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(More customer reviews)Vado is my favorite brand when it comes to pocket size "HD" camcorders, even at 720p and 30 fps the 2nd generation was one of my favorite for its crisp frames, very wide lens, and color contrast. I was very glad to hear that the 3rd generation came out (due to some issues with the low sound quality, over-saturated colors, over-exposure of sky and other little nuances with the 2nd generation). Then i saw this... (!)
The 3rd gen. Vado HD has half the memory (4GB) and as such can only record 1 hour of HD+ footage (as opposed to 2 hrs with the 2nd gen). And it still comes with no external memory slot. The nice matte, scratch resistant and fingerprint free finish is now gone. And the buttons that were previously neatly located and easy to press and navigate are now a touch-sensitive surface that you can easily brush (thus press) and not ever realize it. Still the camera does not have optical zoom (understandable for its size), still no image stabilization (still ok since at that price range, most digital-IS does nothing and optics take space) but still no 60fps or 1080p settings much un-like most of its competition. In addition, the memory is now cut in half and there is no way to add more!
The addition of motion detection is a 'fun' feature, but i don't see when mainstream users would take advantage of that.
Personally i would -much- rather see a timelapse feature (like the Samsung pocket cameras have), which is great for sky-scapes.
Alternatively, the ability to double as a web camera (like the Sony Webbie) would also be good and perhaps useful.
The 3rd gen also takes pictures, which (even at 1280x720) is a minor plus due to their low quality and the fact that you can always take frames out of video files and use them as pictures - that's what the Vado's software does anyway.
The manual light-adjusting setting works pretty fine, but i always have to be careful not to touch the buttons and activate them by accident.
Color-wise, the 3rg gen seems closer to reality, without over-saturating reds/greens that much. As a result the video looks more natural but also not as lively or vivid as the 2nd gen. I guess that is a matter of personal preference.
When it comes to sound, the 3rd gen seems slightly louder, but it also comes with an external mic input for more demanding users or situations. I think that's a great addition over the previous model.
Finally, when it comes to the crispness of each frame of the film, some was unfortunately lost. This is sad, because the previous Vado still has the sharpest video-frames i have seen coming out of any pocket size camera i have ever used (which includes Sony, Kodak, Samsung, and Aiptek). I have a lot of side-by-side footage comparing the Sony, Samsung, and both versions of the Vado HD, it is all on YouTube, if you are interested, let me know.
--- Video comparison: This model (3rd gen) on the left, Previous model (2nd gen) on the right. For the same video with much better detail and clarity, watch the original on yougube at: [...]
So, overall, we had a pretty great 2nd gen. Vado HD.. and instead of adding a much needed memory card slot, and perhaps adding a color option (i.e. vivid vs. normal) to give the user a change to choose whether high color saturation is desired or not, or maybe add a 60fps or 1080p setting.. we got a 4GB / 1 hour / glossy / colorful camera that can detect motion!! My suggestions to Creative: Drop the internal memory all together (if some is needed for usb connection/drivers/codec/etc, just use that much), ADD a micro-SD memory card reader, add manual controls for saturation/contrast/light, keep the external mic and HDMI out, keep the replaceable battery, and do not downgrade the currently high data-rate of more than 4Mbps @ HD and more than 8Mbps @ HD+ (which is great to be able to record at these high bit rates - and imo larger files with quality are better than small useless ones, we can always compress later)
Click Here to see more reviews about: Creative Labs Vado HD Pocket Video Camcorder 3rd Generation,120 Minutes (Black) - NEWEST MODEL
Catch the perfect snowboarding stunt, your baby's first steps or your kid's graduation, share it online and save it for a lifetime with Creative's new Vado HD Pocket Video Cam. The third generation of Vado HD camcorders introduces a sleek new industrial design, the latest Vado Central software, improved light sensitivity, optional stereo microphone input, and availability in multiple colors. The thin, lightweight Vado HD is small enough to fit easily in a pocket, purse or the palm of your hand, and it captures video in 720P high-definition quality video at 30 frames per second with just the touch of a button. Sharing videos online is simple with built-in software that helps you post videos to YouTube, Facebook, Photobucket or Box.net. The Vado HD includes an HDMI output (cable not included) for a superior viewing experience on an HDTV. Take the Vado HD Pocket Video Cam with you everywhere you go and never miss a moment. Product specs include 720p high-definition video at 30fps, wide-angle glass lens, 2.0 inch LCD, still picture capture, touch buttons, 2x digital zoom, 4GB of video storage capacity, up to two hours of recording in HD, up to four hours of recording time at 640x480 at 30 frames per second, HDMI and RCA connections for TV, HDMI and A/V cable sold separately, removable and rechargeable lithium battery, Vado Central software for simple video editing and sharing. System requirements include Windows Xp Service Pack 2 or Vista, Intel Pentium III or higher, 512MB of memory, USB port, 500MB free hard disk space, and 16MB of Video Memory or above. Product ships with Vado camcorder and battery.
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