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Fisher FVDC1 CameraCorder with 512 MB SD Memory Card

Fisher FVDC1 CameraCorder with 512 MB SD Memory Card

List Price: $799.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Unique dual use device; Needs lots of light
Review: I've got one of these. I wanted the ability to take quality still photos or full motion video with the same device.

The camera is tiny, very small and light. The video quality is actually quite good, way way better than 'movie mode' on any still camera. The photos it takes are great-- provided there is enough light. The built-in flash is very weak and will not illuminate well. On the plus side, mine almost never needs recharging.

I find the design a bit difficult to hold steady, but how tiny it is could be a big factor in that. It includes software for steadying the shot in video files on your computer but it was worthless on any video but the sample that came with it. Photos you take indoors farther than the diminutive flash can illuminate will be blurry and dark. You can always enhance the brightness on the computer later, but your photos will look strange.

When decent light is available, the video it takes looks fantastic on the computer. It's not exactly DVD quality but it's close. The photos it takes are great for snapshots, much much better than any phonecam or camcorder "snap".

One thing that's cool is that you can take full 3.2 megapixel still photos while you're shooting video. Doing this causes the video to freeze-frame for about a second while it saves the frame. This is great because you don't have to switch equipment and miss the shot.

When shooting video in really quiet environments the camera will pick up the sound of the autofocus gear motors or something. Plan on adding a soundtrack or editing this later. With that limitation, the microphone is well placed and does a fairly good job of picking up distant converations.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: OK for the impatient buyer...not for the intellegent one.
Review: In mid-June one of the most anticipated products of the year will drop: the Samsung MiniDV DuoCam Camcorder... The DuoCam does everything this camera does better and for an even better value. You can snap pictures at better quality, record longer and better quality videos on MiniDV or onto your memory card. The Fisher might be appealing to some because of its size and versitilaty, but don't be fooled into buying a product than a 600 dollar cell phone with similar features. I could waste more of your time going through all of the pros and cons here, but the bottom-line is that good things come to those who wait and you will get a great thing in the new samsung in a couple months. If you are eager to buy something now...take a look at the various available sony MiniDV cameras. P.S. stay away from the DVD camcorders...for now.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: can't decide what it wants to be
Review: it's a hybrid that does ok but fails to deliver. It tries to do too much and be portable, it's not to be.

good:
portable-the smallest or one of the smallest out there.
ergonomic-use it like a pistol

bad:
unless your hand is steady like rock, and the lighting is great, your photo will come fuzzy. to ensure quality you really should use two hands.
the video quality is not great, since it's so small, it's skimping on quality chips for processing power.

i recommend it if you care more about convenience, all-in-one wil l do ok. it's a jack of all trade, master of none thing. I'm sure if you print out a large picture or watch the video on big tv, you will dislike the quality. use WhoSave.com to see deals.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Too cute!
Review: My husband bought me this cool little camera for Christmas. I had wanted a digital camera, mostly so I could send pictures of the kids to their grandma. This is even better. It came with a 512 memory card, and I have taken hundreds and hundreds of pictures. Even better, I can take video too! I'm not great on the computer, but downloading and e-mailing is so easy! On top of that, the whole thing fits in my purse so I can always have it on me. Can you believe it... my husband actually picked out something I love!!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Little Camera
Review: This is a great little camera. I wish this had come out 2 or three years ago, when I bought the first miniDV camera that came out.

I am currently in Kuwait. I brought my miniDV Video Camera with me to record my time here, but the dust contamination is so bad here, it is destroying my camera. I started looking for a video camera with no moving parts. Thank God for this Fisher. No moving parts, USB connection, 3.2 Mpixels resolution. Best thing, no rewind. It took forever to get to the front of the tape to see what the video looked like.

There are just a few bad points to this model. The cover to the memory card slot is fragile, so a lot of care needs to be taken to keep from breaking it off when opening the compartment. The view finder/screen is a bit small, so it is hard to see unless you hold the camera closer to your face.

Granted, a miniDV can record more info, but you just can't beat this little guy for versatility.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Yes,yes, yes!
Review: Very cool, very small, really good images and video. No messing with tape any more, no last minute trying to find blank tape. Put the SD card in your reader and BAM! Bring the (native, no conversion at all) MPEG-4 movie file right into iMovie for fast editing. No more playing a tape into the computer. It's right there. The convenience factor is very productivity-enhancing - I found myself shooting and editing on the fly which I wouldn't think to do using tape. Decently intuitive GUI on the camera. Hey, this is no Canon XL2 with a Powershot G5 tacked on as far as the ultimate image quality but for home stuff and training and web work this is a great, fast tool. It fits in the palm of your hand and weighs less than 6 ounces! The Samsung SCD6040 is heavy and clunky in comparison.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best Camera is the One You Carry Around
Review: With a 2-year-old toddler and a new infant, and Grandma and Grandpa 1500 miles away, I needed a camera that could take reasonable movies and photos, could interface easily with my computer (for easy email to family) -- and most importantly, was FAST and EASY to use. My kids aren't super-cute for more than a few minutes at a time, and those moments are fleeting.

Not the best still camera (although quite good in sunlight) -- but the camera fits in my pocket, and I'm taking movies as fast as I can get the lens cap off. With this camera, I have movies and still photos I would never have captured otherwise!

I also purchased a Sony MiniDV and a "Panasonic SVAV100 D-Snap", but returned them. The Panasonic was Macintosh-hostile, the Sony was difficult to use with either Windows or Mac (but had the best picture quality). Fisher picture quality disappointed until I viewed the movies on the computer - WOW! Very nice.


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