Customer Reviews

Aiptek GO-HD High Definition 720p Camcorder with 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I've owned this for about a week and am taking it on a trip to do a more complete analysis. I'll post back later. I currently have mixed feelings on this camcorder. It does take good video and is priced right. There are a few negatives to be aware of though which (I guess) are to be expected on such an inexpensive unit:

1. The battery life (for me) is sucking. I will take it on my trip for a better test and if the batteries can't record more than 10 or 15 minutes each it'll go back. If I can get the 30 minutes that it is documented to have, I'll be happy. Note: I do realize that 30 minutes is probably "up time" for the unit whether it is recording or not. The batteries are only 1000Mah and have a loose feel inside the camera too. Will a more robust non-oem battery be coming out?
2. The buttons (to me) were ackwardly positioned causing a "shake" on the camera... and I guess I didn't realize how much my other camcorder's image stabilization must help me. Really needs 2 hands to hold without a shake and I can adjust but really, I think that the design, grip, and button placement could be a ton better.
3. The thing completely froze up on me once and I had to reboot it by removing the battery. I read online there is a firmware update but haven't pursued that yet. And I don't know what the firmware actually fixes.
4. The sound quality is not consistant. Many times I speak as I'm taking the video and mostly it sounded like a towel was over the microphone. The quality of those further away from the camcorder was only marginally better. Almost like the gain is turned up to far or something? I don't know and will test further.
5. No lense cover? Come on Aiptek. That's just cheap and plain dumb. And if I find the lens starts getting micro-scratches over the next week or two it'll go back for certain. It does have a descent carrying case included though. However, the safty loop that you wrap around your wrist so you don't drop the camera STICKS to the velcro on the carrying case whenever you take it out or put it away. This loop will end up being frayed or looking abused shortly because you have to "umph" to rip it off the velcro. This makes me wonder how much real world testing went on before this cam hit the street.

Besides these negatives the fact that I can throw it on my belt and carry it on my trip without feeling encumbured makes me want to use it more before making an ultimate decision as to keep or return. It will really come down to battery life (maybe it will improve as I use the batteries a few more times) and sound quality.

Oh, and it does work with BOTH the A-DATA and Patriot 8G SDHC card that I have.

So I'm giving it 3* for now. Doesn't mean I'll keep it or bring it back... just trying to give a fair review. I'll update my rating (if possible) and the review after a real road test shortly.

UPDATE: 3 WEEKS LATER, AFTER ROAD TEST
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Well I really wanted this little wonder to work. And it did for the first day of my trip. Then it just quit working. The only thing I can figure is that the roads I was on (Tijuana) were very bumpy. It was in the protective case 100% of the time when not in use but the plastic shell housing must be tell-tale of the low build quality on the inside. It just plain stopped working. The screen backlight would come on, but the camera would not initialize. Conclusion: THIS ITEM IS NOT VERY RUGGED AT ALL. It does not hold up to any real use and certainly not the tumbling that my old Canon digital camera (s410) always holds up to. It is a dead clunker now and it is going back to where I purchased... fortunately... with a good return policy. Moral of the story is buy this only from a site that has a descent return policy.

I'm not upset. It was great just throwing the broken cam in the bottom of my laptop bag where it took virtually no room at all. That is the point of a "go anywhere" sized camcorder. I was willing to trade some features for price... but not ruggedness. After all. It is the size itself that makes it something you want to bring anywhere. I'm going to hold off and wait for a similar product that is rugged. It is only a matter of time. It is too bad Apitek didn't built something with more stamina but someone will and I'll be there to buy it when it is out. After all, other than the zoom there are no moving parts in this thing to wear or break. So it must just be bad build quality.

Amazon won't let me change my star rating but if I could, I'd rate it down to 2 stars: more than one star because of price, features, and innovation but no more than that because... well... it has to KEEP working in the real world.

