As you well know, there are many different pocket video cameras on the market. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses. Be prepared for a lot of choices when you are looking through our pocket video camera comparison.

When you look online you will find that many pocket video cameras receive the best and highest ratings. No matter what you intend to mostly use your pocket camcorder for, you will overall be satisfied if you take any one of our picks in our pocket video camera comparison. As it often is the case, it comes down to what is best and right for you.

Find The Best Pocket Camcorder

We are aiming to provide you with some guidance so you can pick the best pocket camcorder with our pocket video camera comparison. Our goal is to help you find the best camcorder for your needs and uses. Look through our picks for each category below to decide which pocket camcorder to buy.

Here is our

Best Still Picture In Our Pocket Video Camera Comparison

Hands down there’s only one choice in our pocket video camera comparison to win this category. The Sony Bloggie Touch (MHS-TS20/B) Pocket Video Camera wins this comparison easily. It’s the only pocket camcorder that we have reviewed that has more than 10 megapixel resolution for still images. That combined with the 4 times digital zoom allow you to make pictures as you do with any better than average digital camera. The Sony Bloggie Touch (MHS-TS20/B) Pocket Video Camera allows you to make pictures with 12, 8 or 2 mega-pixels.

Read our Sony Bloggie Touch (MHS-TS20/B) Pocket Video Camera Review for more information.

Easiest To Use In Our Pocket Video Camera Comparison

When it comes to the pocket camcorder that’s easiest to use then there’s truthfully not a clear winner. There’s on the one hand the simplicity that the Flip MinoHD and the Flip UltraHD provide and on the other hand the ability to adjust a lot of settings like the Kodak PlaySport Zx5 HD has. Now, keep in mind these setting can still easily be changed. In the end we decided to go for simplicity and we think the easiest and simplest to use pocket camcorder is the Flip UltraHD. You simply switch it on, click the record button and off you go. No settings and changes, just press a button.

Read our Flip MinoHD Video Camera Review for more information.

Best Travel Companion In Our Pocket Video Camera Comparison

Moving on in finding the best pocket camcorders in our pocket video camera comparison, we now look at the best travel companion. In our opinion the best travel companion should preferably fulfill two needs. The first is the ability to record a reasonable amount of video and the second is the ability to charge or switch batteries. While most pocket camcorders are good or very good on the first ability, there’s really only one that shines in the second category. While all other pocket camcorders have their built-in special batteries, only the Flip UltraHD has the ability to simply put three AAA batteries in and be ready to record. This on top of the 2 hours of video recording make it in our opinion the best travel companion.

Read our Flip UltraHD Video Camera Review for more information.

Best Sports/Action Pocket Camcorder In Our Pocket Video Camera Comparison

When we looked at this category to find the best camcorder in our pocket video camera comparison, we thought that we needed to find a camcorder that survives rough handling while also has the ability to record HD with 60 frames per second (fps) so you get a great video of fast moving action. There were really only two candidates that came to mind as both have a rugged design, are waterproof and allow to record at HD with a 720p resolution with 60 fps. The candidates were the Kodak PlaySport Zx3 and the Kodak PlaySport Zx5. We decided to go with the PlaySport Zx3 simply for the reason that it is cheaper while fulfilling the requirements we laid out.

Read our Kodak PlaySport Zx3 HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera Review for more information.

Best Overall Pocket Camcorder In Our Pocket Video Camera Comparison

Looking through all the pocket camcorders we reviewed we decided that we wanted to find the one pocket video camera that offered the best value overall. We decided that we wanted this to be a pocket camcorder that was able to record in FullHD, had ports so that you could easily connect it to your PC and TV. We also wanted this pocket camcorder to have settings that allowed us to shoot a really great video while still being easy to use. The last requirement we had was that we wanted a pocket video camera that we could take anywhere and everywhere. After laying out all of these requirements, we could only find one pocket camcorder that fit the bill. It’s the Kodak PlaySport Zx5. This pocket camcorder allows you to record in FullHD, it connects to your PC through USB and to your TV through HDMI. It also has tons of settings that allow you record anything from black and white to having a retro capture mode where you can record your video and it gets a retro touch. And finally, it’s rugged and waterproof so it goes where you go.

Read our HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera Review for more information.

Take a look at our pocket video camera reviews to find the best pocket camcorder for your video recording needs. Make sure that the features of the camera match your requirements so you find the best pocket camcorder for you.

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