The trend in camcorders continues to be smaller--obvi. That certainly goes for the new DXG-567V HD. "The DXG-567V is not much bigger than an average mobile phone," the press release claims. No need to be defensive about it. We know you're not my dad's camcorder.
Let me tell you right now what does worry me--and I freely admit this is my hangup. Before the specs of this camcorder are announced, DXG is telling me, "in 4 eye-popping colors including black, red, pink and sky blue." Next time, pretty second, functions first. OK?
This is real HD video at 1280 x 720 at 30 frames-per-second (FPS). I'm going to assume it's a fixed focal length lens, because they'd mention it if they'd paid for it. It could be worse, zooming is overrated and overused. You'll still miss it. In a package this small, is it even possible to implement?
When it comes to homemade video, those who want to edit their own clips are the exception, not the rule. Most users just want to fire off a video segment or two, and this camera makes that exceptionally easy. Direct uploading capability is built right in "Simply connect the DXG-567V's retractable USB connector to a computer to automatically launch its menu and instantly upload videos from the camera to YouTube, a blog or other Web video site."
This is not to say the DXG-567V HD's video isn't there for the editing, should you choose. The package comes with ArcSoft TotalMedia™ Extreme, a program that seems to be included in packages more often than it's sought out on its own.
There are still those moments when you'd like to show your video in a non-computer environment (while those moments still exist), so the DXG-567V HD comes with a complement of cables, including S-VHS video. I'm not going to look down my nose at that. Having access to analog video is still a good thing and sometimes allows you to get around quirky digital problems in a pinch.
These miniature camcorders are hot. People are taking notice, especially after David Pogue, speaking of the similarly sized PureDigital Flip camera, announced in the New York Times, "It's been the best-selling camcorder on Amazon.com since the day of its debut." But how do these pocket-moviemakers compete against an army of camcorders taking up no space, since they're already part of your cellphone (Sorry iPhone users--not you)? Only time will tell.
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June 29, 2008 12:17 AM
Wow- ever since the Flip, the trend really has been to video cameras that are the size of what we used to expect from point-and-shoots, isn't it? Kinda cool when you think about it - you don't ever have to be without a useful, relatively feature-rich, and stylish video camera! Just slip one in your pocket!
July 1, 2008 3:46 PM
These gadgets are great as they have a retractable USB cord, shoot HD and have software for easy uploading. Now if htey had rechargeable batteries through the USB port, they would be awesome.