In short, unless you are willing to treat this thing with kid gloves (and I pretty much thought I did) I'd avoid it. The cheap price is tempting, and only spend as much as you can afford to lose because if you read other reviews, you'll also read about the cheap plastic on the outside among other quality issues. I'm here to tell you that what is cheap where you can see it, is evidently even cheaper where you can't.

There are three reasons to buy this: 1) size, 2) resolution, and 3) cost. My old camcorder was huge, and the thought of lugging it around on vacation this summer in Europe motivated me to look for a new one. This thing fits in your pants pocket (the use of the SD card keeps it small). I wanted something with hi-def resolution so I don't look at the videos in 5 years on my hi-def TV and think how old-fashioned it seems. And I didn't want to spend a thousand or more dollars. This fit the bill on all counts.

Some problems: 1) There doesn't appear to be any image stabilization, so I've needed to hold on to it with both hands to keep it stable. 2) It deals poorly with movement. I'm not sure if this is the codec or the optics or what, but panning around can introduce some weird artifacts. 3) The zoom is quite noisy. If you're filming some quiet scenes, it's probably better not to zoom. 4) As with most camcorders, it needs light. It does have a built-in LED light, but it doesn't do much. 5) As with most camcorders, the microphone picks up the filmer's voice fine, but not the subject's very well. 6) The battery life is low. It comes with two batteries; you'll need them both. If you keep these limitations in mind, the size, cost, and HD resolution can make it worthwhile. If you can afford it, get the HV20 or another $1000 HD camcorder and many of the above issues will be reduced or eliminated.

A note for Mac users: I couldn't get my Mac to see the camera directly, but a card-reader plugged into the USB port could read the video/still files just fine.

I picked up this camera not expecting anything much... but I was surprised!

The video quality is very good and its pretty much a no brainer to use.

For mac users it works great since its a .mov file . All I had to do was pull the sd card out of the camera and into a reader hooked to the mac and copy the files over... they play with quicktime as is with no further processing. I used quicktime pro to edit what I wanted and all went well. But since these are h2.64 files you will need to use viddy up or divx to send your creations to youtube.

Over all the camera exceeded my expectations. these kind of camera's are really designed for quickie type videos that you want to view on your pc . They are convenient because the file is ready to go with no need for tape conversion then the dreaded compression which take forever... they are ready set go as soon as you copy the file. Also a 1gb sd card yields 30 mins and a 2gb is one hour. the camera comes with TWO batteries.

For the price you really cant go wrong.

I am fairly happy with performance so far. The zoom motor is loud. My wish list would be for a microphone in. Low lighting isn't too bad for video, but not good for stills (there is a good flash strobe though).

Docking station [called "Instant Theater" ] is for the most part a box padding [really is an alarm clock or whatever, I don't get it]. This "dock" doesn't really integrate well with this camera as it is designed for the lower end Aipek cams with mp3 function (this doesn't have that). It was hope that you could charge the battery or cam and it doesn't. You can only charge one battery at a time (there are 2 batteries in the box, last 30 minutes each) with either USB or DC adapter.

I ordered an 8GB SDHC card and it hasn't arrived yet so using a 512 MB card for now. The manual doesn't address the SDHC (at least the printed one), but I believe the web site at Aiptek does.

You save a lot of $$ over the Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2, but the Sanyo does offer HDMI and 10X zoom. Most HD video files are so large that it is hard to computer-edit. I've found these files small enough with the H.264 codec that it isn't too bad. One can use NERO to do this [DVD burner suite]. The low light video is simply fantastic at this price point. The cons are mainly sound [mono only], lack of fine controls [maybe a plus], fantastic sills at 5 megapixels, no videotape, and small pocket size. THIS ISN'T A CHEAPIE TOY, it is well-built.

Two batteries came with mine ~ but remember only 30 minutes with each battery for video. You can charge through USB or AC adapter.

I had this guy for 3 days before it went kaput, in those three days I shot nearly 3 hours of video, in various lighting conditions. So I think I got a pretty good taste of its capabilities.

