Aiptek AHD 720p 8 MP CMOS HighDefinition Camcorder

I just wish it had a stabalizer
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This camcorder is great for the price. The only complaint I have is that it doesn’t have a stabalizer.

Ok for basic recording
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I am revising my opinion of this camera. After stops and starts to get it operating, I was able to get it to work. Its fine for quick shots and gives HD 720 quality. I wish battery life was better! For a traveler, rechargable AA or AAA would be the way to go! Especially when you are sightseeing and towards the end of the day – you have no battery life left!

Great product worth the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was looking for a great gift for my moms b day and i think i found it. She loved this thing and takes it everywhere. Its like a child to her. She is almost like an amateur film creator. I mean all day shooting vid with this thing and the quality is amazing. The battery life is great and the clarity is definetely up there. Great price great value and well worth the money. I love the compact design and the functionality of this product. It works better than the other ones i have seen on the market especially the Kodak zi-6. I have never heard of the brand until recently but never the less i works great. I would even like to purchase one for myself when i can. I would recommend this to anyone trying to please a love one or a spouse. You will recieve huge browny points with this camera.

Amazing Little Camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I haven’t had any of the problems some people claim to have with this camera. It’s excellent for the price and the video quality is great.

WORKS FOR A SHORT TIME THEN DIES!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
It was great when it was working. I plugged it in USB to charge it and went to shoot something and the camera is dead. Just flashes on and off. Useless. This is the second one to die like this. Pretty darn lame. It’s a cheap camera, it feels cheap. It looks cheap, it is cheap. Get a better camera and spare yourself. I’ve contacted AIPTEK several times to no avail. This is the worst camera I have ever owned in terms of quality and reliability. What a hunk of crap.

Decent, inexpensive, but will not work in cold / icy weather.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I bought this as an inexpensive and simple camcorder for the ski slopes. I felt nervous about using an expensive device. The following are my ramblings that I can think of real quick. If it worked in cold weather, I would have given it 3.5-4 stars because on how inexpensive it is.

The cold weather affects it, and would not power on for most of my efforts. I stuck it closer in one of the inner pockets of my ski jacket, but the best I ever got was a 10 second clip on sunny days.

I thought I had several 20 second clips, but it turned out that it locked up and never saved properly. What a disappointing day it was on the ski slopes.

I use it periodically during the summer without any major problems. It has locked up from time to time, but taking the battery out and restarting seems to work.

I hate the charger, though. I don’t think it is a standard usb device. I tried repeatedly to recharge with my motorola usb charger that I use with my phone, and this device won’t take the charge–although, it lights up appearing that it will / does.

I would have preferred something more direct to mpeg4 such that I can put it directly to DVD, hddvd, or blueray. However, I guess that is what software and a computer are good for.

This unit also does not have an optical zoom–however, for the cost, it is understandable. Aiptek appears to have a unit that costs a little more that has an optical zoom.

My suggestion is if you are going to a cold environment, avoid this. If you need something inexpensive, this is very impressive. However, understand that this may lock up from time to time, and you may miss some shots. So, definately it is not something that I would set it and forget it–rather, check up on it every 10 min to make sure it is running, and there is a stoping point, stop the recording, and start a new one such that you will know that you have captured that segment.

Junk
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I just returned this camera…horrible! The concept is perfect, the actual product is crap. The video is OK, BUT, I have a macbook & it did not sync up properly. The photos would sync but not the video. The lady at the store said it would, as did the actual packing literature, but I was unable to get video over. The still camera function on this is HORRIBLE. Worse than my 8-year-old kodak we let the kids play with. You can hold the camera PERFECTLY still but somehow 1/2 of the pictures would still be very blurry. Too bad this product was so disappointing. I had very high hopes & wanted to love it….

So easy a grandma can do it.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was able to use it right out of the box after charging overnight. All the cables are included.

Only 30 seconds of filming time unless you buy a memory card. 1G gave me 30 minutes of recording time. (I took one out of my digital camera just to see what I would get.) I then ordered a 16G card which I expect to give 8 hours of recording time.

Every time you start/stop the camera it begins a new video file. The file format plays in Apple Quicktime which you can download free on line.

We bought it for our grandson for Christmas and when my daughter saw it she wants one too. And my husband thinks we should have one.

So I will purchase more with a memory cards.

The microphone is on the camera and doesn’t pick up well at a distance but mostly everyone plans to do a “commentary” anyway. Simple, inexpensive, easy to use, easy to upload to computer. I haven’t looked at them on the HD tv as our plan is to share via the internet. The files are LARGE though. a couple of minutes is 30M or more so have a plan for how you are going to share since emailing them may not be an option.

Beautiful Videos
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I got this locally right after Christmas from a big box store. I wanted to use the recorder to make videos for the purposes of internet upload. Unfortunately, the sites I post at cannot take high resolution recordings. Regardless, I’ve found that a laptop camera is better for me as it allows me to read off the screen without the burden of having to have notes in my hands. Yet the Aiptek was an excellent deal anyway. I really like the videos I’ve captured with it and the display screen is a wonderful feature. Further, the digital pictures are miles better than the ones I normally take with my 2006 Fuji camera.

I read that one reviewer said that he had a problem with this software. Frankly, I have not experienced any difficulties. I even saved the pictures I uploaded to a disc and gave them to a friend. She, in turn, didn’t have any problems opening them up on her Apple so I’m not sure exactly why he had those sync obstacles. I ended up buying a 4 GB card which gives me all the memory I need to complete my minimalist endeavors. Overall, this is a very good buy in lieu of its low price.

GREAT FOR THE MONEY!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera is awesome for the money. It takes pretty good pictures and the video is awesome to. I think it compares right with the $2000 camera my company bought for doing video shoots. I think my boss is actually somewhat pissed hehe. Anyways it moves a little sluggish in the menu system which varies depending on the battery level but other then that its pretty neat. Oh also beware its like older camera phones when it goes to take pictures there will be no quick shot Kodak moments.

Great little camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased for my grand daughter. She is 10 years old. Nice videos and pics. Easy to use. Great sound quality

Great little camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love this camcorder. We took it on a 2-week trip, and used it every day. So easy, great still pics (3, 5, or 8 mp, your choice) and very nice video. Can’t comment on hd quality — haven’t hooked ip up to hd tv yet, but have downloaded video to computer to watch, and it looks pretty good. Camera is very small, fits in a pocket. Comes with battery (about 2 hrs record time) and cords for hooking up to pc (downloading content and recharging battery), watching video on tv (reg and hd, separate cords included), and regular ac charger. We picked up an extra battery (about $15) and a 4G video card (none was included w/camera) (about $20). This gave us 4 hours of recording time before recharge and download were necessary — plenty for our needs. Super easy to use, auto adjusts to most conditions. Didn’t do well at night, even on night setting, unless object you were filming was well lit againt dark background. (We tried to film some ducks swimming at night, and just got black.) Camera has a tripod fitting, but we didn’t have a tripod with us, so video can be shaky if you don’t hold camera still — not too much of a problem, except when we were on a boat. All in all we were very pleased with this camera, and price is fantastic. Plan to give at least one as a Christmas gift this year. (Be careful when you use zoom, give camera time to self adjust before snapping pic, or it will be blurry.)

EXCELLENT
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Purchased prior to our most recent, annual (NOV. 2009) trip to Gatlinburg, TN. Just loved this little camera. Can’t go wrong for the price. WATTA BUY!!!!!!!!

cant beleve how ease to do
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
charge and start takeing video share all the funny things u see.I liked that all the cables came with so theres nothing u have to go bye to share your videos

Plastic Fantastic.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought the Aiptek A-HD about a week ago. I wasn’t expecting too much since I only paid about $100 for the thing. But after using it for a week I have to say I’m stunned. The video qualty is very good even in low light. The pictures are even better. Pictures are sharp and the colors are very accurate. Better than my old Pentax. I have had no problems with the sound as some others I have read. My only complaint is the lack of any image stabilization, the video does tend to bounce around alot. Aiptek has finally produced something here that is not a joke. Kudos to Aiptek! For the money you can’t go wrong.

beware verry bad sound recording
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
first this is a fun little camers at a great price the major drawback is the sound recording it easly gets overloaded and distorted so forget about recording the kids band concert the sound is so bad all you hear is a big mess

480p not really 720p
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This camera might be able to technically record at 720p but compression is higher and motion is chopy in my tests. The D1 mode yeilds the most balanced video. The lens is fairly slow, F3.0 and is somewhat soft. It’s also fixed so it can be difficult to judge focus at times.

low light shooting? I’d say the minimum the sensor and compression can handle would the amount of light in a standard bathroom with two 60 watt bulbs or around 50 lux. Any less light and the compression and sensor noise start to become noticeable.

video in is a nice feature. quality is ok. playback on a computer is poor but on a stardard def tv (tested on 20″ memorex) was almost good. It was watchable.

the built in flash is a joke. but it could be used to trigger other cheap ($20) slaves

picture quality is better than most camera phones but the lens is the weak link. they claim the sensor is 5mp so why on earth would you want to interpolate in such a cheap camera? You don’t gain anything. if anything there is a loss of quality.

memory: if you have files on the internal memory, you can only access them once the SD card is removed. you have to get the firmware updates via email from tech support. The rear port cover is annoying, record button is small. It should have been placed where the flash is.

I am a DP and photographer by profession. I bought this camera because it is small, shoots on SD, $120 and you can take it anywhere.

Great for the price – super for kids.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The video quality for < $100 is amazing. If you're expecting it to rival a $500 DV camcorder, you're setting yourself up for disappointment, but if you keep your expectations realistic, I think you'll be pleased.

There are a number of complaints in other reviews about the sound – it’s not that bad. I think it really depends on what you’re doing with it. I bought it for my son to play with some video editing in iMovie, rather than let him handle my good video camera, and I’m VERY impressed with the quality/price ratio. I’ve seen the output from other cheap video cameras, digital cameras, web cams that cost nearly this much, and this Aiptek is an order of magnitude better. Build quality is quite acceptable, and it has held up like a champ in the hands of four sub-ten-year old kids. For doing video podcasts on the cheap, or an easy way to get video from camera to computer, this is a great piece of kit. Used with a tripod, you don’t have to worry about the lack of stabilization, and output quality was even better.

Makes a great gift
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this as a birthday gift for my wife. She was a little tentative at first, but now she says it is “the best gift I have ever gotten.” BIG husband points for that. The camera is easy to operate, and takes great video and great stills. Lightweight, small size, uses sd cards and usb cables to connect to a laptop. Just buy it, you won’t be sorry.

So far so good. Very glad I made this purchase.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This camera has impressed me. The picture quality is great, the battery life is terrific, and it has been very easy to use. Its small size can be a challenge for my big hands and some times I have trouble locating the record button quickly, but more practice should help on both counts. The fact that I can slip it in my pocket or backpack and take it with me everywhere makes it more useful and convenient than my larger 8mm camera. It also fits on a standard camera tripod. Saving to an SD card (with an internal memory as backup) makes it a better fit for me that the other digital camcorders that only save to internal memory.

Complaints? Very few. I wish I realized that the .mov file format does not work with Windows Moviemaker but I’m going to try Quicktime Pro to see if that will allow me to edit the files. Still, the .mov files are easily uploaded to websites such as Youtube.

I’m headed to Brazil next week, so that will definitely give the camera a workout!

Battery lasts only 3 minutes Really
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Battery lasts only 3 minutes Really

I don’t know what is made for, only minutes in best case.

