Sanyo HD1 questions!
 

I think I might be ordering one of these within the week, but I have a few questions for those of you who have one already. Any feedback is appreciated!

1) Does this camera have a Mic input? If so what type?
2) Is there a shoe to mount a mic on (if I can even connect one)?
3) Is there a maximum size of SD card that this can take? (EDIT, 4GB at least)
4) 20 minutes of HD is 1GB right? (EDIT, it's about 14mins per GB)
5) Can I take the video right off the card and edit it in Vegas without messing with it?
6) Is there a video input on it anywhere, in case I wanted to use an external lipstick cam for sports stuff, or record anything else (like TV) into it?
7) I read in one review that the longer clips you record, the more problems you have. ANy feedback on this?




I think that's it, for starters... :)
Thanks!

You wouldn't want to edit an MPEG-4 file in Vegas directly. Seek times (for moving between frames, particularly backwards) would be very slow. An intermediate codec (or using proxies) would be the way to go. Similar to HDV (MPEG-2), because of the interframe compression, but even more demanding on the computer.

There's a huge thread on here about the HD1 ("Sanyo HD1 Footage!"), big enough that it daunts me to read much of it, much less carefully! I think you could find quite a few links to sample clips and stills in the posts, and probably quite a bit of detailed information. It looks like the camera compresses the video it aquires to 6mbps MPEG-4, which is reasonable, but is pushing towards the limits of MPEG-4, to get good quality at that resolution (I'd like to know how big the GOPs are). It says on their site that a 2gb SD card can hold 41 minutes, so maybe 2gb is a limit for the size card it can use. You can get some fairly brief information from Sanyo's site at:

http://www.sanyo.com/entertainment/c...productID=1239

I know there's a little more information there, but not sure how to find it again.

Robert, I read the first 20 pages of that thread before posting this. My left eyball shriveled up to rasin size.
I'm sort of hoping to get the ball rolling on a new thread so people don't have to sift through it all.

Anyway, I forgot, about 14 minutes of HD for 1GB. Aparrently no size restrictions from the camera.

I didn't watch the lowlight video clips that were posted, but I did go back and find them. Not super, but not the worst I've seen.

My eyes glazed over pretty fast, reading a little in that thread, also. I did peek at a couple clips though, and was pleasantly surprised (especially considering, my first thought upon seeing a photo of the camera was "keychain novelty toy").

I believe it's 20min/GB, with perhaps a 2 gigabyte limit (since they mention "up to 41 min on a 2GB SD card" - why the reference to a 2GB card there?). That seems like at least a reasonably decent limit (not like 10 minutes on a really pricey P2 card in the HVX!).

If you do pick one up, I'd sure like to hear what you think of it first hand. Might could make for a dang nice pocket cam! If so, I could probably stop taking my TRV70 along with me everytime I walk out the door (my just in case I see something I just gotta shoot camera). Would be nice if it has a shoe and can take an external mic (I have doubts that it will though).

1) Does this camera have a Mic input? If so what type?
Yes. I think 1/8 inch.
2) Is there a shoe to mount a mic on (if I can even connect one)?
No.
3) Is there a maximum size of SD card that this can take? (EDIT, 4GB at least)
My 4GB card works.
4) 20 minutes of HD is 1GB right? (EDIT, it's about 14mins per GB)
Yes, 14.5 minutes per GB.
5) Can I take the video right off the card and edit it in Vegas without messing with it?
Unknown.
6) Is there a video input on it anywhere, in case I wanted to use an external lipstick cam for sports stuff, or record anything else (like TV) into it?
NO.
7) I read in one review that the longer clips you record, the more problems you have. ANy feedback on this?
Unknown.

I would also like to know about the Sanyo HD1-

Is the Mic input mono or stereo and does it have phantom power? And, does it have a manual level setting or is it always using Auto gain?

Is there a standard screw hole for tripod mounting?

Is there manual Iris and maual focus?

Is there a manual white balance setting by aiming at a white card and setting?

What is the battery and charger situation? Sizes, costs, run time, can we charge a spare while still shooting?

Is there a Lanc input so I could use the Sony tripod that allows Stop/Start and Zooming from the tripod handle?

