RCA Small Wonder EZ205 – no rechargeable batteries
Thumbs Up:
Flip-out LCD display and USB dongle; improved low-light video quality.
Thumbs Down:
Software not compatible with Mac; average video quality; not as compact as its competitors; no rechargeable batteries.
The Whiz Kid Speaks:
The RCA Small Wonder EZ05 is a standard-definition camcorder that has CMOS optical sensor. It features 2x digital zoom, fixed focus, inbuilt microphone, and speakers. The focal length is 2.0m to infinity.
The still capture resolution is 1-megapixel and the image format is JPEG. The image storage resolution is 1290×960 pixels. The supported video format is NTSC, and video compression formats are AVI, ADPCM, and MJPEG4.
1.5 inches LCD display has 480×240 pixels resolution. The micro-SD expansion slot accepts up to 8GB cards and the company ships 1GB micro-SD card.
Razzle Dazzle:
The RCA Small Wonder EZ205 is 2.44 inches wide, 3.94 inches tall, and 1.08 inches deep and weighs 5.2 ounces. It is not compact like Flip Video Mino and the Creative Vado.
Inside Dope:
Recently the Pure Digital Flip Video and Creative Vado camcorders had captured the markets. Now, the Small Wonder series camcorders are their tough competitors with their release. This series is manufactured by Audiovox, but branded with RCA. The RCA Small Wonder EZ205 uses MPEG4 codec, which is more efficient than MPJPEG of the EZ200. Therefore, the EZ05 records 16 hours of video at 8GB card and 2 hours in Web quality at 1GB card. In contrast, the EZ200 is limited up to 8 hours for 8GB and 2 hours for 1GB in Web quality mode. The Small Wonder EZ05 features flip-out LCD display and micro-SD card slot, which are missing on the Flip Video products.
You can completely flip-out the 1.5 inches LCD display. The onboard USB dongle sits behind the display and it can also be flipped out. We appreciate the company to ship separate USB cable for easy connection if some computers have recessed USB socket. More to like: The EZ05 camcorders ships with 1GB card. The micro-SD card slot is located behind the battery compartment and accepts up to 8GB for storing long video recording.
The power-on time of the RCA Small Wonder EZ05 is less than two seconds. The recording resolution options are: 448×336 pixels at 30fps in Web Quality mode, and 640×480 pixels at 30fps in High quality mode. The EZ205 camcorder can record up to 4 hours in high quality and 16 hours in Web quality.
The RCA Small Wonder EZ205 is relatively inexpensive and more elegant than the Creative Vado. The EZ05 is also better than the Flip Video Mino in terms of flip-out LCD and micro-SD card slot.
The low-light performance of the EZ05 is better than its predecessor. You can delete the unwanted recorded clips instantly. We are disappointed that the inbuilt software – RCA Memory Manager is compatible with only Windows 2000/XP. The software is set to pop-up automatically on connecting the camcorder with the computer. You can view, edit and share your videos. The editing includes adding start, end and middle clips to create a movie and store it on the computer. After storing, you can record the CDs and DVDs of the recorded video clips
The software has separate “Share” Tab to upload the videos at YouTube and Box.net. However, it will require you to login with their respective accounts. You can also create the free accounts with Box.net and YouTube.
The RCA Small Wonder EZ205 has revamped low-light performance. It performed the best in indoor shots, with close range to subjects. The picture looked sharp for low-resolution videos. However, the EZ205 took sometime to adjust the exposure in bright sunlight. The overall video quality was good with nice images. In contrast, the Flip Mino, the Ultra, and the Creative Vado succeeded to provide better picture quality.
The RCA Small Wonder EZ205 uses two alkaline AA batteries instead of standard lithium ion rechargeable one. However, the battery life is 1.5 hours in HQ mode.
Nitty Gritty:
If you need a compact camcorder with flip-out LCD display and nice low-light performance, then buy – RCA Small Wonder EZ205. However, the Flip Video Mino and Creative Vado offers better quality, but with expensive price tag.