First the Pros:

1. PRICE!! HD 720P for under $300...its a steal! Lose it or break it, you won't be crying (as hard) like you would over your $1200 HDR-CX7.

2. Size, its tiny, it literally does fit in your pocket, without you looking like you have a Camcorder shoved in your pocket. No excuse not to have it with you all the time.

3. Video is decent, especially outside in the sun

4. Shoots H.264 (Pro and a Con, as you will see later on)

5. Very fast power up and shooting time, no more waiting for a shot or between shots.

6. Looks sweet when playing back directly from the camera on my HD SRXD TV

Now the Cons:

1. Auto focus is awful, its loud and its no very accurate, I wish they at least gave you a manual focus ring to compensate

2. Optics are small, low light shooting is bad (what can you expect from such a little inexpensive camera though)

3. Its build quality leaves a little to be desired, you can see where they saved the money

4. 2 sets of cables to output HD Video, The camera has 2 miniplugs for AV output, one hidden under a tab (the HD) and one above it, not hidden. If you want to output to an SD TV the Yellow/Red/White work just fine, if you want to output to an HD (which I would assume is why you bought the camera in the first place) you need to open the tab, connect the composite cables Red/blue/green, then connect the analogue SD cables and steal the Red and white audio connection from them, leaving the yellow to dangle.

Don't get me started on the Audio Only "docking station"

5. Not many manual settings, or overrides, the controls are very very basic

6. The Audio recording is not so good, I think the problem is cheap mikes


Playback and editing (Be careful what you wish for)

I have an old computer, a P4 2.4 with 1 Gig ram, and Nvidia 7600 AGP video card. Playing the HD output files from this camcorder I was not able to get over 10 FPS, from the 30 FPS in the file (this is not a knock on the camera) The issue is the codec's complexity combined with my computer's old age made for a very frustrating playback (it almost made me buy a mac)

Editing was tough for my poor machine, to convert 6 minutes of HD into a FLV files of 640x320 took 3 hours! Again not the camcorder fault, but if you think you will be whipping off Discovery channel HD type documentaries with this baby make sure you have the rig to handle the task

The idea behind this camcorder is great, the price is even better they could have executed a little bit better, I was willing to forgive a lot of the short coming because of the price and the newness of it, and I probably would have kept it, had it not started adding the sound of film projector ticking to all my movies on the last day.

Remember a poor quality video, is better than no video.

I admit that I am a geek and I'm proud of it. I love to explore new technologies and see how different designers approach the same problem.

I have had a little media production company for a few years which has allowed me to experiment with a lot of different equipment. High-end video cameras are great, but I also love the cheap little cameras sold by companies like Aiptek and Mustek. My interest in these cameras is based on their tiny size and tiny price. Unfortunately, the video quality has typically also been "tiny."

With that said, for little money you can buy a camera that serves both as a still camera and a video camera good enough to send videos of little Timmy's piano recital to grandma or to take some casual still shots. Several years ago I wrote a long review on the Aiptek IS-DV camcorder for E-pinions. Although the IS-DV was a seriously flawed machine it offered "good enough" performance, a very attractive price and a nice software bundle. Based on the above I thought it would be a great little camcorder for the above listed uses, especially for those on a tight budget.

So it was with great expectation I purchased the Aiptek "Go-HD" camcorder. This camera was bigger than the IS-DV but offered 750p resolution, a 5 MP camera, low light mode, auto focus (instead of fixed focus) and an optical zoom. I was very excited to try it out.

My overall impression has (unfortunately) been so-so.

Why?

