Creative Vado Pocket Video Cam HD

Pros:

- 8GB of internal memory to store 2 hours of video on the highest quality setting
- Wide angle lens
- Decent color reproduction
- Comfortable soft rubber feel
- High quality video for the price and size
- Compact and light weight (convenient to take almost anywhere)
- Easy to copy movies to computer (built in USB connector)
- Comes with USB extension cable
- Comes with HDMI cable to play videos on your HDTV directly from the unit
- Easy to chop up the videos using Vado Central (comes free with the unit)
- Microphone picks up audio much better than expected (can here sounds from every direction)
- Extremely simple to use
- Comes with free H.264 video codec, but I prefer ffdshow-tryouts on SourceForge for better performance and customization

Cons:

- Fixed lens with 2X digital zoom only (no optical zoom)
- Does not come with a lanyard
- Optional lanyard is a bit difficult to install
- No expansion slot for an external memory card
- Microphone has a low volume feedback noise in recordings (more noticeable in quiet scenes)
- Battery life states 2 hours, but realistically it's more like 1 hour 40 minutes
- Unit will sometimes freeze when plugging into the computer (must remove battery from unit to get it working again)
- Video playback from unit to HDTV causes audio to slightly distort on high pitch sounds (does not occur when playing back from computer)
- Very bright lights such as the sun will cause skin tones to be slightly yellow
- Free H.264 codec did not work on an older laptop running Windows XP Home, but worked fine on a newer computer running Windows XP Professional
- Tripod connector on unit can easily be broken if tripod is over tightened (due to plastic tripod connector on unit)

Comments:

This camcorder is definitely worth the money. I recommend using the clear skin which comes with it to help prevent it from getting scuffed up. Also, don't forget to upgrade the firmware and install the Vado Central application update on the unit.

I recommend purchasing a small carry case with belt loop, lanyard, composite A/V cable (unit comes with HDMI cable), digtal camera tripod, and spare battery. All of these items can be picked up fairly cheap on eBay.

If you have the clear skin installed, be sure to push the composite A/V cable in all the way. Otherwise you will receive garbage on the screen.

I only had the unit freeze a few times when plugging into my computer running Linux. This hasn't occur yet when plugging into my system running Windows.

Overall, I am very impressed by this unit.

This is a great little camcorder! I am so pleased with it, so far. Don't buy this camera hoping for something to go out and start your budding movie-making career -- as the quality isn't THAT good. That said, the quality should be about what you would expect from a camera with these specs.
I probably wouldn't have purchased it at full retail price, but it was definitely worth a discounted shot, and it definitely paid off. Very easy to use, quick to set up and has AWESOME sound quality. It even comes with a free Jelly skin! Possibly the best part of the product is that it comes with an HDMI cable! What a time and money-saver this purchase is!
Highly recommended!

This one is much better than the Flip. Longer record time and the lens gets larger field of view. This cam won't disappoint you.

The Creative Vado HD video camera is an great pocket cam for travel and for making YouTube-style videos. It is one of, if not the, slimmest flash-based cameras, and quite light, meaning that it can be kept in a jeans pocket with no problems. It boots up in just a couple of seconds, which allow it to be useful for spontaneous video capture. The video quality isn't excellent but it is very good, quite a bit better than the best cellphone and more than sufficient for online video posting. Video capture is 2+ hours, which is as long as the battery life, and longer than I have yet needed. The worst part of the camera is its inability to use its built-in software with Mac OS X, and that iMovie can't directly work with its files (although that's more Apple's failure, but still you can do it with a Flip Ultra HD), and the little tab on the bottom makes it unable to just stand upright on the table (I got a little tripod which fixes that). The best part of the camera is the size, super easy to hold in one hand while driving or talking, or anything else. I bought the Vado just before the new Flip HD came out, but even still I would get this one again. I would look for a price of ~$145-160 for this (5/09) to make a good bargain.

The good: Solid 720p video; ultraslim design; removable, rechargeable battery; easy to use; one-touch video uploading to YouTube and Photobucket; includes mini HDMI connector and bundled cable for outputting 1080i video to an HDTV.

The bad: No flash-memory slot; Mac users have to manually copy video files to their computers; white balance is slightly off and colors are a bit amped.