Gary

>Is the Mic input mono, stereo and does it have phantom power?
I would be really surprised if it was not stereo. Don't you need to have an XLR connection to get phantom power?
>Is there a standard screw hole for tripod mounting?
Yes.
>Is there manual Iris and manual focus?
Yes.
>Is there a manual white balance setting by aiming at a white card and >setting?
Yes.
>What is the battery and charger situation? Sizes, costs, run time, can we
>charge a spare while still shooting?
One size. Pretty cheap on eBay. Supposed to last an hour, but you won't get that. Charges in the camera in the base.

Joseph, Thanx for the info.

Some cams have a mono mic input that also supplies power to a mic using the other pin. A stereo mic input could use a Y cord that breaks out for two separate mics, but no power for phantom. I would be happy to get a good lav hooked in for interviews.

I think I read it had manual focus, but Manual Iris, too? That would be good.

So you can't have a spare battery charging while you shoot because it has to use the camera as the charger? That could be a problem on a long day of shooting. Or buying a lot of extra batteries. I wonder how we charge all those extra batteries? Do you know how long a charge time is needed for a full charge from empty? No fun baby sitting the changing of batteries all night using one camera as a charger. I hope they have accessory chargers for sale.

Gary

It has nice manual controls: Manual ISO, f stop, focus, shutter, white balance, ND filter

Here is the instructions manual in PDF:

www.gamersden.com/hd1test/Camera_GB.pdf

I think the battery charges in an hour or less. I have been looking for an external charger, but no luck yet.

If you look low on this page it looks like an external charger will be released by sanyo:

http://www.sanyo-dsc.com/english/pro...pec/index.html

Joseph,

Thanx again,

Gary

It looks like the supplied cable adapter (which is where the AC power cable plugs into) is plugged into the bottom of the camera right next to the tripod mounting hole. I would think some sort of stand off adapter would need to be made to use the camera on a tripod with external AC power. I am guessing about 3 inches of a stand off. Unless there is another external AC input on the camera that I didn't see in the PDF manual.

Gary

Wow. Sounds like Sanyo was fairly serious when they decided to make this camera. I think I'm going to see if I can find a retailer near here that has one and take a look-see.

Would there be any problem changing SD cards and batteries while the camera is mounted on a tripod?

The cards appear to be mounted thru the back of the cam, so the tripod would not be a problem. I am thinking of doing long shoots, like a concert or stage show, and using the AC supply with 4 GB cards.

Gary

Has anyone seen or know of any postings/reviews that compare this Sanyo with the Sony HC1 (HC3) as for quality and features? I believe I saw the Sony for $1500 at B&H. I am interested in the highest HD(V) video and not so much the still pics.

Gary

Yep, on a tripod without any special adaptor you can not access the AC power or the video out. The battery hatch slides down, so it would not open on a tripod either.
No problem getting to the SD card.
The HC1 or HC3 will beat this unit in picture quality for sure. A few things to consider. Both the Sony cameras a interlaced, not progressive. The HC3 has no mic in jack. Both cameras record to tape and then need to be captured to a computer. Neither are ultra compact.

Just trying to visualize in my head, the first thought I have for mounting on a tripod, while allowing access for the A/C plugin, would be to use something akin to a short rod-like extension from plate to camera, female threaded adapter at the bottom of the extension and male threaded at the top. Bringing a plate (maybe whole tripod and head) and the camera to a local hardware store, and talking to the store owner (or well seasoned help there) might yield a good solution. They can be pretty helpful for solving problems like that generally.

I seem to be reading nothing but hopeful and positive speculation about the Sanyo HD1 on this thread. From the descriptions
provided by the manufacturer, it sounds like it might be a nice item to have. However, I just read a hands-on review from a Japanese website that described the video quality of this model as being a complete disaster. The reviewer says that the feature set and build quality are very good, but that the picture is not even equal to SD. He says that the pixels are visible and resolution is bad. He does say that the still photo pictures the HD1 produces are good, however.

I'd advise anyone to try this model out in person, before they buy. Sanyo made a couple of earlier models that were similar to this and the reviewer says their picture quality was better.

