Sonja & Misha Video

by C.K. Sample III on 8/23/2006 · 3 comments

This is a 5 minute video of the parrots. Particularly boring if you aren’t a fan of parrots and my parrots in particular. I shot it with the Sanyo VPC-HD1 that I’m testing out in regular non-HD recording mode:

1 phi 8/24/2006 at 9:03 am: How is the HD1 in super low light? My C5 stinks in low light. Any reason why you didn’t shoot in HD?
2 c.k. 8/24/2006 at 9:13 am: Hi, phi,

Lowlight seems to stink with the HD1 as well. I didn’t shoot in HD, b/c I am testing this cam as a solution for Netscape event coverage, and we get more vid per SD card shooting in normal mode. We have big tape-based HD DV cams ready to go for big important stuff, but we’re looking for a good “stick it in your pocket” solution for the non-video professionals on the team, in case they land an interview with someone etc.

However, I’ve noticed that the battery life on this thing isn’t too amazing, so if I shoot in regular mode I have much more space on the 4GB card for recording than the battery can handle. Going to have to buy a spare battery and charger I think to really make it effective.

How is the C5 overall?
3 phi 8/24/2006 at 6:20 pm: The C5 is great for the same reasons you have the HD1. Battery life is ok, but I bought an extra battery just in case. I am usually ok with 2 battery packs for most of my outings and I’ve yet to run into a situation where I needed to record more than 30 minutes straight. I only have a 2GB card which comes out to like an hour and twenty minutes, but I find myself that’s more than enough space seeing how I used to be used to 30 or 60 minute miniDV tapes.

I read though that most of the issues most people have (including me) with the C5 (low-light issues, no redeye option) were hammered out with the C6. I’m holding out though to see if the HD1A fixes any of the issues people are having with the HD1.