Do not let the size of this camcorder fool you. The Vado HD produces excellent video at 720P resolution and it looks great! The built in USB connection makes it easy to plug it in and transfer videos onto your computer for editing. When you plugin the Vado to your computer the built in software will automatically start. The software does a Ok job of creating a video from various clips BUT! if you want to edit more than 3 videos with the built in software from Muvee you will have to upgrade the software for an additional price of 17.00 yuk.. I use windows vista movie maker to edit and render a high def video. One nice option that you have is instant uploading of your video to youtube and some other video hosting sites. Youtube will automatically render your video in HD mode so that your viewers can view your video online in high def. Overall, this camera is will worth the money and with a little searching online you can find this camcorder at a great deal!
Enjoy!

I love this Vado HD. I bought a total of 6 to give gifts to my children and friends. Pictures are clear. If you go to Niagara Falls and ride the boat make sure you buy the water protection . The video is clear .
I love this camera.

The simplicity of this device is really what sold me on it. I purchased 2 of these on ebay for a fraction of the retail price. The video quality is very good and the easy to use controls made it very user friendly.

Pros: Easy to use, good HD video quality, more storage than the Flip Mino HD, supplied HDMI cable, good battery life, easily fits in your pocket and includes a silicon protective skin.

Cons: Microphone could be a little more sensitive, limited zoom and controls could be more clearly marked (difficult to see, esp after skin was installed).

I would recommend the VADO HD for those looking for an easy to use, quick and HD capable video cam that fits in your pocket.

In did this was an excellent deal, with an excellent seller. After the winning the communication was quick and precise.
The camera itself is maybe the most spectacular piece of electronics at a reasonable price.
HD is the way to go
Paulo Morgado

I bought this camera for my 11 year old son's birthday. The sound and picture quality are very good for the price. The software is fun and easy to use but you do need a fast computer or it takes forever to make a movie.

The quickest shipment I have ever got. Thanks a lot. It was in Europe quicker than in U.S. Product correspond as described.

The quality of the video camera is great, it arrived quickly and I'm overall satisfied with the purchase. However, there was no owner's manuel included in the package. I had to find one online.

I wanted something very portable and easy to use. The Vado Pocket Video Camcorder fit the bill perfectly. It has a one button record option and is very small for easy portability. It records in HD and can hook up to our HD TV to share videos. The only minor drawback is a limited zoom and the lack of ability to pause and start again in the same video clip. However, for the low price I think it is great.

Great seller with good communication and fast shipping. The camera was in perfect condition. Hope to work with again.

On the high quality setting, this little camera puts out a very very nice image. I use this camera for racing cars, on a suction cup and the mount at the bottom makes it very handy. It's price let me get 2 for multiple angles and its quality makes for a great shot every time, even in low light!

I love the simplicity of the button layout. The recording quality is impeccable. Only downside i found is that the program that came with it stopped working, but no biggy.

I use mine to help teach swimming. I find it very useful in showing the kids on what they are doing wrong. I purchased this after going through several reviews. I think when compared to other flash memory camcorders this one is the best.

Pros:
Very easy to use
Small
Video quality is fantastic
Price is great when purchased on ebay

Cons:
Audio isn't that great but for my use I care more about the video
Lack of accessories
Takes a long time to charge

Great camera if you want HD video with a wide angle (I love that its a wide angle lens). For a sample of a dumb video we made check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPjxkRy2CjA

If you can get this camera for the 120-140 price range (as of 8-08-09) then its prob the best mini camcorder out there.

Works really well for recording. Doesn't take pictures, that's why I have to sell it and try to recoup any money I spent on it. I instead went out and bought the Sony t-500 which takes 10.1 MP pictures and records 720p video.

Well I haven't actually received the Creative Vado HD yet but I do feel qualified to write about it. I usually do lots of research on stuff that I plan on buying and the Vado was no different. I looked at the Sony Webbie thought that was cool but ruled that out then took a look at the Flip HD, the Flip does not have enough memory the picture quality side by side was defiantly not as clear as the Vado. The none replaceable battery in the flip was a deal breaker for me. The storage capacity was another deal breaker for me, the Flip has 2 gigabytes of space and the Vado has 8 gigabytes of storage. The price on the other video cameras were a deal breaker for me. The Sony Webbie HD MHS-PM1/V was an average of $150.00, the Flip Mino HD on average is $187.00 so the Vado won out there. Do a Youtube search on Creative Vado HD and youll see what I cant describe in this review.

The price is reasonably low and the quality is relatively high plus fast shipping make me feel I got the best deal comparing to other Creative Vado byers on eBay.

This is a great pocket camcorder. It is very easy to operate and hooking it up to your PC is so simple, a child could do it. I also like the software that comes with it. I used the HDMI cable that comes with the Vado to play it on my Samsung 46 inch HD LCD tv. That made it worth every penny, what a great picture. I highly recommend this product.