Decent inexpensive video camera, good value for price.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I was a little hesitant to purchase the “cheap $100 video camera” but was surprised how good it works. Its not going to replace those who have top of the line video cameras but for a casual usage, or “quick video usage” it fits in your pocked and is ready to film when opened–a truly video on the go experience.

My only regret is not purchasing the higher version for an extra $85+ but you get what you pay for–a good value and instant on video-graphing.

I only have two “slams” and they’re relatively minor ones. The flash is pretty useless for picture taking, but then again I didn’t buy it for a higher end photo taking–that’s what I have my Canon for.. It takes far too long for the flash to charge up after each use.

The other complaint is that I dropped it (not major drop, but jarred it) and the battery has become loose and I thought the camera was dead. The battery doesn’t move when using it so its only after it falls or is jarred greatly.. I assume its a product of it being such a lightweight camera.

Overall, well worth $100 and is great for those “YouTube” moments to be–which is why I bought it…

Good Camcorder, but has faults
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This is a decent camcorder for the price. I like the way you can hold it and the fact that it uses SD cards, the quality is certainly NOT HD though. Its a little grainy. The mic on it is meant for indoors, don’t expect good quality if you’re outside even if it’s quiet. The other problem is the battery (btw Amazon does not stand behind their products, they refer you to the manufacturer). The battery quit holding a charge after 3 or 4 months, now it dies immediately after being charged. I hope a REAL company makes a similar camcorder as a similar price.

Aiptek fun while it lasted
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Worked OK for a couple weeks. Got it back out a few months later and the battery was dead. Recharged it but it won’t turn on. Sometimes the blue LED will blink and sometimes not. Even tried a new battery and charger but no luck.

Great camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love this little camera, it’s compact, very easy to use, and for home users it gives you great quality videos and pictures. It plugs right out of the box into my macbook via usb and I can open the movies directly in Quicktime or edit them in iMovie, it’s flawless! I bought my first A-HD in July but lost it in October, but being relatively inexpensive, I just got another one…it’s a great value.

Convenient and easy
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This video recorder is nice. It’s easily carried in a bag for ease in shooting a video any time, any where. The biggest drawback is that the switch for near/distance is too easily moved off it’s setting. I’d much prefer that setting to be in a menu so that you can’t easily switch it accidentally. One of my videos is all out of focus for the very reason that it was set on near setting when I was filming a distance shot.

Definitely need a 4 Gb memory card to keep up with the videos. You can shoot about as much video as will fit on the 4 Gb card in one battery charge.

Great Camcorder for YouTube video!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Is little, but well design. The HD camcorder that cost low as $132.99 is a must have for YouTube video maker. The resolution of the video is 1280X720; 30fps. Capture picture at 8 mega Pixels; record a/v input video (ex: it can be record video games and DVDs), but may required a/v adapter; also it is a voice recorder. Come with a charger, a/v cable, component cable, and software! Is a little device that has ton of features that you can’t refuse to pick this baby up and start to recording stuff!

Not the real deal!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I just checked it out at target. To sum it up it’s a $120 toy. It just doesn’t deliver on a HD level. The HD recording is a blurred mess. On the DV1 setting the video is near the quality of my miniDV camcorder, but it lacks many features. The fixed lens does not focus on close-up objects. Objects two or more feet away appear fine, but at those distances the audio turns tinny. I would not consider this an equal to a miniDV, nor would I really use it to record home videos. I’m giving it one star because if flat-out does not deliver on what it promises.

Good digital video camcorder for a great price, $110
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Good digital video camcorder for a great price. Paid $110 for Aiptek A-HD 720P.

Battery holds a good charge. I use it once a week and haven’t had to recharge it in a month. Love that it recharges on mini USB. Same cable as my blackberry. As such, can easily recharge it in the car using blackberry cable, if battery is low — no need to find a walll socket at the beach!

Has no image stabilization. Not too bad if you hold the camera steady, but would be a great additional feature.

Night time / low light recording is so-so, but not a huge negative given its light, portable, holds a good charge, and easily recharged.

Overall, I would recommend it.

PS. I bought an 8GB SDHC card for storage. Holds fours hours of video at best quality settings. This is serious advantage relative to the 60 mins I got on my minDV camcorder.

AIPTEK HD camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I needed a knock-around HD camera. Something that would fit in a briefcase, while taking video clips better than SD (standard definition) quality. So, I thought I’d take a chance and order an unknown-brand (AIPTEK), but had decent reviews here on Amazon.

Much to my surprise and enjoyment this camera provides what I need. Of course, it’s not like having a semi-pro, or pro-quality HD camera, but for a little guy that costs less than 150.00 you can’t beat it! I took the camera out for a spin yesterday to shot some scenes with wife & doggie on a field trip. The results are:

* Nice, sharp HD quality video at 720. Not 1080, but who cares! The color is quite decent, and the sharpness for a little camera is terrific. While it can’t match a 3 CCD HD, or a larger CMOS chip camera shooting at 1080 it does the job in a compact form factor. I do expect to take this camera with me everywhere. There was a comment here about the plastic housing…it’s not that bad. I wouldn’t lend it to kids, or drop it on concrete, but it’s sturdy enough to survive in a briefcase, or purse if it had a small little protective hard case. Note: Purses and soft briefcase tend to be especially dusty – not a great place to stick electronics IMO.

* The audio is decent. I was shooting some scenes in the car with an open window and it surprisingly filtered out most of the road noise and caught the dialog inside! The mic. is placed on top of the camera. This can cause some noise if you move your hands about the camera while shooting. However, as with any camera there is some accommodation given the ergonomics. On saying that I do wish the record on/off button was larger, and the joystick controlled a tad bigger. Folks with ham-sized fist (like me) might have to fumble around a tad more than say someone with dexterous fingers. Low light conditions came out a tad grainy. But then again, you can’t expect the little camera to do everything. One of my new CMOS camera is equally as grainy as the AIPTEK in dark-lit conditions. There is a night-mode selection in the camera, but I have yet to try it out.

* Transfer to Macintosh. All I had to do was hook up the USB cable and the Aiptek was recognized as an external hard drive. I simply transferred all the files into my mac and now they’re ready to be edited as .mov files. So, it’s a breeze to edit in imovie, as well a Final Cut. Very, very simple.

* Longevity – I don’t know. I’ve had this camera now for three days. If it breaks, I’ll just get another one!

So all in all, if you are shooting casual video and don’t care too much about semi-pro quality video and audio this little guy will probably fill that niche well. It also shoot stills and has a flash. I haven’t really evaluated that, but I would tend to use my dedicated digital still camera for that.

The PERFECT little camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I recently purchased the Aiptek A-HD 720P. I thought it would be a good idea to experiment with it before I wrote a review. Here are my thoughts…

I love this camera. I thought, for the money, I would get a decent camera that I could just throw in my bag and go, and get a fairly OK picture out of it. It exceeded my expectations and then some. First of all, it is really the coolest looking gadget. The perfect size to take anywhere, and fairly sturdy. I read some other reviews talking about the camera’s frailty – if you’re not throwing it around the room and are generally careful with it (which should be standard for any electronic gadget), you’ll be fine. Also, this camera is SO easy to use. Basically, open the screen, take off the lens cap, hit record and go.

The picture quality is VERY good. In low light, it tends to be a bit grainy, but I fully expected that. In good lighting (especially anything outdoors in daylight hours) the picture is beautiful – on my PC AND on my 42″ Hi-Def TV. It’s hard to believe that I am getting a crystal clear Hi-Def picture out of this little inexpensive camera.

Sound quality is pretty OK. Not nearly as bad as some others have said. The mic is on top of the camera, so if you’re recording and speaking, you come in loud and clear. Everyone else is medium, but audible.

I also love that this camera hooks up to my Hi-Def cable box so that I can upload TV shows on to the camera, then ultimately to my iPod. It is a fanstastic feature.

As far as uploading to my computer, I had no real issues. I had to play around with what program would play back video the best. I ultimately went with the software that came with the camera. The videos can also be converted to iTunes compatible (took a while with my PC to convert, but once it was done, it looked great).

The camera also takes very good still pictures and has a flash (FYI – the flash is only used for still pictures – does not function for video). Also, very straightforward and easy to upload pics.

All in all, 2 thumbs up for Aiptek. I highly recommend this camera to someone, like myself, who wanted a nice, easy to use, small-sized, inexpensive HD camera that can literally be taken anywhere.

I love my Aiptek
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have one of these, and use it all the time. I keep it in my laptop bag, and if I ever need to record something, take a still digital picture, or otherwise, it’s right there.

The microphone is poorly placed at the top of the camera, which can make sound capture difficult sometimes. You just have to remind people to speak up when talking to the camera.

Otherwise, the camera is a great under $200 video capture device.

Great
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Well I just got it and havent found any faults with it. Easy to use and set up. Takes great pictures to.

The sound quality makes this camera unusable
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
The picture is ok (not great, but if the lighting is bright, then it’s ok), but the sound quality is absolutely abysmal. It literally sounds like the microphone is inside of people’s mouths, and half the time I can’t even understand what someone was even saying. It’s a terrible camera for home videos. It might be fine for strictly shooting video where you don’t care about anyone narrating, talking, or hearing anything that doesn’t sound like someone is scraping their nails all over the microphone.

The only time you can actually understand what someone is saying is if they are at least 7-10 feet away from the camera. If you, as the camera operator, try to say anything at all, it’s as though the audio gain is off the charts and you mostly just hear static.

I was hoping to use this camera to record some family events (birthdays, etc), but it’s unusable for that purpose.

beautiful camara
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camara is easy to use, light, yet large enough to be comfotable in the most hands.

The still picture resolution is actually 8Mp when you choose the option. This upscaling is done electronically.

The only negative is that it is fairly delicate, but the wrist strap should prevent breakage by dropping.

The lens cap can be tied to the same part of the camara as the wrist strap, which prevents losing the lens cap.

One 8gb SD card provides more storage space for video, pictures, & recording, than the battary can allow, before recharging.

Owned less than one week, but if the device is as wonderful as I think it is, I will get one for my wife after we take our vacation and take lots of pictures. Very easy to operate. Not a lot of confusing buttons requiring function memorization. If you did not push the right button, you just push it again to go back where you were & try the other button. All media is easy to erase, which may be the most important feature of all.

very handy with multiple disadvantages.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I got mine from circuit city because it is advertised as an HD video Camcorder and after I got it… I realized that sound quality is very poor the the picture quality is excellent. every time you move your hand you hear more of your own movement and breathing or rustling than of the target your are trying to capture. the mic is on top of the camera. no external mic input. must buys a tripod cause this camera does not stand up on it’s own because of it’s unusual shape. This camcorder doesn’t have video light for recording in dark environment. other than that upgrade the firmware or else you will be stuck with the 2x zoom cause the upgrade has 4x zoom. due to the mic issue (for video mode) I have used it mainly as a high resolution digital camera with HD quality pic when set at 8 megapixel setting. good luck… and ps… buy extra batterys and 4gig SD card if your intent to video or take lots of pic. internal memory is very small. goodluck.

until they have improved the sound quality, night video light and a better zoom power. I’d hold off and buy a typical cam corder with a weaker digital camera feature.

Aiptek A-HD 720 8MP High Def Camcorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The camera works great. The video quality is spectacular. My only issues are the 2x zoom limitation (which i knew that going in so I can’t complain) and the audio isn’t the greatest. In low ambient noise area’s it works great. But if the sound is to loud the mic goes out and the sound becomes pure static. Dollar for Dollar though, the camera is worth it.

