What can I say? When frugality meets camcorder lust I'm just helpless. The GZ-HM30 I purchased is a refurbished model. It is a basic entry level camcorder. There are some things to be aware if you are thinking about getting one but for $124.99 at Woot it seemed like a good deal.
Operating System Compatibility
If you are Mac user this bad boy is compatible with iMovie 8, 9 and 11 so you can just import and have at it.
PC users will need editing software that is compatible with the video format or make use of a converter.
The Important Specs:
- 40x Optical Zoom
- 1/5.8-inch 1.5M pixel CMOS (Small sensor)
- Konica Minolta HD F1.8 to F6.3 Lens
- SDHC/SXHC Memory Card format 4GB Class 4 or higher recommended.
- AVCHD Lite Format HD & Standard Definition Dual Recording
- 1920x1080P Output (upconverted) Actually it records in 1280x720P
Battery life is about 40 minute with the standard battery supplied or you can buy a juiced up one that can get you to almost 2 hours of recording time.
Things To Know Before Purchasing
There is no external microphone jack. The microphone does not record in stereo, it is monaural.
The actual microphone is located under the lens barrel. If you zoom a lot (and you shouldn't) then you might hear the sound of the camcorder included in the recording.
There is no separate still photo button. The only camcorder that gave me good photos and videos was my Kodak Zi6 (RIP). I wind up just extracting an image from the video when I need a photo.
Possibilities
This might be a replacement for The Flip camcorder provided that the transfer from the camcorder to the computer is smooth. I'll know better in a few days when it arrives so that I can give you soon to be former Flipsters the truth of the matter.
I picked one of these up from Woot, same price, not a bad deal for a newbie to camcorders. I don't really plan on using it that much, so I figured this would be a good way to go to get my feet wet. I put an 8gb card in, and charged it up. After a full charge, I tried this out at an elementary school choral concert. I set the video quality on SSW, but made no other changes to the settings. 40 minutes of recording is all the battery had in it on it's first charge. It didn't shut itself off, but the battery indicator was blinking. I'm going to play around with the settings to see if I can extend the battery life and still get decent video.
ReplyDeleteNope, Changing the settings will not do a bit of good. You really need to get a higher capacity battery or a 2nd standard one if you need to go the distanced.
ReplyDeleteis that no portable charger handycam?
ReplyDeleteI too extravagant camcorders battery, how much price for battery fit for this type?
You get the battery with the camcorder. Current price is about USD $25 to $45. It is a standard battery that generally last about 40 minutes or so. It also comes with an AC power cord.
DeleteYou can buy a higher capacity but that will cost more money.
It is a small camcorder that can fit in a handbag or large pockets.