Creative Labs Vado HD 4GB Pocket Video Camcorder 2nd Generation (Black Gloss)

Selected the Vado over other pocket video camcorders (specifically the Flip Ultra Camcorder 2nd Generation, 120 Minutes) because for almost the same price(~$90) it provides up to HD 720p resolution (instead of VGA only) and has a wide-angle lens.

Received the Vado yesterday evening and charged it overnight using standard charging speed. Took it for a quick test run this morning filming three small clips (17 to 30 seconds duration) using the HD+, HD, and VGA settings. The Vado performed as expected based on the hundreds of reviews I had read and I won't rehash the specifics here.

I did encounter the same issues with out-of-sync audio/video that a number of other reviewers have noted when playing both HD+ and HD videos directly from the Vado on my laptop (VGA had no issues). To test this more fully I recorded an eight minute HD+ video, saved it to the laptop hard drive, and played it back on both Windows Media Player and WMP Classic. Both programs lost sync rather quickly.

I then recorded a five minute HD video, saved it, and played it back on the same programs. This time both WMP and Classic remained in sync. Note that, just like the shorter video, playing this HD video directly from the Vado caused the video to go out-of-sync. So for myself the best way to view videos using my laptop is to record in HD, copy them onto my hard drive, and use WMP/Classic.

Here are the various specs so potential purchasers can compare what I'm using to their computers to hopefully get an idea of expected performance:

Windows Media Player 11 Ver. 11.0.5721.5268

Windows Media Player Classic (unicode build) Ver. 6.4.9.1

1.73 GHz Intel Pentium M

MS Windows XP Home Edition Version 2002 Service Pack 3

1 GB RAM

*****6 Dec 09*****

Uploaded a 40 sec HD+ video review to Amazon as a test (it's for Bob's Red Mill Old Country Style Muesli, 40-Ounce Packages (Pack of 4) if you want to take a look). This worked fine.

I then tried the proprietary Vado Central software to create some clips from three ~30 second videos shot at VGA, HD, and HD+. Editing worked fine with the VGA clip. The laptop's video lag with HD+ and HD videos made editing such clips a bit of a chore, although it could be done using audio cues or noting the time points at which you'd like to start and stop from playback on the Vado itself.

Note that Vado Central saves edited videos to the laptop by default. I saved an edited video to the Vado directly in the same directory as the original, but both Vado Central and the Vado itself refused to recognize it. This means that if you want to use clips to make movies in Vado Central you'll be working from the hard drive. It also means you can't upload videos to the Vado to watch.

Next I tested the Vado Central movie making function. It works as advertised, subject to the lag issues noted previously. Interestingly, while videos and clips are saved as .avi, movies are saved as .wmv. In addition, at least on my laptop, adding a style to a movie was a very slow process, as was saving the actual movies. To give an example, just saving a movie made from a 30 second VGA video with sepia style took about six minutes and the final .wmv file was only 4.4 MB in size.

None of this changes my five star rating for the Vado. At the price point it is still the best value for me for the reasons originally stated.

*****7 Dec 09*****

Today I encountered my first real disappointment when I worked with the Create Movie portion of Vado Central. Specifically, I tried to combine seven clips into a movie when a pop-up screen informed me this action was not possible. Apparently, Vado Central uses a program called muvee Basic (not mentioned in the product description) which, among other limitations, limits you to importing no more than three videos/clips to make a movie. Try any more and a handy pop-up suggests an upgrade to muvee Premium which would allow, among other things, unlimited videos/clips to be combined. And all for the low, low price of $19.99.

This experience enters one of those gray areas for me as the product description says nothing about making movies or muvee Basic, simply stating "With integrated Vado Central software, the VadoPocket Video Cam makes it easy to quickly shoot and edit your own short movies and capture snapshots in still and burst modes.", which it certainly does. So, on the one hand, the inclusion of muvee Basic can be considered a bonus. On the other hand, it's obviously a play to get you to spend an additional $20.

