Sanyo HD solid state camcorder £499 @ DSG

jwramsay · 29-09-2006, 7:33 AM

Autumn Sale, saving of £200. At Dixons and Currys. There will be vouchers available too and quidco cashback of 3.5%.

If you too are peeved at the Sony HC-3 being dropped after being advertised (with no stock) for £650 for a while, this might be a reasonable alternative.

Its 720p and uses SD cards.

jugglerb · 29-09-2006, 3:57 PM

ive been waiting ages for the hc3 to come back in stock, looks like it never will now

Anyway, personally I dont think the Sanyo compares to the HC3, if im spending that much money id want to got the extra and get the HC3 (At the dixons price of 650!!)

rjarvis · 29-09-2006, 5:33 PM

Hi,

My guess is that it will be back in Dixons tomorrow for £650 as I have given up waiting and bought it from Purely Gadgets for £699 today.

Good luck

Richard.

RecordablDVDfan · 30-09-2006, 7:27 PM

Sony HC3E in stock from http://www.citiwide-online.com/index...emart&Itemid=1

£30 more now but maybe worth it still ?

**senu** · 30-09-2006, 10:06 PM

A small "sexy" mpeg4 HD camcorder it is... HC3 it is not.
The HC3 is a victim of its own sucess. The relatively low cost , compact size, with rather good PQ and features meant it would sell fast.
Even the costlier HC1 is holding its price ( if it can be found).
Im not at all sure about the Sanyo. If the Sonys are overpriced IMHO this sanyo is a touch too costly for what it is

RecordablDVDfan · 30-09-2006, 10:29 PM

The Sanyo is not really a true HD camcorder, reocording to SD card is a bit of a joke still guess it will suit some people. The HC3 is about the best there is at the moment, very little critisisim about it mostly praise

alpine101 · 01-10-2006, 9:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RecordablDVDfan

The Sanyo is not really a true HD camcorder, reocording to SD card is a bit of a joke still guess it will suit some people. The HC3 is about the best there is at the moment, very little critisisim about it mostly praise

Rubbish!

RecordablDVDfan · 01-10-2006, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpine101

Rubbish!

Go on then defend yourself !

**senu** · 01-10-2006, 5:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpine101

Rubbish!

The Sanyo is a true HD camcorder? or The HC3 isnt all that?

The Sanyo does record mpeg4 HD video to an SD card. Its main claim to fame is its size.
Unfortunately for it , The HC3 is quite small and its HDV footage is such that it can easily find its way to HD DVD and BD when the recordable domestic formats become available. HDV is that much nearer HD
More importantly even as an SD camcorder the HC3s PQ is very good . As such it is not in the same league as the Sanyo

They may be trying to appeal to different markets but ....."Rubbish" doesnt say much

redsox_mark · 01-10-2006, 7:27 PM

The Sanyo HD1 shoots 720p video (1,280 x 720), which by definition is a High Definition format (both 720p and 1080i - the later which the HC3 shoots - are HD).

I don't agree that storing on SD cards is a "joke". It is a limitation, as you can only get 28 mins on a 2 GB card (with best quality settings). In the future we will see more camcorders which record to solid state memory (as memory gets larger and cheaper).

Having said all that, all the reviews I have seen of the HD1 indicate it isn't in the same league as the HC3 for quality.

**senu** · 01-10-2006, 8:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redsox_mark

The Sanyo HD1 shoots 720p video (1,280 x 720), which by definition is a High Definition format (both 720p and 1080i - the later which the HC3 shoots - are HD).

I don't agree that storing on SD cards is a "joke". It is a limitation, as you can only get 28 mins on a 2 GB card (with best quality settings). In the future we will see more camcorders which record to solid state memory (as memory gets larger and cheaper).

Having said all that, all the reviews I have seen of the HD1 indicate it isn't in the same league as the HC3 for quality.

Mark,
There is no doubt that labels ( of HD ) aside, the camcorders in question are really not comparable.

How about the output format? ( not just pixel definition) and encoding bitrate: what do they count for?. Is HDmpeg4 not already even more compressed than HD mpeg2 the Sony does? Is it meant to be editable?

Just as importantly, where does Solid State/HDD recording for SD (mpeg4) or HD (?mpeg4) leave the likes of HC3 /FX1 or Canons soon to be launched: XH A1 or XL G1?.

The G1 is said to have output direct to a studio or Hard drive bypassing the need for tape.
They sound like an HDV replacement for Canons XM2 and Canons answer to Sonys FX1 ( albeit in a smaller Body)

My point is that while Solid State and HDD video cameras seem to be getting more mainstream, the vibes I get from mid to higher end kit range is that tape based Equipment still featuring strong in there.
Like Sonys "experiment" with Digital8, It may be that Sanyo will not develop a "better" and pro prosumer based HD1.
Time will tell.

redsox_mark · 01-10-2006, 9:36 PM

Senu,

You are right that the encoding is also important... and also that tape is still the main choice for higher end camcorders. But I think even that is changing... Panasonic has a nice £4000 camcorder which uses P2 memory cards. Sony's HDD AVCHD cam is just coming out, and that looks comperable in quality to the HC3. AVCHD is also MPEG4, but a different MPEG4 than the Sanyo uses. There will be editing support for AVCHD.. not sure what the Sanyo is like to edit.

**senu** · 01-10-2006, 10:24 PM

...
Youll no doubt find this review from vonhosens recent thread interesting
An 8Gb card for £1150 is going to put off only the most ardent.

Note that Sonys HDD AVCHD is not aimed beyond the Prosumer level as even this new Pro grade Z1 "rival" sticks to tape

The change is not very fast and it seems that apart from " Pioneering Panasonic" ( with a £1150 8Gb card

), Sony , JVC are for now sticking to tape at camcorders just below XDCAM HD,etc and other

redsox_mark · 02-10-2006, 7:37 AM

Senu,

We've gone a little off the original track here, but I agree as far as professional kit goes it is still mostly tape.. and yes there is the new V1 as well as the FX7, both tape. And yes AVCHD is seen primarily as a consumer format.. though some would say DV and HDV were really designed as consumer formats, though we have some pro kit using them.

With the HD1 and HC3 though we are talking about consumer camcorders. And I'd clearly rather have the HC3. What will be interesting though is to see if Sony will be bringing out additional consumer HDV (tape) models, or if there consumer HD line is going to feature AVCHD. Maybe both for a while....

**senu** · 02-10-2006, 9:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redsox_mark

Senu,

..We've gone a little off the original track here, but I agree as far as professional kit goes it is still mostly tape.. ..

True,
I have been very hopeful about the arrival of high quality tapeless Video recording,
My short experience with the Everios was positive but Ive since become a little more sceptical and as such inclined to see where it is all going .Both from point of view of PQ, Editing and output.

And...there is this much debated question of archiving. This also applies to the thousands of Digital still images now living on HDD ( and not film)

For now tape is still with us for video but the attractivenes of HDD and Solid State camcoreders is undeniable