1. Cost...The price of the Go-HD is dropping, I bought it when it had just come out and it was significantly more expensive than previous Aiptek products. It is significantly less expensive than a true HD camcorder. With that said you can now get a regular DV type camcorder for just a little more than this one.
2. Picture quality...Certainly an improvement over older Aiptek cameras but (IMHO) not as good as a regular DV camcorder. This surprised me as the specs of the camera suggests that the picture quality should be better..
3. No image stabilization...I didn't think that this would be a big deal as I know how to hold a camera. Yet, it turned out to be a big deal as the camera is so small it is hard to steady and the video can look pretty shaky unless you are real careful.
4. Quality of still pictures...They are pretty good, so what is my beef?? They are not as good as an inexpensive point and shoot which you can now get for around $100. Low cost point and shoots now offer a lot of modes (like sports, night shot, etc) which this camera does not. I often found that I had to tweak pictures in a photo editor, something that I don't have to do with pictures from other cheap cameras.
5. Poor battery life
6. Rare codec...The Aiptek web page says that the camera's video is in the .mov format. What is in the small print is that the camera uses a particular codec called the H.264 codec and it doesn't seem that many video editing programs support this particular combination. This is a huge problem if you want to edit your footage. I did buy Arc Soft's Total Media Extreme software from Aiptek and that software does work with this camera but is it extremely basic in its functioning. To get a useable file (one that I could edit) I had to combine all of the video clips and render them to more common file format. This was a very slow process (set it up and go to bed) which degraded the final video. Only then could I use a video editor like Vegas Video or Movie Maker. Apparently there is some sort of a work around to use ULead's Video Studio but even that program doesn't support the H.264 codec packaged in .mov. This is a big deal as many folks would buy this camera for things like emailing a video to family. When you do this you want to trim the video down so that you send the smallest possible file. If it was possible to easily edit video from the Go-HD I would rate it higher.
7. Noise...Using the optical zoom results in a very loud motor noise the in final video. Even when the zoom isn't used the audio quality isn't very good and you get a mechanical noise when you play back the video. This is very strange as the machine records to flash memory and there are no moving parts.
8. Size...The camera is very small, but bigger than the IS-DV which was so light you would forget that it was on your belt. Other camcorders have been shrinking and now the difference between them is less than it was a couple of years ago.

In many ways this camera is a vast improvement from the IS-DV that I liked in the past. However, the cost of this device is higher and the playing field has narrowed considerably. You can buy a decent DV or DVD camcorder for just a little more cash. On paper DV resolution should be a lot worse than the Go-HD's 720p, but in practice DV looks better (IMHO). Further, you can easily edit DV videos with many inexpensive or free programs.

Conversely, you can buy an inexpensive point and shoot camera that will take great still pictures. Most of these cameras will also shoot decent (not great) video, perfect for email or web use.

There is also a very inexpensive, tiny video camera called "The Flip." This camera takes very nice video and has built-in flash memory and editing software all for a very inexpensive price.

Will I continue to play around with this tiny camera?? Sure! However, I find that I rarely use it in "real life." Nowadays when I need a mini video of a recital I use a "Flip" video camera and for more serious video adventures, like a vacation, I go with my standard video camera. What about stills?? My $100 Nikon from Walmart seems to do a great job. I wouldn't say "don't buy the Go-HD," but I would say "check out all of your options." You may find a camera that better suits your needs.

I normall use a Sony HDV camera, but I have to say that this little camera has amazing picture quality in its HD mode, especially if the camera is on a tripod. Very good in low light too, Sound quality is also decent as long as you don't exceed a certain sound pressure level.
Keep in mind this is a progressive 720, 30 frames per second recording (not 60), so one can't pan so fast, and that the .264 compression is good, but it is high compression so there are some artifacts when shooting grass, leaves, and water. Yes, the lens is noisy, the camera plastic construction is "loose" and does not have a Canon feel, and the battery life could be longer, but the camera (and a tiny tripod) can fit in a shirt pocket and records an hour of HD on a 2Gb SD stick. Amazing. I can't wait till the end of the dominance of the DV tape by the Japanese manufacturers with their overpriced tape decks. This camera may not be perfect, but it sure points to where shooting will go in a year or two.