Great … when it works
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This little camera is great when working. Usually once an outing, I need to remove the battery to force a hard restart on the camera. Ive also noticed that when the memory cards gets full, performance of the camera as well as some of the camera’s functionality dwindles or does not work at all (eg My Works).

garbage
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
this piece of junk dosent pick up sounds very well,then ater 2 months it didnt pick up sounds at all,and it dosen’t zoom in that good,then the joy stick broke,then the speaker cover fell off,no wonder this cam corder was only $100

Stopped working after a few months
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera for my husband for Father’s Day. We used it a few times, but before the summer was over, it stopped working. It’s just totally dead and we can’t do anything to get it to work. It was great while it worked, but really disappointing that it just stopped working.

Sweet
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera is cheaper and better than the FlipCamera that seems to be popular. It will not replace my minidv camcorder but I will probably use it for quick, spontaneous video creation. I am impressed with the features, the design, the menus, and its size. I hooked it up to my HDTV and the videos looked fine.

Great camera for the money, not many downfalls!!!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have spent a lot more money on high end sony, sanyo, and canon cameras and none come close to the quality of the pics and video indoors or outdoors as the Aiptek A-HD does.

Now it is not perfect such as the zoom, well don’t use it because the pics and video quality degrade if you use it.

The pics have very correct color and saturation. But if you are indoors and try to capture little kids moving around they will most likely come out blurry. I think they have the shutter speeds set a bit slow for this but otherwise great.

In short I own this for 120.00 and also a Sanyo hd1000 for 710.00 and am very happy with both and will keep them.

UPDATE: I have recently purchased a Kodak V1253 that surpasses this camera big time for pictures and even the video is better. The stereo sound is also an improvement.

Great value
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This handy little unit creates really nice video for the price. It’s compact and easy to charge with either a power adapter or a computer usb port.

The main point to remember when using a video camera with a slow cmos sensor like this is that you must shoot from static locations — there is no built-in image stabilization. Bouncy, rapid movement results in screen warping because the sensor cannot keep up. As long as you’re aware of this fact and use a tripod (or brace the camera against something) while filming, the result will come out great. Trying to hold the unit still in your hand will result in less-than-spectacular clips (and probably something that will make your audience seasick). Use something like the tiny Joby GP1-01EN Gorillapod Flexible Tripod to rest the camera on a bench, table, car hood, etc.

Great camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
You should know that I am probably the least “tech-y” person on the planet, so I bought this product with some hesitation, especially given that it didn’t have stellar reviews.

I’ve tried it out a few times to video my toddlers, always inside during the daytime. The light was fine, we didn’t use any extra special lighting. The HD quality was tremendous on our HD tv (although we had some trouble hooking up the sound – turns out we needed to plug that part into the sound system, not the tv. duh!) I was shocked at the quality of the video.

I thought the microphone did a reasonable job picking up the sound from a couple of yards away from my kids. It was really easy to transfer the files from the camera to my mac laptop… although I have no idea how to edit a movie or make a dvd yet.

I think someone had some concern about no image stabilization, but I had no problems keeping the camera still and the movies didn’t come out shaky. You can easily hold it in your right hand, and use the palm of your left hand to help keep it stable. The zoom in and out wasn’t exactly smooth when playing back the movie, more jerky, but for $150? Are you kidding?

Good value
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a good value for the $80 I paid. The video quality (720) is decent, not stunning. The mpeg compression is OK, better than more expensive camcorders. For playback from the device, use the component cables provided – the single video does not yield good results, at least on a larger TV. Low light results are grainy but tollerable – the lens is small and you get what you pay for. don’t try to do serious video with this, but for playing around, it is good.

OK in daylight.. pictures are terrible.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
My mother bought this camera, and she LOVES it.. I on the other hand, can’t stand it. I have a DSLR camera that takes great pictures. I carry it around everywhere I go, but if my mom is there, I’ll take a picture of her with the family, but then she wants me to take a picture with her Aiptec cam.

I’m not trying to compare a DSLR with this cam, that’s just ridiculous. What I DO want to convey is that for a bit more money you can get a way better cam. There is a review on this cam that says the still shots are alot like the ones you take with your cellphone. That review is so right, but I think that some cellphones take even better pictures. On this cam (my brother and I have dubbed it the Apetec), you press the “shutter” button and it will take a picture about 2 seconds later with TERRIBLE results.

The menu is clumsy and not logical at all. It’s completely annoying when you want to look for you pictures or videos.

So why am I giving it 2 stars?? The video part of the camera is OK. You need alot of light, but in good conditions, the video is not half bad, its also not half good. You’re spending more than 100 dollars on a TOY. I know the price is attractive, but you just might regret it. If you want great results, save your hard earned money, wait a bit, and buy something much better for yourself…. or you mom. You’ll be a better person for it.

PS.. my mom would probably give this 5 stars.

WOW. HD Beaches. XBOX 360 720P compatible. No more bulky tapes and chargers (or tape drag warnings in Cancun from humidity.)
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I uploaded a 10 sec 320×240 video of a projector screen for example.

XBOX 360 720P compatible. Reads it (my CD/DVD with mov files xfered worked too) right from the game DVD drive or USB port. Havent checked other HD Players like Blueray. PS3 owners, let us know please.

Very versatile. Cheap flat batteries. Nice after firmware update to 2.002.

Even CIF mode is sharp for its size. (over 10 hours in that mode). Batteries are 5-10 dollars. 3rd party NP60 wall / auto charger kit is 5. I have 3 batteries now. Mini or regular tripod and remote control (for a low 10.00) are a nice addition. I like using using a monopod on occasion for a more professional scenery sweep.

Drag and drop to computer, or play MOV or JPG right from the cam USB port in any res, including Hi Def 720P, or even view upconverted to 1080P on your XBOX 360. (requires Free XBOX January 2008 Dashboard update)

Records (PVR) NTSC AV in at very good (4hrs on 4gb chip) DVD quality, and you could even use as dub say from one of the nite shots cameras on the fly, running the cord to your shirt pocket that this fits in (when your old cam runs out of tapes!!).

I mounted a 37mm ring adapter (included with the SIMA 2X SLS-20A lens or Sunpak (cheaper) CAL-1040KIT 2X) to the front (2 drops nail glue, so I can pop it off if I have to) to use my cheap SIMA SLS-05 Wide Angle wide angle and 2x SIMA SLS-20A lenses. You could make a 37mm push on friction adapter from the sima rear lens cover also. (check vimeo for clips)

Easy firmware 2.002 update adjusts sound down for better quality, and gets 4x zoom (other tweaks too.)(AIPTEK Oct 22 2007 V2.002 Oct 22 17:48:19)

No Audio Clicks or problems with this memory card. -

A-Data Turbo SD SDHC 4GB Class 6 Memory Card

Xbox 360 Pro Value Bundle

Xbox 360 Core Console System

Xbox 360 Console Includes 20GB Hard Drive

Sima Video Bracket

Sima ST-10T Mini Tripod

SIMA SLS-05 Wide Angle Conversion Lens

Sima 2x Telephoto Lens w/Updated Ring Sizes

Sima SL-10LX Universal LED Camcorder Light

Sunpak CAL-1040KIT 2.0x Tele-Conversion Lens Kit with 25, 27, 30, 30.5 and 37mm Filter Sizes

Phoenix M-Power small 0.45x magnetic wide angle lens

Global Digital 2 Pack Fuji / Fujifilm NP60 Brand New Equivalent 1200mAh LithiumIon Camera/Camcorder Battery, Long Lasting cell. It meets or exceeds OEM specifications!

Brand New Digital Camera & Camcorder Home Travel Charger with Car Adapter For Fuji NP-60, Casio NP-30 Compatible w/ Models:Fuji FinePix 50i / 601 / F401 / F401 Zoom / F410 / F410 Zoom / F601 / M603 / Casio QV-R3 / QV-R4 / HP Photosmart R07 / R507 / R607 /

Very good for the price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I got it in the cyber Monday deal, and for 60 bucks is very good, I won’t pay more than 70 for the camera is better getting the 1080 one.

The video quality is very good with proper light conditions, the pictures are very good as well, if using the flash don’t be to close to the object or person you are trying to get, the flash is really strong and there is no way to configure it.

If you don’t like apple products well… the video format is .mov so you will have to deal with quick time even if you don’t like. I don’t like apple products but there are ways arround it.

Very happy with the camera considering the price I paid.

Toy Camera
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
It is not a good camera, the quality is poor pictures is not an HD camera,zoom is nothing, basically I consider a toy for a kid to play

Aiptek HD mini camcorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Hi points: compact, 8 MP still digital pictures, great quality video, ease of use, easy to download (especially on Mac)

Lo points: poor sound quality, low battery life, must hold your hand VERY still while taking still pics

Overall: Good little camera for the price. Don’t regret buying it.

Great Tourist Vidcam
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a great little camera for putting in the pocket as a tourist. It takes clear and non-jumpy, full-frame HD videos at broadcast speed.

Photos are clear, although the lens is not the best. The 4x digital zoom is as good as any, but at full zoom the image is a little fuzzy. The shutter response time is slow, but if you want action shots use the video instead.

Each video scene is stored on an SD chip as a separate movie, in .mov format with H.264 and AAC compression.

The camera interfaces with computers via USB with fast and easy downloads using any number of downloading software, at least one of which is built-in to both Mac OSX and Windows.

This will not replace my other video cameras with optical zoom and good lenses, nor will it replace my other digital still cameras.

But it is levels above cell phone quality and storage. It does what it is supposed to do and does it well.

Great little basic camera for a great little price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The Aiptek A-HD 720P is a great little basic camera for a great little price. If you are looking for a camcorder with basic features that produces high quality images and one that you can slip in a pocket; then this is the one for you. I just returned from a vacation at Disney World and took the Aiptek A-HD 720P everywhere with me. We now have many wonderful memories recorded. Do get a 4GB or larger disk to ensure uninterrupted use. A++

Hd for pennies
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great hd picture and when used with lab studios its possible to get 1080i film quality videos with some filtering. A defenite must buy.

Great for the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was reluctant to spend the $ for this, thinking of saving more for a Sony but figured based on previous reviews it was worth a try. I’ve been very pleased so far. A lot of camera (still and video) for the price. Would highly recommend.

So far so good!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I just got this camcorder tonight. I read all the instructions and I think I am going to like this gadget. It feels a little flimsy as it is made of lightweight plastic, but if I carry it in a protective camera case, it should be fine. I like the lens cap. Audio is very quiet, but I will see if I can adjust that better.

Guess I have to go on vacation to get some great videos soon. Nice product for the money and I won’t be heartbroken or bankrupt if it gets lost or has to be replaced in a couple of years.

20 years ago I got a VHS camcorder that was very heavy (remember the big shoulder rest type?), so this is waaaaaayy better.

Loving it…
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’m loving it… The mic is OK, not great. The digital zoom is actually not that bad, and the operation of the camera is simple. However taking still pics is not that great, really slow shutter speed. But you get what you pay for and I wanted a inexpensive digital camcorder, which I got and works great on family outings. Oh and battery life is not that great I think I read somewhere around 30 mins. I bought a couple of extra batteries off of Amazon, like [...] a piece and an external charger to solve that problem, well worth the investment. The HD picture looks great on my HD 42″ plasma TV. I think this camera is great for me. Hope this helps…

Useful, easy to use, inexpensive digi camcorder!
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
The good: Inexpensive, easy to use, quick to start recording, easy to export (onto a MAC), removeable media (SD card), has a zoom, can take pictures, is light, has a flip screen for self-recording.

