Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Contrary to most reviews here that trash the VPC-PD2BK, I just spent 3 weeks with it and I have very few complaints. I know HD video. We've shot our family videos in HD since the Sony HDR-HC1 first came out and currently use the HDR-HC7 as our primary camcorder. I've literally shot hundreds of hours of HD video with our Sony camcorders and this Sanyo model does most things almost as well as they do. I say most because the Sanyo obviously lacks the internal sophistication and optics that are present in the Sony models...But it's also a fraction of the cost and fits comfortably in your shirt pocket. I'm not sure exactly what previous reviewers were expecting when they purchased this Sanyo unit...But it sounds like some of them wanted one of the Mino or Kodak models and probably should've just purchased that in the first place. Most of the complaints of poor video quality can probably be traced to trying to view HD video through Quicktime on a "standard" PC...It is terrible. But that's NOT the fault of the Sanyo (or any other HD recording device). For example, the video clip that I uploaded was recorded in the Sanyo's 1280 x 720, 60fps "HD-HR" format. However, when you try to watch it through an internet connection with the Flash player, it will start, then stop, then start, get blotchy, freeze frame again, etc. Understand going in that this unit shines by mini-HDMI connection Abacus24-7 Mini-HDMI to HDMI Cable, 6 feet to a flat screen HDTV. THAT'S how you view the photos and video captured by this Sanyo. Trying to watch HD MPEG-4 video with Quicktime or Flash or Windows Media Player or VLD, etc on a 3 or 4 year old Windows PC is an invitation to disappointment! I didn't upload the video clip to show the VPC-PD2BK's video quality. It's there to show why most people complain about a device like this as "not working" and "horrible video" and so forth. You simply have to hook it up to an HDTV through HDMI (or to a Mac with iMovie) to adequately judge the quality of the video. So, our HDR-HC7 recently "flipped-out" (literally) as the LCD screen started rolling and wouldn't stop/stabilize. I had purchased a 4-yr ext warranty when it was new, but had to send it off for repairs. Of course life doesn't stop happening until your camcorder comes back repaired. I needed something to record HD video and take decent still shots of youth football games, a military honors funeral ceremony and a Disney World vacation. This Sanyo did not disappoint and I would buy it again for the $159 I paid at buy dot com a few days before it was even available on Amazon. I will review the VPC-PD2BK considering several factors that are important to me. I also uploaded a few sample photos...But keep in mind that what you see on your PC/laptop screen is not what you see when the "cameracorder" is connected to an HDTV through mini-HDMI with output set to 16:9, 720p. Amazon's upload software took files that were originally 3MB is size and reduced them to around 115KB which is obviously nowhere near 10MP in quality. * Optics - 5/5. The 3X optical zoom really does make a difference compared to the software interpolation accompanying a 3X digital zoom. Photos taken at 10MP are crisp and clear and video quality is exceptional for something this compact when connected to a 50" plasma HDTV through the mini-HDMI connection. There are also no problems viewing the 10MP photos on a PC with basic photo editing software like Picassa. I have no idea why people are complaining about photo and video quality here. There is nothing wrong with it. * Video - 5/5. I haven't even tried to view any video on our PCs, since they don't have the horsepower to edit this kind of footage. But when connected to HDMI on an HDTV, the video quality is superb and comparable to anything shot with our Sony HDR-HC7. I shot our video in "HD-HR", which is 1280 x 720, 60fps HR. Our plasma has 720p native resolution and the video is crisp and clear. No complaints here. * Audio - 4/5. This one is tough. I love the twin microphones (stereo) capability of this Sanyo. Why would you want to record HD video and then watch/listen to it in mono sound anyway? The microphones are super sensitive, perhaps to a flaw. I dock a point here because there is a low level hiss that is apparent in video with extended periods of silence. The optical zoom motor sound is also picked up and is noticeably loud when zooming in and out during video. I find these things unacceptable. On the other hand, these microphones can pick up the sound of passing cars at 50+ yds away when not even facing the highway. If someone in your video farts within 30 feet, it will be forever captured to video. When focusing on the negatives here, I could give it 3 out of 5...But I could just as easily give it 5 out of 5 for the stereo quality of recordings and the sheer performance factor of these twin microphones picking up everything - and I do mean every sound - of whatever you're recording. You'd think an external mic was used. * Photo Quality - 5/5. Now understand that I normally don't take photos in place of video. I prefer to video what's happening. But I found myself actually taking more photos than usual with this Sanyo. I was PLEASANTLY SURPRISED to find that, like our Sony HDR-HC7, this Sanyo takes still photos (at a lower quality of 1280 x 720, or approx 300KB per photo) DURING video recording. This is a big deal for me. If you have the latest & greatest PC with the capability to capture stills during HD video editing, then this may not be so much for you. But by the time you boot up your PC, load your software and SD card video, select your image capture and then invite everyone into your PC room to show them your lovely picture on your PC screen, I've already shown a complete photo slideshow on the family HDTV with the accompanying video clips showing the entire scene with action...Plus I've gone out and returned with dinner for everyone. Snapping photos during video recording is a CONVENIENCE that doesn't fall flat with me. I'm used to it and I appreciate it. I still haven't printed any still photos (which might alter my opinion of photo quality), but they sure do look sharp and clear on our HDTV. No complaints. [UPDATE: You can press the photo button while video recording to capture a still shot, but I found it's not even necessary. After you've shot a video clip, you can view it on the Sanyo's screen, then pause and move