We said for the most part.  In terms of video quality, the MinoHD has fostered some improvements over its predecessor.  While it still does the same 1280 x 720 resolution, the improved color saturation and better handling of jerky movements is highly noticeable.  Regardless, it still pales in comparison to the Zi8′s considerably better recordings (1080p at 60fps).

Now that the video quality is settled (it’s still not as good as it should be), let’s look at some of the highlights for this iteration.  The new MinoHD now comes with a larger 2-inch screen (compared with the 1.5-inch from before) and offers twice the memory at 8GB, which makes for plenty more movies before having to dump them onto a PC.  Even better, it now comes with an HDMI jack along the side, allowing you to watch the clips on an HDTV right from the camcorder.

The gadget’s body received a tune-up, too, trading in the plastic panels for an almost full-metal armor.  It  even comes with an awesome-looking brushed finish, which arguably makes it the best-looking pocket camcorder around.  Overall build appears to have been strengthened, including the pop-out USB, which feels extra durable while it hangs by the side of the computer.  Battery life is good for nearly two hours of continuous shoots, which isn’t too shabby.

Ultimately, though, it has to stand in comparison with the Kodak Zi8.  Priced at $50 cheaper than the Flip MinoHD’s $230 price tag, it remains a difficult task for Pure Digital to win us over.

Related Posts

• Kodak Zi8 Pocket Camcorder Does 1080p, Flips Competition Over

Canon’s latest gadget-envy camcorder is out and it’s called the Vixia HSF11.  Combining stylish looks with high-quality video recordings, it manages exceptionally vivid moving images, but not without a few caveats.

How a camcorder so small can pack so much power is really surprising.  But it does.  With a 1/2.6-inch CMOS sensor, optical stabilization, digital image processing, 10X zoom and an excellent hardware set, everything we shot looked life-like and sharp, even under poor lighting.  In fact, the only time we saw some niggling issues was when shooting far-off (maximum optical zoom) into the distance without a tripod.   It even manages exceptional stills, in case you ever use a camcorder for shooting photos.

When it comes capture quality, we encountered no real problems with the HSF11.  The controls, however, are a mixed bag.  Sure, the knurled manual focus is clever, but a lot of functions that are easily accessible via physical buttons in other camcorders got shafted because of the size.  Instead of reaching over and pressing, you’ll have to dig through menus to access them.  The menu’s control knob was pretty snazzy, but, again, I’d rather press a button for most of those functionalities.

At a $1,400 price tag, the Canon Vixia HSF11 isn’t cheap.  But it’s high-quality, it’s pretty and it almost fits into my front pocket.  That sounds good enough for me.

Related Posts

• Canon Powershot A2100 IS: Great Image Quality And 6X Zoom, Albeit A Little Slow
• Canon Powershot D10 Review: Canon Gets Rugged
• Product Review: The Canon 5D Mark II DSLR Camera

Touting 1080p full HD motion capture at 30 fps, the Zi8 manages to achieve a resolution no other pocket camcorder in the market is able to offer.  Even better, it throws in software-based image stabilization and external mic support into the mix, paving the way for what are easily the best quality video recordings on a pocket camcorder.

While quality is still far behind that from full-sized camcorders with powerful lenses, it manages to shoot sharp videos with gorgeous color and impressive frame rate.  Lighting is largely accurate, able to adjust exposure much quicker than any pocket shooter we’ve seen before.  While you’ll still do best trying to hold it as steady as possible, there’s much less jerkiness, compared to the current devices currently in the market.  There’s even a macro mode that allows you to focus on subjects a couple of feet away – something we’ve never seen even the industry-leading Flip Video be able to do.

Default audio quality of the recordings is good, around the same quality as you’ll find with other pocket camcorders.  What’s great about the Zi8 is it allows you to improve upon it, by simply adding a more powerful external mic into the mix.  No doubt, this is a major selling point, especially for those who have shunned this genre for the nominal audio it manages.

Fitted with an attractive design, easy-to-use controls and a good collection of extra features (5MP stills, microSDHC support up to 32GB, bundled 1080p playback software and an HDMI out), this is easily the most compelling pocket camcorder around.  Even better, it will sell for considerably less than Flip Video’s 720p-capable camcorders at only $180.

Related Posts

• Flip MinoHD Second-Gen Review: Good, But Not Good Enough