I've only owned this camera 3 days. So far here are my likes and dis-likes.

LIKES
Amazon price with docking bay was $236!! Including overnight shipping :)

Very small and lightweight

HD video quality - HELLO!

SD card expansion up to 8 GIG

Good screen quality

2 batteries included (also see dis-likes)

Comes with belt loop case

Aiptek support seems to be lacking, but the Internet groups make up for it

Metal tripod threads on bottom

VERY quick on and off times - under 3 seconds to be shooting film

Controls on camera are placed nicely but take some getting used to

Decent strobe flash and LED's DO help with video in darkness

Nightshot is very good - again, turn it on in a dark room

LOVE the fact I can film then stick the SD card into my computer for immediate playback!

Dispite what others say, it's built pretty rugged.

Though there is no "lens cover" it's actually a peice of glass mounted level on the nose covering the "actual" lens. So it's sorta like a "see-through" cover.




DIS-LIKES
Battery doesn't last long - 30 minutes (got to carry spare with you)

Can't charge spare battery outside of camera

Takes 2.5 HOURS to charge battery!

No lens cover

Battery / SD door comes up to easy

Battery isn't "snug" in the case

When zoomed in the image and video gets darker to VERY dark depending on zoom level you attained - zoom is also kinda slow

Flappy door thing for usb port and HD video - they usually break off

No manual focus - focus seems slower than other cameras but still works

Power button is poorly placed, under the video screen (dah). You got to lift the screen up to turn it on, but by lifting the screen up you DO turn it on - so really it's just a "power off" button..


Overall I'm pleased with the camera. I'm replacing a Sony DV camera I've had for 7 years. My goal was to find something I could afford, that takes both digital video and photo right to a memory card, has as good of quality, and stands up to the test of time.
Minus the "time" part since it's only been 2 days - I think I attained my goal.
I like the camera and plan to use it on my up-coming Disney trip with the family!

Impressed with the pictures & videos it took in HD all for only $250. Also has a histogram meter! Nightshot mode was acceptable & the zoom noise wasn't as bad as others made it out to be. It may not have all the features of more expensive models, but for the price I'm happy!

Correction, I actually have an Aiptek A-HD. Mine does have a zoom, but I believe it is a 2x digital--which would explain the difference in price from this unit that has a 3x optical.

The local store had this on sale from $150 to $120, so I decided to look it up on Amazon for reviews on my mobile device right before I went into the store to buy. These reviews seems to be the best description for my unit, so I decide to get it to try for an upcoming trip.

I have already seen several difference in my unit. If anyone is interested on the feature differences to this one, the following are the obvious ones.

(note, the Aiptek A-hd has 2x digital zoom, and not 3x optical zoom--there is a big difference.)

The plastic and light construction gives is more of a "toy" feel than a real electronic equipment.

However ....

My unit seemed to have a very inexpensive / last minute lense cap thrown in. It looks like a simple bottle cap with a little tie string--but, it seems to work, and it is definately better than nothing.

On my first charge, I plugged it in overnight, and after reading some other reviewers, I was hoping to get 20 minutes of recording time. I simply left it on and pointed it my living room right before I went to sleep. To my surpise, the next morning, the 2gig SD memory card was full with about 1:05 hrs of video, and the battery still seems to have all 3/3 bars. (I doubt it was really 3/3; however, it was able to record for more than 20 minutes on a single charge). (The manuals lists 90 minutes of recording time per charge).

My unit had an option for 8Megs for still pictures, and the 720p picture was much better than my ancient regular camcorder.

I'm hoping to take this snowboarding with me, and for the inexpensive cost (relative to the regular price of $150.) I feel slightly less worried about damaging it.

I have seen pictures out of my friends Sony HD camcorder which is amazing (at 1080i/p), and I believe provides better pictures than this unit; however, I find it more difficult to carry around such expensive electronics up in ski areas.

For the cost and the quality, it has a good fit with my normal outdoor gear.