The bad: Short battery life, no image stabilizer (hope you have a steady hand), and the H.264 compression is not easy to use. (To use in FCP, I downloaded MPEG Streamclip and converted to Apple Intermediate Codec, which sadly made the clip files 10x larger!). Zoom function is jumpy and microphone is so-so quality.

Bottom line: It’s the BEST out there for the price. This will hold me over until I can afford the Panasonic SDR-H200 which I REALLY want! For now, it’s the best alternative, and it looks great even on a 42″ Plasma TV-now that’s awesome!

Fun, easy to use, cheap and good video quality
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I own an expensive Sony HD camera that takes great video and decent sound. But I hardly ever used it. After taking trips to Hong Kong and Costa Rica wit the Sony, and coming back with almost no footage, because the camera was too bulky and expensive to want to carry around, I decided I needed to look into something better suited for my needs. The Aiptek is something I use all the time. I purchased this camera so I could take quick videos of my son, or anything else I wanted to post to YouTube or Vimeo. I did some research by going to Vimeo and searching for Aiptek A-HD. I found some great clips that showed me exactly what the camera can do in HD.

The Good

Picture quality is very good. It doesn’t beat my Sony, but it will beat just about any camera you could have purchased for under $2k 5 years ago.

The camera couldn’t be much simpler. Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 60-Minutes (White) is obviously the easiest camera to use, but the Aiptek is not going to stump anyone.

Fast upload. Unlike the long time my Sony took to bring video in from DV, the Aiptek is super fast at transferring those movies onto my machine.

Good use of space. I have a 4 gig card in mine, and it looks like I can get a little over 2 hours at full 720. Cards are so cheap now that I think I should have just got an 8 gig that should cover 4 hours.

Small and light. I take this camera everywhere. I hardly ever shot video with my Sony, but this thing I use all the time.

All cables included. This was a nice surprise for such a cheap camera, especially in a time of 1 game controller in $400 game system. The box included USB to mini USB, power cord, and even cords to hook up to the TV for normal and HD TV. No HDMI.

The Bad

Sound quality. The microphone is not great, and it’s set to the rear. It feels like Aiptek set this up so that the person shooting the video could narrate the shot. But the lack of a external mic jack does limit the use of this camera.

No optical zoom. The camera does have a 2X digital zoom, but that’s not ideal. The slightly more expensive Aiptek GO-HD High Definition 720p Camcorder with 3x Optical Zoom has 3X optical zoom if yo

Construction. With a low price comes low quality material. When I got my camera in the box, the “camera” button had already fallen off. Not wanting to deal with returning the camera through Amazon, I just superglued the thing back on and it’s worked fine since. The camera feels sturdy enough when you hold it, but it does feel a little cheap in the buttons.

No stabilization. Since this is a cheap camera it does not come with any built in stabilization, so your shots can come out a little shaky if you’re not steady handed.

As a digital camera the Aiptek works about as well as most inexpensive point and shoot models. The pictures are acceptable, and the built in flash does a good job exposing details.

Like most people will say, this is a great camera for the money. If you’re someone who wants to take serious videos and need things like stabilization and external mic jacks, this isn’t for you. But if you’re someone who would like a good camera to shoot everyday events so you can post them online or save them to disk, this is a camera you should be happy with for a couple of years.

It does fit the need for travel as well. It’s small enough to throw in my cargo pant pocket, and cheap enough that if lost or damaged, it wouldn’t ruin my vacation.

I do think it’s likely that I’ll outgrow this camera as I want to do more video. I’m waiting to see the Sony HDR-TG1 4MP High Definition Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Super Steady Shot Zoom (4GB Memory Stick Included), which is about 6 times the price, but looks to be amazing. Maybe a Christmas present for myself.

This camera would also be great for teens to start shooting footage beyond their camera phones. I’ll likely just hand mine over to my son when I upgrade.

When you transfer files to your computer they come in Quicktime, which works great for me since I’m on a Mac. This is perfect for iMovie.

Great Item, great value
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Great item for its value. Very clear hd performance!’

definitely recommanded, however the only downside is when you recorded

a video, the playback volume is quite small.

However, this can be fixed if you view it on a TV or your computer.

This light weight cam worked well for me as I bring it where ever I

go.

Before you Purchase
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
4x digital zoom, and led lights . are not incuded in this model. the lens angle wil force you to hold a downward grip. the flash will becoveered, and the record button located on front too small foryour index finger? the camera micseems just a tad lower not a problem as the go is over sensitive?

the Camera has no issues or maulfunctions

the batter ylife is good over 1 hour plus, Low light is not as powerful as the Go

but 170.00 at the debut it is a steal for “NEAR DVD QUALITY” it is a h-def came 720P excellent film there are great videos at sites

here is a Full blown view ENJOY

go to metacafe look for Aiptek A-HD 720P hi def review

Great little camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Great Value. Got this with the 4G SD card. 109 total shipped. Seems like a toy when you open the box but it creates a very good picture. Looks pretty good on a 50 inch 720p plasma. Image stabilization would be a nice feature but for a [...] how much can you ask for? I bought a cheap monopod and tripod that helps quite a bit. I bought this to do Lego movies with my 7 year old. It’s so simple to use he’s already imported video and created a DVD with the Arcsoft software provided. We haven’t tried a YouTube yet but that’s next. I’ll probably give this one to him and get the 1080p model for myself.

Actually, It’s Pretty Fun and Not That Bad
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
For the price, it’s a great deal. This camera is pretty much the cheapest HD video camera you can buy. Just bear in mind that it’s nowhere near as feature rich or as well built as any Sanyo Xacti that costs $200 more. It’s made almost entirely of paint coated plastic, although it should survive in your knapsack or purse if you’re careful. It’s not going to amaze you with a terrific zoom lens or the sharpest 720p HD video you’ve ever seen, but it’s got some nice features. First, it uses the H.264 movie format that is compatible with the iPod Touch, iPhone, iPod 5G, and the 3G iPod Nano (just be sure to use the camera’s web format to ensure you have no further conversion to do for those players – only Apple TV will play the DV1 files without conversion; also, iMovie HD will still need to convert the H.264 files to the iMovie HD format). Any Mac with OS X 10.3 or higher recognizes the camera as a USB device instantly. Second, it can record 480p or 720p input from an external device through it’s video input mini-port*. It can upsample 480i content to 720p (although that won’t improve the original quality of what you’re taping), or you can record to DV1 (480p). It comes with two outputs: a regular AV in/out and an HD out (YPP). *The input recording is like DV-R, but without a timer or programming. For television or old VHS that you want on your computer, the quality is as good as most DV-R.

What you need to know:

The video is best in daylight and bright light, otherwise you’ll see noise. It tends to overexpose whites, but there’s a +/- exposure adjustment setting, and setting it to -1 permanently is a good idea. Othewise, it has okay contrast and saturation. The auto white balance is actually very good, too. But when you record in 720p, there’s compression that can be noticeable on a good HD display. The compression is far less noticible in 480p and in CIF (web format), but there’s less resolution. Also, the digital zoom creates jaggies from poor anti-aliasing, which are more evident in HD than in 480p. There’s also no shake reduction, but there is a standard tripod mount. There is a “Night” setting that does indoors. low-light, but it increases the video noise considerably. The lens is soft, which is where you can tell you’ve only spent $1xx dollars, but that doesn’t effect TV input, which is plenty sharp (so then you know it’s a mediocre lens and not the CMOS chip). And, yes, there can be some “wave” distortion when you pan around too fast (it’s not visible on the LCD screen, only on large televisions), because the refresh rates for the sensor are a little bit slow. Is the performance so bad it ruins the camera? No. It’s about what you’d expect from a sub-$300 camera in 2007. Which is to say, better than a $200 camera 3 years ago.

For me, the battery life of the Li-Ion battery has been about 60mins of video recording with the LCD on, and 75min-90mins of recording with the LCD off. The manual recommends you charge the camera’s battery for about 4 to 8 hrs before its first use, which I did. You can get extra replacement batteries from Aiptek, but it’s the same model as for a number of other cameras from Pentax and Fuji, so they only cost between $10 and $20. I like that it charges by USB, so that when it’s not connected to the computer in drive mode it can charge. It also comes with a tiny AC to USB power adapter for travelling. It takes about 3hrs for a charge.

The 4x zoom is digital, it works in both photo and video mode, and it’s not going to let you either zoom in very far or zoom out very far. I’d say it’s a 35mm to 60mm equivalent in 35mm camera focal range. The macro mode is only for 20″>12″, which isn’t too close.

The LCD display pivots out and can rotate around to the front of the camera. It’s 4:3 aspect ratio, but when you record in HD, the screen is letterboxed. You can also close the LCD and keep recording to save battery life. This is useful when you’re recording TV input.

The inputs (USB and AV) are hidden by a pull-out rubber protective strip that deserves to be treated delicately. It’s attached to the camera, and rotates out of the way, but if you think you’ll be rough with it enough to snap it at its weakest spot, just pull it out permenantly.

The camera operation is really easy. The menu layout is simple-minded and navigated with a 4 direction joystick. The graphics and icons are pleasing well designed. There’s a main menu for the 4 modes: Settings, Camera, My Works (your recordings), and Voice Recorder. Each mode activates that aspect of the camera, and then there’s a sub menu for that mode, too. In My Works, you select video shots, photos, or voice notes. The photo sub menu allows for even a photo slideshow. Everything can be operated with your thumb and index finger while holding the camera.

The 5MP camera portion is a lot like a cellphone camera (the LED on the front of the unit is just for flash strobe with photos, not video), and although it can upsample to 8MP, it doesn’t improve the quality. For sharpness, its 3MP option is the sweet spot. I wouldn’t say this is the cameras strongest talent, but it beats any old MiniDV camera that included a 2MP “photo” option.

There’s a top mounted microphone for recording sound, but there’s no microphone input if you want to do otherwise. The AV input doesn’t allow just audio input from an external microphone. If you want to record an audio overdub, you’ll have to do it on your computer. However, the “voice recording” mode for recording audio in WAV format works much like a digital tape recorder. And you can plug in headphones so that the internal speaker doesn’t emit your playback to those around you.

It doesn’t come with an SD card (you get that seperately) but it does have enough RAM for a few photos and seconds of video. I’d guess about 32MB. It doesn’t make much sense to use this with an SD card of less than 2GB. It’s about 2GB per 1hr of HD recording. However, it accepts SDHC cards up to 32GB (I suppose they’ll be available in the future) and USB 2.0 transfers from the camera to your computer are as fast as they should be.

Overall, it was better than I expected for under $150. The camera is a bit fragile and it really deserves to have well-lit subjects, but it’s a good companion device for your daily go-bag or purse beause of its size. It would make a good gift for a tween.

Good HD camera for the money
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This camera has decent video quality at 720p and pretty good snapshot quality. I have an 8GB SDHC card which holds lots of pictures and video.

The downsides to this camera are low-quality digital zoom. Picture and video quality suffers under less than ideal lighting conditions. Video audio quality is only good for recoding the camera operator due to the type and position of the microphone.

Another issue is video editing. The H.264 format is not widely supported yet but that is due to change in the near future. Editing is difficult and the format is not completely supported at a relatively low bit-rate.

Junk
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
This junk broke within months of getting it. I was so careful with this camera, but it just stopped working. The joystick part broke and now I can not change modes or play back video clips.

Just wanted to add that Aiptek gives you the run around and doesn’t seem to want to honor the warranty. When called they said we need a return number. They sent us an email to replay to for the number. They never responded back with the number.

When/if we ever get the number to return the camera we pay to ship the camera to them. They won’t send a replacement for 5 weeks after they receive my camera.

