Low light performance is nothing to write home about, but again we’re talking about a $200 camera here. Exposure was pretty decent, and you can select center-weighted or spot, but not manual. Of course if you whip it back and forth you’ll get that wobbly skew action, but that’s something you can avoid. I found the autofocus to be a bit slow in general (though accurate), so I use manual whenever I can.įor a $200 camera, I found color and sharpness to be good, though the small sensor and major compression mean motion will always be kind of smeary. Its macro mode focuses down to 1cm, which is fantastic for getting close-ups of components, plus it gives a great depth of field effect. I used it (to great effect) in my Zune HD and Sleek SA-6 reviews. For keeping a device in focus while I or my hand move in and out of the shot, it’s invaluable. ![]() One feature I found extremely handy was the manual focus mode. The usual options are there, with several choices for exposure control, stabilization, and face tracking. The menu layout is the normal sort of thing, though I have to say I searched for ages for a way to delete things on camera before I realized that the “menu” button was taking me to the wrong place. This works pretty well once you get the layout down. Controls are all situated for your thumb to operate your other fingers have nothing to do but grip. Just don’t sit down on it.Īs you can see in the pictures, it’s got a nice little 3″ flip-out LCD, which is bright and reasonably sharp. Though it does sit comfortably in your back pocket if your pants aren’t too tight. Remember, this isn’t a pocket camcorder, it’s merely compact it’s certainly small enough to bring everywhere, but unlike a Flip (or an iPod Nano, I suppose) it’s not a front-pocket kind of thing. It feels pleasantly weighty and is well-balanced. The CG10 is about the size of a large mouse, just to give you a general idea. This means it has a 5x optical zoom and better light sensitivity than those other options, at the cost of a slightly larger size. It’s far from a real real lens, but it’s not the fixed-focus pinhole crap you see on Flips, Kodaks, and Nanos. The CG10 differs from many other cheap camcorders and pocketcams in that it actually has a real lens. They make a big deal about how “It’s a Dual Camera! Photos & Videos” but really now, camcorders have been taking pictures for years and years, and I don’t advise doing it if you don’t have to. ![]() 720p is its maximum resolution, which is more than enough for any home video or web media. There are a few cameras like this one, so let’s be clear: I’m talking about the CG10, which is sort of the lowest-end Sanyo you can get. Well, they came out a while back and I’ve been using it since. Vince from SlashGear had a pistol-grip Sanyo, which I had dismissed before as gimmicky, but having gotten a chance to handle it, I decided I liked it and would pick up the next generation when they came out. Both are great cameras, but 720p on either one is a bit indistinct, and the Zx1 has a fixed focus lens, which makes up-close shots difficult. At under $200 this thing is absolutely a steal.Ī while back I was at AMD’s overclocking challenge, and for shooting video I had a Kodak Zx1 and a Casio Exilim FC-100 for slow motion. Short version: An excellent casual HD camcorder with superior image quality to pocket cams and a flexible focus system, making it useful for bloggers like me as well.
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