It shoots in HD, true, but the quality of the video is just subpar. It's grainier than the video from my Flip Video Ultra, which shoots in SD. Or maybe I can just see the graininess better because of the high-def.Luckily, I got it for only $50 in a sale, and after using it, I'd say I paid about the right price for it. The on-board mic does pick up audio decently enough. The portability is nice, as the camera is super-slim, but the fact that you have to use a separate cable to plug it into a computer is a little annoying, and probably my second-biggest gripe. I guess I've been spoiled by the Flip camera's built-in USB plug.
Another annoyance is the lack of a tripod screw mount. Unless you have a tripod with a clamp, nothing can hold this thing in place. That may work for you; it wasn't a great match for me.
It has a rechargeable battery, built-in. It gets the job done, but I would've preferred a choice of rechargeable or standard alkaline. You can only charge the battery with a separate AC adapter.
As far as I know, the camera was designed with just a tiny bit of internal memory. To shoot for any practical amount of time, you'll need a separate Micro SD card. Mine came with a 4GB card, so I can shoot in HD for juuuuust under 2 hours.
The grip on the unit isn't that great. I don't have very large hands, but I sometimes have trouble finding the right place to hold because the camera's shape is kind of squarish. The rubber strip on the front helps you keep your grip, but holding it just feels awkward. The record button and its surrounding ring of controls also feel a little too squishy, with not enough tactile feedback. The other buttons work fine, with little clicks. The rubber covers for the SD card and USB out ports can be a little hard to pry off (especially if you've got no fingernails, like me), and the power button is hard to use (you slide it up and hold it to turn the unit on and off). There's a slider on the side of the camera that lets you choose "HD," "Sports," and "WebQ"--just different configurations of video quality. I imagine Sports shoots at a higher frame rate, to better capture quick motions.
It does ship with AV output cables, so you can plug into a larger monitor or TV to view your videos. You can also take still shots with it, although there's no flash, no shutter speed control, no real bells or whistles at all.
Overall, it does what it says it will, and it might work for a video blogger (it does have a tiny mirror below the lens) or as a nice tech toy for a younger user, but if you're looking to show off anything you shoot with your camera, look elsewhere.
Pros:
Shoots in high definition
On-board microphone does a decent job
Different video settings available for different situations
Super-portable slim design
Expandable memory
Comes with AV out cables
Also takes still shots
Cons:
Actual video quality is poor
Digital zoom only
Separate cable required to offload video
Separate cable required for charging internal battery
Internal battery hard to replace if it dies or malfunctions
Awkward grip
No standard tripod mounting screw
Buttons squishy or otherwise hard to use
Buy RCA EZ2000 Digitel Camcorder with 3.5x Optical Zoom and 2-Inches LCD Screen - Black Now
The video quality is incredible on this little guy. For the price, I couldn't ask more of it. With an 8gig card, expect to get 4 hours HD recording time! More than enough time for a looong vacation/wedding/whatever. There are no options for framerates but 40fps is plenty and displays silky smooth on a 40" lcd tv. be sure to pick up a 'mini hdmi to hdmi cable' so you can watch the vids straight off the camera. Battery life is supposed to be 2 hours and so far that seems accurate. Can't beat rechargable either!*note: You'll see in the video that I should have cleaned the glass of my aquarium before filming, but I decided to leave it so you could get an idea for the detail that gets picked up (even while some things like the markings on a German blue ram, are a little out of focus due to how close I was).
I was looking for something cheap and simple that made great video for a beginner. My expectations were low, but my hopes were high. I finally decided on this model mainly because I found a great deal on a used one here. I'm very glad I bought it and am very happy with my first camcorder.
First of all, a little clarification that I found out before I purchased this, but someone might not if they go solely by the description of this item.
1. It has a two inch screen, not four inch.
2. It has 2x digital zoom, not 3.5x optical zoom. There is no optical zoom on this camcorder.
Here are the things I like about it:
1. The USB connector is standard, not proprietary.
2. It's light, small and fast.
3. The built-in microphone records decent sound at a good level.
4. You can mount both the internal memory and the memory card at the same time when you connect it to your computer via USB and it works like UMS, which is perfect for Linux.
5. Though there is no lock, the power switch is cleverly made and not likely to get turned on by accident, though it could happen.
6. The video quality is much better than I expected it to be.
7. The size is perfect, about the size of the average smart phone with much better video than any phones I've personally experienced. Much more responsive, too.
8. It keeps a charge for a very long time.
Here are the things I don't like about it:
1. There is no hole to put it on a tripod and no built-in way to stand it up. This means you either rig something up or you hold it. My problem with holding it is that it's so light, there's no heft to it, and I find it hard to keep it still enough while recording. If you have a steady hand, this will likely not be as much of a problem, but if for some reason you have a shaky hand, it'll definitely show in the video. Glaringly.
2. The zoom, though it looks surprisingly nice for a digital zoom, is VERY jerky when changing. I'd suggest zooming before recording, or at least cutting out the zooming process in a video editor. (At one point in the video, I use it to zoom in and back out on a firemouth meeki cichlid.)
3. It records in Quicktime format. This was frustrating for me as a Linux user as the audio codec it uses is not recognized by xine a problem I commonly have with Quicktime movies. However, mplayer and vlc play the sound with no problems. I just prefer xine to those two.
4. It's not very good in low light, even when configured for it.
5. The red LED recording indicator is VERY close to the microphone, making it tricky to cover up unless you do it beforehand.
6. There is a 3.5mm A/V out jack, but no jack for an external microphone.
Regardless, as I said before, I like this little camcorder very much and am beyond glad I purchased it.
Want RCA EZ2000 Digitel Camcorder with 3.5x Optical Zoom and 2-Inches LCD Screen - Black Discount?
This is one neat camcorder, simple to use with amazing video quality.Record an event and watch it back as soon as you want. Just remember to pick up micro SD card when you order, the Small Wonder has a small built in memory
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