Personally, I managed to work around this restriction by combining the seven clips into three smaller movies and combining those into the final larger movie. Whether this method would also circumvent the restriction placed on music I have not tested. For my planned uses, it is really a non-issue. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

At the time I bought this (Christmas season 2009), the Vado was the least expensive option for 720p video pocket-sized recorders. It's very handy to carry around and the little included silicon case is useful and well designed. The camera is fairly intuitive to use for shooting videos. I'd recommend a tripod for long interviews with seated subjects. To download the images to a Mac, you need to download software from the Creative site. Once you do that, you can either bring the videos into the Mac via: 1) the Vado software for quick editing or file conversion; 2) directly to iPhoto for quick storage and playing/editing on Apple Quicktime or iMovie.

If you already have a decent quality compact point and shoot camera with a video option, the Vado probably is superfluous (and its competitors are as well). The lens is cheap and under low light the images are grainy with little color rainbow patches. Under good lighting, image quality is fine, but it won't wow you. The audio quality is passable, but hissy and doesn't give much beyond the human voice in terms of frequency range. It should be noted that the to-be-released "3rd generation" model will allow for an external mic.

If you don't have a good quality compact still camera with video, this item can be a lot of fun. The images aren't fantastic, but for Youtube they are more than decent enough. Be sure to find a way to have decent lighting before you shoot because otherwise you might end up disappointed by the degraded image. At the price I bought this thing, I consider it to be a bargain.

Buy Creative Labs Vado HD 4GB Pocket Video Camcorder 2nd Generation (Black Gloss) Now

I have found the video quality of this camcorder to be consistent with its price, which in the end isn't too shocking. What surprised me is that the video quality, even on the highest HD quality setting, is still far below the HD quality of my Kodak camera which is not even a dedicated video camera like the Creative. My Kodak camera is a digital still camera which also records in 720P. The indoor video quality of the Creative is very soft, lacking the clear, sharp imagery one would expect from 720P.

The Creative is very use to use, and it is basically idiot proof. One button to turn it on, one to record, and two very limited zoom and zoom-out buttons.

Whether the ease of use outweighs your need for higher quality will of course depend on your needs. If you are shooting any footage that will have sentimental value to you, like family, children, etc, I would recommend spending more money on a higher quality camera. If you are shooting buddies at parties, or goofing off to post videos on You Tube, the ease of use of this camera is worth the lower quality, assuming such footage isn't something you value as much as your baby's first steps.

The attractive pricing of this camcorder clearly places it in the low-end of expected performance. As long you are picking the right camera for your intended use, and this fits into that objective, you will probably like this camera, despite its lower quality.

Read Best Reviews of Creative Labs Vado HD 4GB Pocket Video Camcorder 2nd Generation (Black Gloss) Here

I have this thing for more then a week now and it's performed as expected. The Vado is a pocket cam so low light performance is a given . I took a few clips from a reasonable light room and very low light area and the lower light clips are totally unusable .The rest of the clips are nice and clear with audio sync only with my 2.8ghz computer so my laptop is useless in backup mode .I compare this cam with the Flip Mino HD and the pictures is identical ,even though the Flip is 1080P .The audio is much better then I expected since I read reviews saying the audio pick up is poor . I think the cam is reasonable price for what it is now .

Want Creative Labs Vado HD 4GB Pocket Video Camcorder 2nd Generation (Black Gloss) Discount?

We bought this camera for our 7 year old who loves to film everything. We looked at the flip cameras and decided for the price and features, this one seemed better. We bought a waterproof pouch with it so she can film underwater. I am very pleasantly surprised about the quality of the HD film. We can even plug it right into our TV to watch the recordings. I love the fact you can print stills from it. We use it with our PC but heard you can get software for the Mac. If I were to pick something I do not like that much, it would be that the USB cord is on the bottom so you can't stand it up straight without 'rigging' it or using a tripod. We got one that clips onto something or also stands on the legs.

All in all, I would recommend this product to a friend. Well worth the money.