Creative Labs Vado HD 3rd Gen – a typical mini-camcorder
Sum and Substance:
Thumbs Up:
Stylish looks, responsive buttons are easy to use, bundled software is compatible with both Mac OS X and PC.
Thumbs Down:
No slot for memory expansion, doesn’t come with a carrying case, the bundled software cannot be installed on PC.
The Whiz Kid Speaks:
Vado 3rd Gen has a 2.4 inch display screen which gives a resolution of 640×240 pixels. There is mini HDMI port but the device doesn’t come with an HDMI cable, the mini-camcorder can record in 720p video mode and 640×480 (VGA) mode. The Vado HD comes with 4 GB internal memory. The comes with a built in USB cord and you can also charge the battery of the device through USB. Vade Central 3.0 application is bundled for sharing your videos. There is no optical zoom on the wide-angle lens but you do get a 2x digital zoom.
Razzle Dazzle:
Vado 3rd Gen doesn’t look as durable as the Kodak Zi8 or the FlipMino HD which sports a metal body. The body is shiny and hence attracts scratches easily. There aren’t a lot of buttons, just like most pocket camcorders, you get a tiny 2.4 inch LCD and a few touch sensitive buttons. The attractive looking Vado 3rd Gen is available in red, blue (cyan), black, purple and white.
Inside Dope:
Pocket camcorders are going quickly because they are now extensively used by the youth to make videos and put it on sites like YouTube. Creative Labs intends to cash in on this growing demand and comes up with Vado 3rd Gen. It manages to offer all the features that pocket camcorders have and still manages to keep the price low. The device weighs about 3.3 ounces and has HDMI output, 4 GB of internal memory and records in 720p HD resolution. It costs about $179 which is less than second-generation Flip Video MinoHD. Kodak Zi8 too costs the same as this camcorder but there is no internal memory and you have to buy one separately.
The tiny 2.4 inch display gives a resolution of 640X240 and below the screen there is a record button and few touch sensitive buttons. There is a mini-HDMI port but Creative Labs doesn’t give an HDMI cable, you will have to purchase one separately. There is a flip-out USB connector and a threaded tripod mount at the bottom. You can charge the battery of the device through USB. On the top, there is a jack for headphone.
The interface is simple to use and straight forward, just like most mini camcorders. You will know all about the controls just after playing around for 10 to 15 minutes. The shooting options include 720p resolution video and an economical 640×480 (VGA) resolution. The internal memory on the device is 4 GB. The camcorder can also record stills, the quality not great though, just a bit better than camera phone quality. There is no image stabilization or macro/close-up mode. On the bright side, there is a motion-detection setting which starts recording as soon as it senses motion in front of the lens. There is no optical zoom, all you get is 2x digital zoom.
The video quality was quite good considering this is a mini camcorder; we compared this device both with its predecessors and rivals. In dim light conditions, the colors didn’t look lively. Flip camcorders are better performers when it comes to shooting in low light environments, the images looked sharper and there was less noise. The Vado HD gives you manual control over exposure, you use the forward and back buttons for this.
The video quality of these camcorders will look the same in YouTube sized windows. However, the differences will be clear when you view the videos in HDTV or play it in full screen. Videos will look good as long as you don’t compare it with full fledged camcorders. The audio is better than the previous Vado HD, for best results get close to your subjects while recording audio. Playback volume too is plenty on the device. For better recording, Creative Labs gives an optional external mic through the headphone jack. At the bottom, there is a mount for tripod which is a must for stable videos.
When we tested Flip’s mini camcorders, we were impressed by how easily we could get the clips off the device and distribute them. Creative doesn’t make a lot of effort for this, you get Vado Central 3.0 application which comes preloaded on the device. The software will work only when you plug in the device. Though the software runs both on OS X and PC, it can only be installed on the former. Fortunately there were no compatibility issues, the MP4 files playing fine on Adobe Premiere Elements and QuickTime.
The application has a one touch upload interface for sites like MotionBox, KinKast, Facebook, Box.net, Photobucket and YouTube. (On Mac, Twitter) You can e-mail your videos to family and friends. You can trim the clips and extract stills from it. You can extract up to 30 stills from a video. However, you cannot stitch the videos together to make a big movie. For Mac users, there is iMovie. Sharing features have been improved but this device is still miles behind Flip Video.
Nitty Gritty:
Vado HD 3rd Gen is an improvement over its predecessor but doesn’t offer anything different when compared to Kodak Zi8 and the video sharing features aren’t as good as Flip Video. If you are confused about which one to buy, we will recommend you to let go of this and go for Flip Video.