Solid Value
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This camera is quite good. You need a memory card though. I was a bit mislead by the add. I thought it already could do two hours, but it can do about 2 minutes without the card. It’s light weight and perfect for a young person to have fun. It takes nice pictures too.

Video editing difficult on PC
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
For the money, I give the hardware 5 stars. I recommend a tripod since cheap cameras don’t do good with motion. Video is very nice, but the sound could be better. Because the manufacturer casually forgets to tell you that you won’t be able to edit your videos on a PC, I give this camera 2 stars.

Video files are complex – you have the container (.mov, .avi, .wmv, .mpeg), you have the video encoding, and you have the audio encoding. This camera creates Apple Quicktime .mov files encoded with the latest video and audio codecs. My friend was able to play & edit the videos easily on his Mac. However, if you have a PC it’s a different story. On a PC, the movies will play using Quicktime or using Windows Media Player if you install the codec on the supplied CD. Editing the movies is much more difficult on the PC. Windows Movie Maker won’t even open a Quicktime .mov file. My Sony Vegas video editing software will load the video, but not the sound. After digging around the Aiptek web site, it appears that their more expensive camera comes with a video conversion program. I downloaded this $30 software. It was able to convert the .mov video to Windows .wmv format, but with significant loss in quality. Haven’t had as much luck converting it to .avi or .mpeg (lots of different problems happened).

Anyway, I recommend this camera if you use a Mac or if you are o.k. leaving your videos as individual Quicktime .mov files. Too bad the camera doesn’t create old-fashion DVD MPEG-2 files. Most manufacturers think their newfangled video decoder is better, but at the expense of being incompatible with most software. For the same money, you might try the Flip Video camera. It’s not as high resolution, but at least you can pull the video clips into Windows Movie Maker, combine them, and burn to a DVD.

Best bang for the buck!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
What’s not to love about a HD camcorder for around a hundred bucks? Sure there are better camcorders out there and most of them have a ton of features – but not in this price range!

This is a great point-and-shoot camcorder. It does pretty well with indoor lighting and great in outdoor lighting. For the price you can’t go wrong.

Be sure to buy the faster writing SDHD cards because if you get the cheapo SD cards you will see noise – especially in lower lighting situations.

Bob’s evaluation of the Aiptek A-HD
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This camera is surprising in it’s video quality and simplicity to

operate, however the Zoom and the audio leaves a lot to be desired.

I know for the price you can’t expect much,but if you want serious

results, look at some other cameras.

Bob

Excellent quality for the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Just be careful with the Macro switch on the side of the camera, it can be easily turned on and the video will look all blurry

Good value for the casual user.
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera to have something to take “quick and dirty” HD videos, like at family events of random topics. I’m using a macbook.

I have had it for about a week and have shot a variety of subjects. If the indoor subject is well lit the camera performs adequately. Video ality in low light is better than it was with my fuji 6 MP P&S. Videos import easily into the macbook as the camera is recognized as an external hard drive, and the files are quicktime compatible and can be pulled into imovie easily.

Shooting with most of the lights out or outdoors at night is not terribly productive. Also, I have a shaky hand, and the lack of image stabilization may ultimately be the undoing of this camera as a long term solution.

I have been using it to try to import and capture some VHS footage, and I have been disappointed in that. I have a 4 year old video of my wedding that is reasonably poor in quality. The camera detects static as a scene change and stops the capture so I am not able to import it with this camera, which is one of the things I was really hoping to do.

As far as the loose battery goes, I put a little cardboard shim in there to hold it in place right off the bat. No problems there, even on a bumpy bike ride on my bicycle’s tripod mount.

For what I paid for it, I would buy it again, but I also got what I paid for.

Cheap & easy… could it get any better?
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Aiptek A-HD 720P 8MP CMOS High Definition Camcorder

Aiptek A-HD 720P 8MP CMOS High Definition Camcorder

This is the second model from this manufacture I have bought. I bought the first one before Christmas at a Walgreens for $90 with a $20 mail-in rebate. I found a second battery, from a cell phone supply store, a 110 charger, that is a stand-a-lone, plus one more option; a 12 volt car charger. The battery problem was solved which left me needing to cover the memory questions. I wanted to make sure I had plenty of SD cards and the prices are reasonable for the no-name brands. This all happened preceding a vacation to Cancun. I was ready. All of this set me back less than 150$.

I own a very good Canon mini dv that is comparable to the GL-2 that I love to shoot. This little Aiptek does not replace the superior Canon but I will use it 5:1 because of the bulk. The Aiptek fits in a shirt pocket and the batteries last through 3- 2GB SD cards.

The quality is what you get for a 100$ dollar camera but that’s okay if you know this going in. I do a lot of ATV riding and this will record 10 times better that my helmet cam. The end results are similar to a high end camera phone. All cameras capture is light. This one does fine if the lighting is good, not too much or too little light and you will be pleased with results.

I have shot video off my Grizzly 700 with web quality video and then post it on my blog for other like trail riders to view. I liked the camera so much I gave it to my son and bought me a new one.

I use an iMac to edit video for publishing and the Aiptek works smoothly with both Final Cut and iMovie. I sometimes open files right off the camera using QuickTime Pro and edit the simple movie with that software. No problems.

This is a great pocket-sized camera for what it was designed for. The big players wont have to worry about this camera drawing away a lot of revenue. I am not chucking my Canon.

I know it’s inexpensive but…
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
The only problem that I’ve had with the camera is that it frequently doesn’t focus correctly which leaves your “HD” video nothing but HD fuzz. On the other side of it… when it works right it really works right. As long as it focuses right the video off it looks beautiful on the 50″ LCD I tested it on. It would help if you could at least tell whether or not it was focused right while shooting the video but on its understandably tiny display you can’t tell whether or not it’s correctly focused. I don’t know if I just got a bad one or if this is typical of these cameras but I’m certainly not satisfied with the one I got.

You get what you pay for.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I picked this unit up over the weekend at my local Best Buy. It was on special for $149.99 which also bundled a small tripod, 1GB Kingston SD Card and a carrying case. Overall this is a pretty good value for the extra $15 – $20.

The camcorder itself comes packaged with a lense-cover, wrist-strap, composite and component video cables, USB cable, instruction booklet and CD-ROM. One note about the CD-ROM for Windows users, you might want to at least install the Windwows Media Player codec that allows you to play the output files in Media Player, as it will only play in Quicktime if you don’t. The rest of the software is pretty basic and, in my eyes, pretty worthless.

The device is relatively well put togetether for this price-point with a few exceptions. The plastic is fairly lightweight and cheap feeling. The main issue I have is that the battery doesn’t seem to fit snugly into the battery compartment.

The on-screen interface is fairly basic but easy to navigate using the 5-way, thumb-operated joystick. Other buttons are limited to a dedicated camera key (used to exit any menu or to take a still photograph when in video mode), mode button (used to switch to playback mode), menu button, and the trigger-activated record button. There is also a slide next to the lense for the macro function to make close-up shots clear.

The LCD display is actually quite nice. The colors and well-represented, and the display is fairly bright and easy to see in direct sunlight. The display rotates and can be flipped flat against the body of the camcorder.

The quality of the video is a mixed bag. Video can be recorded in HD, SD or Web-quaity settings. In either case, video taken in well-lit environments works amazingly well for the price of the unit. Video is smooth, color well balanced and contains minimum artifacts and other digital distortion. In anything but well-lit environments though, the results drop off dramatically.

The sound quality of the built-in microphone is, as other reviewers have noted, sub-par. I am working around this by recording seperately using a decent microphone and mixing the audio in post-production.

Speaking of post-production, my main gripe with this camera is that records video files to .MOV format, making it a nightmare for Windows users. If you have a Mac computer, you’ll be all good. However, .MOV files are a pain to work with in a Windows environment. I use Adobe Premiere to edit my video, and while it does load these files, it takes forever to “conform” the videos to the project and subsequently causes frequent crashes. If you convert the files before editing, you will not only lose more time but more quality as well. If I needed more motivation to upgrade to a Mac, I think I’ve found it.

All in all, the Aiptek A-HD camcorder met my expectations of being and affordable, easy to use, HD camcorder.

My first camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The Aiptek HD Camcorder is a terrific unit at a very reasonable price. Video and still pictures are of excellent quality, the unit is small enough to carry anywhere, built-in menus and functions are very intuitive, and I now have some excellent video of my grandchildren.

Amazon Verified Purchase
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
The picture quality was very sharp, but on fast moving objects found to be a bit blurry. The audio on play-back only worked for 2 minutes tops and then disappeared totally so I was completely disappointed. Maybe it was just this one…don’t know. Also did not like the functions of the camera, it was not easy to use.

I returned the product.

Great for the money for sure!!!!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have spent alot more money on high end sony, sanyo, and canon cameras and none come close to the quality of the pics and video indoors or outdoors as the Aiptek A-HD does.

Now it is not perfect such as the zoom, well don’t use it because the pics and video quality degrade if you use it.

The pics have very correct color and saturation. But if you are indoors and try to capture little kids moving around they will most likely come out blury. I think they have the shutter speeds set abit slow for this but otherwise great.

In short I own this for 120.00 and also a Sanyo hd1000 for 710.00 and am very happy with both and will keep them.

Great picture & sounds quality! Easy to use!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
So simple! Awesome picture and sounds quality! I bought it for my fiances birthday and he absolutely loves it! It is the first thing he grabs where ever we go. It is so easy to go back and review your recordings and upload to your computer. I would highly recommend it.

Good Camera – But No Editing Options for Windows
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The camera is exactly what I wanted. Its small – takes great video and the audio is not nearly as bad after the update AIPTEK made to it. The low light and sometimes fuzzy audio (on multiple conversations at once) is expected from a $100 camera – but for me I expected it and can live with it without a problem.

The only thing on this camera that you need to be forewarned about is there are zero (as far as I have found) paid/free video editing options for this camera. I have done trials on numerous paid video editing software packages and none have worked.

Pinnacle Studio 11 says they can handle it, but that is not the case so far for me. It will import the video and the first 2 or 3 frames play and than the video goes away. This has been the case on the last 7 or 8 clips I have tried to edit in the software.

Its my understanding (and I have not confirmed yet) that it works just fine on any of the Mac video editing programs (Final Cut Express, etc…) I am purchasing a Mac in the next couple of weeks and will be able to confirm this.

Outside of that small hangup for Windows, the camera is great.

**UPDATE 06-11-08**

It works with my MBP and iMovie08 flawlessly.

Aiptek A-HD review
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I received this product from Amazon yesterday. I had the wonderful opportunity to open the package and use it today. I was very impressed about the video quality and especially still image quality. This camera exceeded my expectations. With this price tag on it, I would recommend this to everybody. Buy it!!!!!

terrible audio
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
its a little awkward, but the video is alright, and if the audio weren’t so terrible, I’d keep on using it. It’s my kids play camera now, what a waste of money:)

GOOD CAMERA–HORRIBLE SOUND
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera because it was cheaper then the flip. But then I found that unless you are shouting into the speaker, there is no way you can hear anything on it. Such a waste because now I have to buy the flip for another $150. Great.

GREAT VIDEO. AUDIO QUALITY WORST EVER! DON’T BUY!
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This camera has excellent quality images and video, but when it comes to audio it SUCKS!

DUring playback of a video you hear clicking noises (from using the zoom feature) and internal noises (from the camera). NOT WORTH the MoNEY. SAVE an additional 100 bucks and buy something better!!!