it forward/back frame by frame until you find the exact scene you want to capture. Press the photo button and a separate photo file is created. It will be at the same resolution as the video format you originally used to shoot the footage.] * Flash - 5/5. This is what's been sorely missing on so many handheld video recorders, while it's a given on digital cameras that also shoot video...But this Sanyo provides a fairly powerful flash that's proven useful both inside in well-lit areas and when shooting stills outside at night. I found that using a forced flash produces superior results in 10MP capture when inside, even when ambient lighting seems sufficient. Without a forced flash (i.e., on "Auto Flash"), photo captures can be somewhat blurred and washed-out...Sort of what you would normally expect from using a digital camera or another model of handheld camcorder inside and without a flash. Using the flash inside produces crisp and even vibrant captures. Sanyo deserves kudos for including this feature where others lack it. * Intangibles - 4/5. While the above are what I consider primary performance factors in a unit like this, there are also the intangibles...Things that aren't "primary", but they still affect performance and/or ease of use. For example, this Sanyo has an automatic lens cover. Turn it on, it opens up. Turn it off and it closes to protect the lens. This is pretty huge for anyone who puts a cameracorder like this in your pocket with keys, change and any number of items that can scratch or just dirty up an unprotected lens. You won't need a lens cloth every time you pull it out of your pocket. Another intangible is weight. When you get to items this small, weight is somewhat relative...But I can hold the Kodak Zi8 in one hand and this Sanyo in the other and there is a NOTICEABLE difference in weight. The Sanyo is so much lighter it almost feels "empty". Also, this Sanyo is relatively quick to load. You can take a still shot or be shooting video within roughly 4 seconds of pressing the power button on. That's quicker than our full-sized Sony HDR-HC7. * Problems I have with this entire category of cameracorders. This is not so much about the Sanyo specifically, but these shortcomings affect this category of electronics when you're used to full-sized camcorders. First, I know I'm in the minority, but I prefer the Sony mini-DV tape system. The thing that bugs me most about all of these slick new handhelds is a lack of a PAUSE button. This means when you're shooting a video with pauses (like a youth football game), each time you press "RECORD" to start and stop recording, you have created a new FILE on the SD card. In the end, you're left with a series of intermingled photos and videos on the SD card instead of watching a mini-DV tape of the event that provides seamless video resulting from pausing and then restarting the record function. This bugs the heck out of me. I haven't figured out how to combine the individual files into a "complete game video" yet and this is a deal-breaker for me when considering what type of events to video with this Sanyo and which ones to video with our HDR-HC7. It knocks these portable SD card-based recorders out of many events because I don't want to end up with many disjointed files instead of a complete video in the end. Understand this limitation when purchasing any of these handhelds. Another is no DV-out. All of these handhelds include some USB connector...But there are a variety of limitations when outputting captured video/stills using other methods. For example, if you visit that relative who still has the 19" color TV with rabbit ears, then you won't be able to hook this Sanyo up to it and show off your captures. You need HDMI. Other brands/nodels have this capability with a "video" jack and even include the cables to connect to older TVs...But none of them I've seen have DV-out, which is how I easily make DVDs from our HDR-HC7. These handhelds also use Electronic Image Stabilization while most larger, higher-end camcorders use Optical Image Stabilization. This means you need to pan much more slowly and be particularly steady when shooting video, especially when zoomed in on the target. EIS is better than nothing, but your video will still show a great deal of "shake" if you aren't steady or using a tripod. Also, don't expect detailed user manuals or sophisticated editing software. Most of the user guides/manuals are PRE-LOADED onto the unit itself and only accessible after you connect via USB. Any editing software is quite basic. For example, the Sanyo software makes it easy to upload to Facebook, YouTube and Picassa...But there's no way to EDIT the video/photos prior to upload. Now how much sense does THAT make? Imagine a world where Facebook and YouTube are littered with completely unedited video and photos. Obviously there are a lot that are unedited already...Now imagine if ALL of them were! Finally, the merciless piling on with the ridiculous reviews here is unwarranted. Does the battery compartment cover easily slide off when pulling the Sanyo out of your pocket? Yes it can. But it doesn't come completely off in your hand. It is still secured with a rubber/plastic tab. If this causes you so much pain that you feel compelled to write a 1 or 2 star review of this item, then perhaps you should leave the videoing to others who are more tolerant. For example, the Kodak Zi8 has an SD card compartment that is insanely difficult to open. It can only be opened by inserting a thumbnail and pulling it open, and that doesn't make a whole lot of sense either. Anyone trashing this unit because of an apparent lack of video/photo quality has probably never even shot HD video before. If you are considering the purchase of one of these handhelds, I suggest you do as I did. Buy 2 or 3 different models and try them out head-to-head before deciding which one to keep. I already took the JVC PICSIO GC-FM1A HD Camcorder (Black Ice) back for a refund. It was HORRIBLE. I'm boxing up the Kodak Zi8 even now for a return. It's a decent handheld that I was prepared to live with before this Sanyo was just recently released...But I've decided to keep this Sanyo for all of the 4/5 and 5/5 reasons given above. For the $25 more I paid over the Zi8, this Sanyo model does almost everything I need and does them better...When I don't want to lug around a full-sized HD camcorder, this one is just a pocket away from capturing the action when needed.