Playback on camara great, terrible on computer – help!
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I received this camara a couple days ago and we’ve been having lots of fun with it. The quality is about what I expected and the battery life so far exceeds my expectations. However, I feel like I must be missing something obvious with respect to video download and playback on my computer. If I record video with either of the 2 higher quality settings, the playback on the computer is very slow. The audio is normal speed, but the video lags behind by at least 5 seconds and runs in what appears to be slow motion. Has anyone experienced this? Is there a setting adjustment I’m missing or do I need to be using specific quality sd cards? If I record video on the lowest quality setting, it seems to play back fine, but the quality is rather poor. Help!

Great… for people that can use hd
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera about a year ago with the intent of making home videos. Actually I had done some research on camcorders, and since I didn’t want to spend a boat-load of cash, I decided on the flip video camcorder. So I went to Best Buy to purchase one, but when I got there, the employee insisted that I get the aiptek a-hd camcorder. I was pumped, I had a new camera, and I was going to go shoot some footage. I captured the stuff I wanted, and plugged in the camera, after several moments the software included popped up , as soon as I opened the software, my monitor became pixelated and unable to read. After several attempts I realized that I had been sold a Hi-def camcorder, and I am not in possession of a hi-def computer monitor. So now here I am 10 months later with a camcorder that I can’t use. Buyer Beware, only buy if you think your computer can handle it

Great for the price!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This Camcorder is great for the price point. The Aiptek A-HD take very nice footage outdoors with lot of light and were the high definition is really noticeable and takes really nice pictures outdoors. Indoor it preforms almost the same but needs some light to get the noticeable high definition. The one flaw I have found with this camcorder is the sound. When nothing is going on you can hear (air) noise and if your in front of the camcorder it is sometime hard to hear yourself. The rechargeable battery I can get at the most 1 hour and 30 min of recording in HD and on a 4GB memory card get 2 hours and 8 minutes of HD footage. Overall this is a very nice camcorder for the price!

High quality video for low price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Bought this camera on Black Friday for $120. Excellent buy! Video Quality is impressive for an entry level camcorder. Looks particularly good on an LCD TV with the components hooked up.Very easy to use and simple. View finder does a full 360 spin for recording yourself if need be and can close viewing side up still recording, which can be helpful if you wanted to mount it to say your helmet (which i have yet to do). SD card mem makes transfering to your computer a breeze. USB style charging ala Ipod but also equiped with a separate AC plug which is really a plus. Dont record anything really long so can’t judge on the battery life.

Sound quality is medicore at best but acceptable for the price. Camera for still shot pictures a little delayed. Zoom feature useless but again for the price acceptable. Bottom of camera angled so makes mounting on a flat surface impossible.

Pros-Great quality for cheap camera

Super easy to use

Fully Flipable Viewfinder

Great for Utube!

Cons-Sound quality

Camera Delay

Cant mount on flat surface

…otherwise highly recommend!

Broke in 20 minutes.
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Takes 5 weeks for Aiptek to replace and customer pays for the long distance call and the Shipping to return the item. Can’t get a refund for this defective product from Aiptek or Amazon so I can just replace this myself. Next time will spend more money for a more reputable brand and buy all electronics locally instead of online.

Great Entry level flash based HD camcorder!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
We love this camcorder!

The price is excellent and if you understand you get what you pay for you won’t be dissapointed…

It does’t have a lot of features, but that’s what makes it great, it’s just really simple.

Open the display and press record to sart/stop! That’s exactly what I wanted and that’s what I got in this handy device…

With good lighting it has crisp video recording and the mic works pretty good too…

With a 4gig flash card we get 120 minutes of video… I wouldn’t recommend a flash card bigger than 4gig since the battery doesn’t hold past 90 minutes with average use…

I’d also recommend making short clips (2-5 minutes) even if the event you’re recording is longer than that. Files get big fast and easier to author a DVD if clips are already parsed.

The camera starts up quickly and recording is near instant from the press of the button…

Aiptek could have saved time and not installed the flash and camera feature… It’s not that great unless you don’t want to carry a 2nd ‘real’ camera around. But handy sometimes when you just want to snap a picture of something you want to remember later…

Overall, I would recommend it and looking at getting one of their higer end models in the future…

Gift to Santa from Mrs Santa
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
For the price, this camera is a winner. I read the reviews prior to purchasing and really didn’t find the complaints as severe. My husband loves the ease of using it and the size is great for our travels. I would highly recommend this item. Thanks Amazon for offering the merchandise.

Aloha from Hawaii

Great for the Money
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Excellent starter device. Does everything i need it to, very simple and easy to use. Definitely worth the money.

Great Camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I recieved this camera for Christmas. I was kind of skeptical because of the brand name, but it turned out to be my favorite little toy. I carried it everywhere and recorded several clips.

The Good: Long Battery Life. USB Charging. Indoor Video/Picture Quality. Ready to record once the screen opens. Easily fits in back pocket. Easy to hold. Flip screen

The Bad: Low light/nightime video quality. Zoom Feature is irrelevant. No shortcut to view photos/videos. Choppy Video when watching on PC

This camera is great for capturing those everyday, not-so-great moments in life. I wouldnt suggest this camcorder if you are seriously trying to capture important events.

Amazing
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am a professional animator/vfx artist/editor and filmmaker. This camera — if you take a moment to familiarize yourself with the features — does an AMAZING job for $130… Of course the audio is marginal, but in decent lighting the video is phenomenal. If you use a Mac and know what you’re doing, this thing will make you laugh with the hi-def images it produces, the ease of file xsfer, etc. If you’re not so savvy, perhaps caution is in order. But remember: it’s 130 freakin’ dollars!

DO NOT BUY FROM AIPTEK
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Aiptek simply does not care about customes satisfation, the only care about selling cheap products.

If you buy Aiptek you get no quality whatsoever. As you all can see I am very frustrated since I bought one of this cameras, it never worked properly, I have sent countless e mails to Aiptek requesting for a part that broke from the camera, and they never answered.

beware!!!

Really great value, don’t be afraid to buy.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I used this inexpensive hd video camera for in-cockpit video for a race car. It did a really great job.

Aiptek A-HD (Mod’ed)
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
So I was looking for a cheap and small camcorder to record short films in HD, and possibly post on youtube. I searched around and found this Aiptek model, and found that the main problem people had with it was the sound and indoor shots, but I found a good price online for a open box one and got it. I had the Aiptek MPVR before which I loved, but it also didn’t do so well indoors.

With that in mind, I got the camcorder and started to test it out. The video quality outside is superb, but is mediocre outside (as expected).

The sound, however, was way worse than what I expected, and was very annoying. It was too bad for me to bare it, so I began searching online, and found that there was a mod to attach an external microphone, and replace the internal one. I have never Moded anything before, but decided to give it a shot (because of the cheap price I got it for). If you decide to Mod, I claim no responsibility if your camcorder gets messed up, and it is YOUR sole responsibility.

After the mod, it’s an amazing camcorder!!! The only downside is that it has no image stabilization, but i ALWAYS use a tripod, so no worries there for me ;D

Inside, you might need some extra lighitng, but outside it’s got pretty amazing footage. The files are quicktime files, which can be converted with free programs online (not sure if it comes with software, cause I had a great video converter by kyotosoft)

I’ve recently started using Adobe Premier pro, which readily accepts the files as is (which is awesome!)

Overall, it’s a great buy after the Mod, but before so, I wouldn’t recommend it. The sound is too crackly and annoying.

P.S. The external mic mod adds a small (half an index finger) sized mic on top of the camcorder, whereas the internal mic mod changed nothing. I chose to do both before then i could add any mic externally (because it has a hot-swap jack) but the internal mic mod is fine on it’s own (the external is better though ;D ) Sorry if i confused you with all that

Where’s the noise?
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
The camcorder is fine, for the money, except for one thing. I have the volume turned to the “max” and can hardly hear the replay. Perhaps it’s only my unit…or maybe it’s epidemic, I don’t know.

Very Good Especially for the Price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This camcorder is very good, and you cant really beat 95 bucks. The video quality is good on HD is still very adequate on D1 and CIF. It turns on and is ready to record within 5 seconds if that. I was somewhat disappointed that you can only view what you’re recording through the flip on screen. I wanted a lens to view through but oh well. Also, to use the video in Window Movie Maker you need to convert the file, but it wasn’t much of a problem for me. Overall a great buy.

Great camera for on the go and home movies
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Aiptek A-HD 720P 5MP CMOS High Definition Camcorder

I love this camera. Does great home video recording.

Pros:

* Flash based (microsd card) video recording is fast, saves space (mini dv take us space – and it’s still a tape, which can jam). It also speeds up transfer from camera to computer.

* USB charging. I can use a generic mini usb charger or my computer (with USB cable) to charge the camera.

* USB 2.0 transferring (see above)

* Light

* Easy access to MicroSD card.

* Can be placed on a tripod

* HD video capture. In DVD capture quality I can get up to 3.5 hours or more on a 2gb sd card.

Cons:

* Audio recording is okay. Built in microphone leaves much to be desired. It’s okay for what you need but if you are in a noisy area or you need to focus your audio recording you may need to plug in a mic. But I wasn’t too bothered with it because this isn’t supposed to be a professional camera.

* (this one’s not so bad) Recording button is in the front of the camera so you have to get used to the placement of the button.

* Still picture capture when on using the camcorder won’t accept zoom. I haven’t tried to use this in point and shoot mode which might accept the zoom. While recording from camcorder mode, and you push the still capture button it’ll zoom out to regular and take the picture. Picture takes a full second or two to take in camcorder mode as well. Haven’t tested it in point and shoot mode though.

Overall a great product.

Great little camcorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I was surprised at the quality of this little camera, have had no problems yet, recharges quickly and the quality of video was surprisingly good.

I read a couple bad reviews about the audio and planned on using an external mic.,but my audio has been clear and undistorted so far.

Great deal for the price.

Better than I expected – happy with purchase
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this because it was all I could afford and I needed to record kid’s cermonies and events. I was worried because reviews stated problems with low light and sound. But I am happy with results. I found it easy to operate. I am famous for recording feet and shaking the camera. I did forget to turn it off and recorded some feet but I did not have nearly as many problems with camera shaking as I had with our old camcorder. I think because it is so light and small I was better able to keep my hand steady. I bought 4 GB memory card and charged it overnight before using (as other reviwers suggested). I did a few trial recordings of several seconds each to adjust the light etc before the first use and used the settings recommended in other reviews. I did not have any problems with lighting when recording in a dark theatre with stage lights. I recorded a dance performance and did not have problems with tracking, all was smooth. It does take several seconds to zoom and focus. I did not have trouble with sound for dance performance which had loud sound system. Awards ceremony in school cafeteria was harder to hear. Had no problem playing back on TV. I have not yet tried to edit on computer or burn to computer disk. Will update review when I have a chance to try it out. If anyone has tips to edit the clips together using Windows I would appreciate it. I have many individual clips since I was only recording certain performances that I would like to link together into one smooth recording on computer disk for a grandmother.

Does what it says on the tin
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Does what it said it would do. A bit larger and heavier than I had envisaged. Battery life not too bad – but do get a spare – you almost certainly will need it. Get a decent sized SD card – you’ll fill it quicker than you thing. Shape makes it tricky to mount for sport or activity stuff unless you use a sleeve.

Overall a good product at a near disposable price

Toy
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This video camera is fun for recording videos. It is light and the flip out screen is nice but when i plugged it into my computer I was very disappointed. For some reason i was not able to edit my videos with Sony Vegas and I could not use movie maker because the files were recorded in quick time not as a wmv. this my just be my video camera or it may be Vegas’ fault, but either way this camera is no use to me. I gave it 2 stars because it was cheap, light, and fun to use. It would make a very nice gift to a child, but if they would prefer to edit their videos and post them to you tube, be warned that you cannot use Vegas. This was a very fun toy, but as a video camera, it is useless. Another problem is the battery life. The battery on my camera has repeatably been charged fully and then lasted for less then thirty seconds while other times, the camera has lasted extremely long on a short charge. The short battery life and inability to edit, has made this camcorder useless to anyone who takes video recording seriously, but once again, is a very fun toy.

aiptek video camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
i love these camcorders. i have two of them and have given several as gifts. i keep on in the glove box for unexpected excitement shots. the only complaint is the lack of good software. but don’t let that stop you, they’re just too handy. additionally you can load a SD card with a movie and use it just like the ipod touch. SD cards are cheap and i have several movies on standby for long airplane rides.

Worst HD Camera Ever!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I have to say, this is one of the worse cameras I have ever used. The video quality is SO poor that it is unusable. I returned it the next day to amazon, as even in bright sun the video was so blocky it was not even watchable. Yes, it may be 720p, but it basically looks like a webcam quality blown up 4x.

I would NOT recommend buying this camera, it is cheap, so you get what you pay for, junk!

Great
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
this product works very well. I like the style and the HD quailty is amazing. I still need to use it more, and I will on my vacation to the Bahamas in June.

awful.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This was a gift, so naturally, I’m stuck with it. Here are the pros and cons.

Pros:

You actually have a camera.

The image quality is good.

Cons:

It dies super fast.

The zoom is bad.

The sound quality is god awful. It’s as if there’s a garbage disposal on in the next room, that’s how much random background noise there is.

The screen likes to do it’s own thing, when I don’t want it to. It flickers on and off a lot.

Windows movie maker is impossible to use, because the videos this thing makes are in .mov format, which sucks.

So please, please, don’t buy this camera.

Save up another couple of months. Get a good one.

I can’t. I’m stuck with this one. Don’t make the mistake of buying this.

Excellent!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Having used a video camera since they were the size of a typewriter (remember those?) all the way to the digital ones of today, I was very pleasantly pleased by this little gem. This camera will actually be one you will take with you and use on a regular basis. Operation is simple and straight forward but with enough features for 90% of the users out there. The lack of a video stabilization feature so far has had no impact on my video shots. I’ve not put any stress on the sound capacity of the unit yet but so far it has been fine – like most video cameras you can’t make a lot of noise as the photographer since you are closest to the mic. I’m sure it lacks something there for those who are trying to record music in a large hall but, for the day to day videos you don’t want to miss, this is just what I need.

Fun!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Yeah, the audio isn’t so great, but for the price it can’t be beat for the “fun” factor.

Where the camera suffers the most (besides not having an optical zoom) is at action shots – I’ve taken this camera out snowboarding a few times – there’s a noticeable “wavy” effect on the video when panning fast or if there are many moving objects. But honestly, not that much of a deal breaker for what it is.

With an 8gb SD card, you can get over 4 hours of HD footage (FYI – the battery only lasts around 1 hour)

Still shots with the camera are really nice.

Editing the footage with iMovie ’08 is a breeze.

Not bad for $70
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have been interested in getting a digital video camera, and I couldn’t resist the $70 price. For the money, I think it’s well worth it. I’m not crazy about the software, but I’ll probably just find better video editing software.

The camera works best in bright daylight, though it is difficult to use the viewfinder when it is bright. I thought the videos came out better using a tripod. I might experiment with a monopod later. In lower light, the image quality degrades. Perhaps there are settings to compensate, but I haven’t experimented enough to find out.

I tried to use the recording feature to record from a VCR, but it would stop recording after a few minutes. I ended up buying dedicated hardware and software to record my old video tapes.

The still picture capabilities aren’t bad. They are good enough that I won’t pack a separate still camera as often as I might have in the past.

The battery lasts about 1.5 hours new. Search Amazon for low-cost batteries. I bought one for $1.35 plus $3 S&H.

For the price nothing better
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’ve had this for about three weeks. It works great for the price. yeah in low light its not the greatest nor in bright sunlight. But my videos from my house or bars work fine. The camera is ok, but so that I don’t have to carry both it works fine. The unit is entirely plastic so I bet it can not take a beating but it sure is light, and easy to hold for long periods of time. I’d get this for someone as a gift no problem.

Very good produce, excellent value.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is the second one I have purchased, grandkids absconded with the first one. You can’t beat this little camera…especially the price.

Good camcorder for the price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a good camcorder for the price, but its even better with a Phoenix wide angle lens as it makes everything look cleaner and sharper. Its well worth the extra $30 to get the wide angle lens when you purchase this. Also the mic is EXTREMELY sensitive which results in loud audio. Stuffing tissue paper in the mic area reduces the wind noise, but doesn’t help much with the loudness. Unless you can muffle the sound with your thumb don’t take this into loud areas. Recommend video editing software that can re-encode the audio at a lower db rating. There are newer firmwares available direct for Aiptek for this camcorder, but they don’t seem to help much with the audio. Version 2.02 of the firmware does lower the volume, but results in clicking sounds when people talk and you cannot roll back to an older firmware. Hopefully the audio issue will be resolved in future firmwares. If you upgrade the firmware I recommend going no higher than 1.6. This camcorder also has issues with SDHC cards so I recommend sticking to standard SD cards until they fix this in a future firmware.

Not bad for the price, but …
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I bought this item recently. I have much experience with DV and HDV shooting and editing.

I know not to expect too much for this price, but I was tempted by some of the reviews/ratings on Amazon. This was to be a camera I would carry on my dirtbike and quad when riding the trails here in SE Ohio (instead of my Canon SD750).

I can only comment on image quality for HD and 5mb/8mb pictures.

HD video quality:

It’s really not too bad, if you have great lighting, no wind, and you don’t move the camera too much (no stabilization built-in what so ever). The zoom is digital, and there’s no way to disable it (it’s horrible and is not smooth).

5mb/8mb Picture quality:

VERY poor. Unless you’re resizing the pictures to thumbnail size, image quality is worse than taking a screen cap of a paused HD video you took with this thing.

I will be returning this camcorder after the weekend. My Canon SD750 is almost as good for movies (although non-HD, but audio and movement quality is recorded MUCH better), and there’s no comparison for taking pictures.

If you’re broke, and don’t mind the many shortcomings of this item, this may be a good solution for you.

But you’re best off buying a non-HD DV cam for under $300 for much better results.

I have a Canon HV10, which is already a year or two old, and it’s quality of HD video and audio is MUCH better than this item (but also MUCH more expensive).

Amazing camera for the price!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The camera is very easy to use and I was very impressed by the quality of the photos and videos from such an inexpensive camera. The only flaw I’ve found is that taking multiple photos when using the flash is a bit slow since the flash takes a few seconds to recharge. Overall, this is a great product.

Video, yes… Audio, no
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I like this camcorder. Great price, Great value, excellent video quality (when you are in decent lighting). But the audio is just no good. There is no external mic option. I have taken many videos with subjects speaking at normal volume literally 3 feet in front of the camera and the sound is muffled and needs to be turned way up to hear. But the person holding the camera, is heard very well. Its almost as if the mic is pointing in the wrong direction. (Well its pointing straight up, so it definitely is not in the right direction). I like this product conceptually, but being that it is useless for picking up audio … I’m unsure of how useful it is as an ‘everyday’ camcorder.

And I’m really unhappy that the video format is .MOV – I’m very computer saavy and what others have said is right: there is NO software that edits MOV files on a PC. Just about all of them need to convert the file back up to to a AVI or a MPG (needless to say, that conversion is not simple or quick).

This is the note on the company’s support FAQ: “Aiptek uses the newer H.264 high-end technology for its HD Camcorders and major software editing companies are working diligently to develop an overall compatibility solution to support this newer technology. We’re currently working with a few software editing companies to help speed up the process.” I’ve had the camera for 6 months …. I haven’t seen the answer yet.

One great and unique feature on this camera is – A/V INput. Yes, it actually can record audio and video FROM an A/V source. So you can connect this to your TV, or VCR or DVD player and record the output onto your camera. Why would you want to? For one you can watch your recordings portably and use the device as a portable media player (is not made to play MP3′s though – I dont know why not). But best yet, is that the quality it records at is DVD quality and you can take that file put it on your computer and burn yourself a DVD copy of whatever you’d like.

Nice for the price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought the Aiptek A-HD 720P 5MP CMOS High Definition Camcorder about a month ago, and unfortunately, haven’t used it quite as much as I’d envisioned. Still, the few times that I have used it, the open, point, and shoot simplicity, the image quality, and the ease of exporting to my Macbook Pro have certainly been well worth the price.

For under $150, this is a fairly impressive little camera. It works pretty well in fairly low light conditions, the audio quality is quite good, and the picture quality, while probably leaving a bit to be desired if the unit cost several hundred more, is quite good, particularly when rendered in native resolution. Manipulating and exporting the resulting video and still image files is straightforward, and the file sizes it produces can be very reasonable once converted for web delivery.

With the limited opportunity I’ve had to use it, I can’t really comment on overall battery longevity, but I can relate that after fully charging the unit via the USB interface to my Macbook, it sat around for a couple of weeks before the next use, at which point it performed as advertised, and I probably had it on for well over 45 minutes total shooting and reviewing video items, without the battery indicating it was about to give up the ghost. Looking at the numbers, however, lead me to believe that with a 4GB card in the slot, you’d probably run out of battery before you ran out of storage space for whatever you are shooting.

Overall, very light weight and easy to control, with excellent preview via the screen.

The only negatives to report are a slight shutter delay from the time you press the button until the camera actually captures a still image – almost a full second or so. Kind of limits the unit for ‘action stills’ applications. Also, in a ‘busy’ close up environment, the autofocus has an annoying tendency to base focus on all sorts of things except what you’re shooting, but this only occurs at ranges of 3 feet or less.

Generally, I’d say that I’m satisfied with the product!

Worked for a little bit….now in the trash can
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
It seemed great; but, then I noticed some problems (odd mismatch of playback sound vs video). Later, certain things wouldn’t work (reviewing my works)….followed by nothing working. Box to trash can took about 12 months.

Great buy
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The headline pretty much says it all. I originally bought the camera, along with a 4 GB memory card, for $160. It turns out it was well-spent cash.

For non-professional and personal use, the camera does pretty much everything you could ask for. It shoots quality video in three different size versions. All files are digitally recorded on the memory card and there is no tape.

The “Web” mode shoots video designed for upload to YouTube and is a smaller format, allowing you to easily e-mail the file. The “DVD” version is pretty comparable to that quality, but is a bit larger. The third format is High Definition, which is designed for viewing on HD TVs. When looking at this video on the computer, there isn’t too much of a difference from the DVD quality, but the file is huge.

The camera boots up quickly and holds a battery charge for roughly an hour when in video mode. The flip-out LCD screen rotates so you can actually shoot video of yourself. I’ve actually self-produced several news standups in DVD mode that were usable for television, although the audio was not very good because the camera lacks a microphone input.

Perhaps the best thing about this camera is its ease of use. The camera has several different modes: Video camera, still camera, my files and an options menu. All video and photos shot are available in the “my files” mode. The auto white balance works well, but I still prefer to do so manually (it only takes a second).

This is not to say the camera doesn’t have limitations. As mentioned, though audio quality with the built-in microphone is good, it does not have a port to plug in an external mic. Another complaint is that there is no manual focus. Users must rely on the automatic focus, which is often poor in low light conditions. On that note, the camera tends to have trouble adjusting its iris and overexposes when there is a mostly dark shot with one or two hot spots (ex: sunlight coming in through a window). The camera shoots its best video in moderate lighting conditions.

Overall, I enthusiastically recommend the device. It’s inexpensive, but functional for the casual user. It would also make a great gift for a younger person. He or she could actually use the camera, and you won’t be spending a fortune on it.

Works Like a charm
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This product is awesome. I thought I would have to pay a lot of money to be able to capture moments with my kids and family but this product has allowed me to do this without spending over $100 bucks.

It is light to carry and you can hold it all day without getting tired. I recommend this product if you are on the go and would like to capture video or photo quickly.

I like it, but it has it’s shortcomings
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
It’s probably more of a toy or a hobbyist camera, rather than consumer grade camera, and for one major reason – there is no image stabilitzation, so your hand needs to be *really* steady, or you need to use a tripod. Other that that, no complaints. It won’t give you razor sharp high definition picture because of the real time compression to the SD card, but it’s decent. It has three picture modes: Hi-def, DVD and Web. Most of the time I use DVD quality setting. The picture in this mode is way better than from VCR or even my older digital 8mm Sharp camcorder. It also takes decent photographs, comparable to cheap point-and-shoot cameras. It needs good lightning, but I have successfully filmed inside with not so great lightning conditions and the picture came out better than I expected. Overall, it exceeded my expectations. I like it a lot and I think it has a great value for the price I paid for it (~$150). I give it only three starts because of lack of image stabilization.

Broke in 2 weeks
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I got the camera for vacation and It is very easy to use and the photos and video came out very well. I didnt have a problem so much with the sound. Out of nowhere the middle joystick button broke. It moves up down, right left fine but it wont push in anymore and click like it used to. I can still use it but I have to ave very light pressure on the joystock or else it will think im clicking down allthe time. PITA. Thats the only bad flaw that I have with it. The zoom in and out flickers somtimes and you cant hold the camera still at all if its zoomed in but what do you expect for under 150 bucks.

No Frills
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
If you want a video camera to throw in your purse or pocket that takes good quality HD video in good lighting conditions then this is a five star product. If you must have more than that look elsewhere. Video in low light like most inexpensive cameras is grainy. Zoom…….. very little. The still pictures are up to 8 megapixels but you shoud use a tripod and again good lighting. I like it because it is handy to take to a park, a beach, anywhere. When you want to video something you will never regret not taking you camcorder because this can fit in you pocket or purse. You just got to remember to put it there.

Video files are difficult to edit with Vegas
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Whereas the camera is okay, the files it produces are somewhat problematic.

This is due to a conflict, that I have spent weeks attempting to resolve, between Apple’s QuickTime, which hosts the videos, and Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 7.

Other software seems to have similar issues when hosting these QuickTime files, and finding a file format converter has been problematic at best.

For this reason, I can not recommend this camera to those editing on the Windows platform.

If it produced true MP4 files, or QuickTime could cope with the files better when hosted, this camera would be great for the money.

Great camera for the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this for $60. on sale, so it was a great buy. Haven’t used it a whole lot yet. But, the few times I have it worked well and the picture was good on my HDTV.

The instrucions sucked, as I need good directions, but eventually figured it out.

Best Deal Around.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Bought one of these for my brother and his wife and after seeing how well it works I think I’ll get one for myself. Video plays without noticeable artifacts on a 42″ plasma and the images move smoothly. I was amazed to see such solid compression in only 2GB/hr. Uses standard Quicktime files! Hallelujah! Charges with USB and accepts SD memory up to 32GB. Indoor performance is nothing to shout about but certainly useable (no camera this size can really impress in low light). The sound is rather poor, as the other reviews suggest, but I can live with it. The build quality and control layout are not great but explain the low price. The moral of the story here is that you can bring it along most anywhere without a fuss. And when it comes to memorable moments, any shot is better than no shot, right?. I think I’ll keep one of these tucked away in a pocket from now on. A steal for this price.

HD Camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I researched a number of this size camcorders. The price was right, the size of storage and the add-in storage is great. I was able to put the battery in and film. The ease of use of this product is exactly what I want. It immediately opens up in my vista system for downloading. It has 3 picture resolutions for still and videos, which is very nice. I am able to take up around 1200 minutes of video on “normal” mode. It is compact, not as compact as a flip video, but has so many more features that makes this camera the only one to carry, it’s lite and very easy to use. The price was right, I purchased 2, one for me, and one for my daughter in law and she loves it.

I contacted the aiptek support team the first day regarding the battery, and the team member responded within about 2 hours.

Great Video Camera for the Price Range
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I was very happy with this video camera. It has the main features that I wanted and well within my price range. While the camera is a little light and seems like one short drop would snap it into pieces, I feel that it will be good for what I need it for until I can later afford a higher quality device. It seems to hold a charge fairly well and the battery life is exceptional for a camera in this price range. It holds about 2 and a half hours of 720 video on my 4 gig card which is nice, however it seems the reason for this high capacity is the fact that it isn’t the best quality. The color is a little odd in certain lighting situations and it can sometimes seem like the resolution is lower when people or objects are moving a lot. The more steady you can hold the camera the much better the quality seems to be.

It comes with all of the cords I would ask for and seems to charge pretty fast. It’s easy to use and only has a short learning curve compared to most video cameras or normal cameras.

Over this is a great little camera and I’m very happy with what I got. It helps me film my family, friends and events without breaking the bank. I don’t think you will find a better camera in this price range. I recommend it to anyone who REALLY ants an HD video camera but thinks they can’t afford one.

Better than I could have hoped
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this for my first trip abroad. I love that it’s light wgt and intuitive to use. I bought 3 flash cards (2-4GB & 1-2GB). I took over 600 photos, 12 audio clips, and 50video clips. I changed to the next 4GB card after the 4day just to make sure I was covered. I bought an extra battery which I highly recommend because I used more than 1 battery a day. SUGGESTION: Keep the flap closed until you’re ready to use the camcorder…I lost battery power the first day because I kept the flap open. After being back in the states my photos came out beautifully, and I’ve completely captured my trip, all without breaking the bank. I love it!

If I had more money I would buy a camcorder with more zoom, but I’m happy with my camcorder and suggest it for everyone.

Excellent entry level HD (you get what you pay for)
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
To begin with, this is -not- a conventional digital camcorder.

Unless you find it too toy-like as others have found, it seems to be delivering exactly what it promises:

The lowest cost HD DVR for sale on the market.

A point-and-shoot eight megapixel digital camera.

Digital playback device that can show Quicktime media (when storage cards greater than four gigs are used (max 32 gig SDHC) (compatible with Apple products).

The quality is excellent and the only drawback I’ve seen so far is that the playback speaker is too small and delivers very nasty tinny audio. Much like the audio from almost any small microspeaker. Use your headphones when watching playback. Much better.

Of all the video resolutions you can use,(there are three) the smallest (CIF)(352×240) gives you the most bang for the buck in storage….

A two gig SD card will hold up to 320 minutes of video. That’s -five- hours plus! You’ll need to recharge the battery at least a couple of times to fill a one or two gig card at that rate.

The middle resolution is (D1) (720×480) is very close to VGA (slightly wider) and you can only cram 144 minutes full video onto a two gig SD.

The HD resolution is full true HD (1280×720) and will only record for 60 minutes before filling up that same two gig SD card. However, there are larger cards available now, and I still like have a few extra two gig cards in my pocket.

Battery life is estimated to be 90 minutes (factory spec) but I haven’t pushed that far yet. My other Aiptek, the IS-DV, maxxes out at VGA (640×480)resolution, cannot handle longer than 48 minutes before depleting the battery.

The difference? The IS-DV is 2 year old design, and Aiptek is pushing the envelope.

Final verdict?

This is a very good product, worthy of consideration from both first time buyers and jaded users who are used to far more expensive gadget loaded camcorders.

It weighs nothing, a cellphone is slightly smaller, and the battery lasts and lasts. It has very few moving parts, and only one mechanical slide switch that operates the macro mode focusing.

I can’t wait to see what’s next, Aiptek. Perhaps even smaller? More resolution? Image stabilization?

I’d rate this a nine out of ten, the only fault is that playback speaker.

And it’s not really a deal breaker, in my opinion.

cool!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera so that my family could have some fun making little movies about ourselves. My son has really liked it and I have felt comfortable too. I am not technologically advanced like my son is, so feeling comfortable with a video device is really good. I’d recommend this camera to most anyone who just wants to be able to take moving pictures, is not too worried about sound quality, and doesn’t want to worry about technophilic stuff. I haven’t edited on my computer yet but am hopeful that my child will figure it out for me.

A decent one
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I got this decent camcorder for my son -15 years old- who is stepping into video fotage. A spilled cup of tea poured over distroied a similar one he used to have before however; he insisted to have the same once again. While in travel I used it for a while, it is so simple and easy, handy, of a sounding quality. I never thought there could be such a product with this quality and fanciness in this price range. It may need extra battery and an external charger if intended for serious use.

Better than I expected
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Well I ordered it on a Monday along with a 4GB SD to go with it. They were shipped both at separate locations, but I received both by the following Friday. When I chose this camera I was expecting pretty good quality (atleast better than my old camera), but I also expected questionable audio quality. My expectations from this camera was to make short films and other videos for YouTube. The video quality was definetley better than I expected on my HD monitor. Outside shots look fantastic, inside its questionable but still very satisfactory. Audio, as still being not that good was actually a lot better than I had expected it to be though it has a plug for an external mic which I am planning on investing in. It comes with software but it is not needed as if you plug it in and open it you can view the files using disk mode. I haven’t had any problems with this camera at all it handy and fits in my pocket. I’ve already gone skating with it several times and taken footage ect. so I have no complaints.

I would say if you need a camera for any reason but are on a low budget, as far as cheap, small camcorders go I give this a 5 out of 5, but if you have the money to get something better I would suggest going with that.

wow….cant get any worse
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Please save your self time and money….it can’t take a decent photo. It can’t take a decent video, not even for the sale price that i got to buy it. I did send it back.

Great for your nickel!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
It is a good product to record memorable moments of your life and your loved ones. Zooming is average, but do not use it often. I use mostly for outdoor and the picture is very good.

Camcorder is very light and fragile I’d say, so be prepared to use it gently and do not throw it on the ground when you girl will dump you-it is not a camcorder’s fault it is your idiotic behavior.

Overall excellent product and I’d recommend to purchase!!!

Decent for the money
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I didn’t have high expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. The battery has never run out on me yet. Pictures & video are a bit grainy, but good enough. I have not recorded (and slowed down to analyze) a golf swing yet, but will try that soon. It is real easy to transfer the content to youtube, and we have all enjoyed that very much!

I bought it to take backpacking – often at the vistas, one picture does not do the scenery justice. I hope a video shot will be better.

I also got this to review backpacking gear, as I’m a bit of a gear junkie. This will do great in that aspect.

a good buy I think.

Great Product For A Small Budget
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Some of the reviewers have stated that the camera takes blury pictures, and I noticed this to be the case indoors. I use my samsung 5 megapixel camera for indoor shots, but on a sunny day outdoors my aiptek does a very good job. I enjoy using the 8 megapixels setting because it picks up more detail than my five megapixel camera does. Also, for having paid only 180 dollars for this camera at Target I must say it is good for taking videos to upload to youtube. This is a good camera for someone on a budget, but if you are expecting something fancy I would invest more money.