The reviewer uses the name Daimaou and the review is here:
http://www.akihabaranews.com/review-62-X.html

This reviewer provides some great pictures and descriptions of the controls on this model. Scroll down through all this, to finally get to the essence of his critical remarks.

I've added this later: It's been pointed out that this website is actually from France and not Japan. I guess the Akihabara name and the Japanese signboard in a picture the reviewer put on the website, led me to the first asssumption.

lol stephen akihabara is not a japanese site but a french site !!

don't u make the difference between japanese and french ???

well this review is the second part of a previous review that akihabara made some weeks ago

that's true that the many video clips i saw from the HD1 let much to be desired

i mean the videoclips are closer to SD than HD !!! the only video from that camera that were close to HD were the ones proposed by Sanyo itself !!!!

heck do u wanna pay 800 bucks for a camcorder that is not gonna give you the highest qualited advertised ???

i was very tempted at the beginning, but now i wonder, plus the converting to .avi seems not so easy...

I was wondering what happened to my reply to this argument from you and Marc, but I see it is repeated:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showpost....5&postcount=10

Thanks

Sanyo bug
 

Wayne,

It is now obvious that this cam suffer from a bug.
ALL the clips posted from all HD1 cams show a lot of jaggies on the "\" direction (first detected by Emmanuel Bertin).
It is once more easily visible on the french test clip :
http://images.akihabaranews.com/revi...2/SANY0008.MP4
Look at the knife vs the fork on this movie.
I am sure Sanyo will provide a fix.

Luc-Henri

maybe it's just me but i don't quite see what you're talking about...when i look at this video, i only see images, i don't see any "/" or "\"

but maybe only professional video guys can see that....

Edge
 

Re salut l'ami !,
Look at the superior edge (contour) of knife. This edge is going in the direction "\" and is heavily saw-toothed.
Look at the superior edge of fork going in the "/" direction, this edge is OK.
Your ability to see this artifact depends of your display resolution and may be technology (CRT could hide this ?). It is easier to see it when you zoom in.
You can also see this artifacts on letters.
Without this, the cam would be far better providing a higher resolution feeling.
This feature is apparent on all clips from all cams (look at the roof edges).

Luc-Henri

I noticed this from long ago (look at the Kelloggs "K" on the box) I thought it was just bad interpolation software/binning, but I see what you mean, it shouldn't just be on one side. It is one thing that should not be on this camera.

ok luc henri, i will look at it with more care

I took it into ps, zoomed in and it's easy to see. Hopefully it's a firmware problem and sanyo is aware of it. Then again, it could be the sensor .Kurth

At least it does not show up in digital camera mode, so it is more likely that the problem is in the MP4 encoding process.

Sanyo HD1 bug ?
 

The bug is now related by the french site akihabaranews

http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/news...+to+a+bug.html

A few days ago, I sent an email to the Sanyo European support, and YES they replied !
Here is the aproximate translation:
"We did not notice the bug on the european product... If the bug was real we would fix it of course... Wait for the commercial release to make your own opinion."

Luc-Henri

I agree this HD1 may be flawed in a similar way JVC's HD1 was a few years ago.

This is the first pocket HD video camera - there'll be more pocket HD video cameras available very soon and they may be better. If history is anything to go by, they will be!

However, the manual controls (which were sorely lacking on JVC's HD1) and the fact that, as Akihabara News points out, "The HD1 is the result of a long line of [Sanyo] pocket camcorders in which the problems have been resolved step by step... " makes me feel better about this than I did about the JVC HD1.

Even though Sanyo's camera probably has inferior picture in principle to the JVC.

With the JVC, there was a real feeling of botched brilliance. I don't get that here. It's just a super low spec HD device..

The reason why, is probably because this is a $800 Sanyo, HD is old, and the price is a fraction of what JVC wanted for theirs. If JVC had done it for $800, I think they could have been a market leader in sales (particular if they improved as improved technology came out (latitude and low light) and provided 25p PAL market compatible model.

I want a HD camera, even though I do not have a HD TV, because I am not stupid, what ever footage I get today people will want to watch in future on HDTVs, So, what is JVC and Sanyo waiting for, PAL markets with little HDTV penetration still want HD (but at 25fps for viewing on normal TVs too).

Thanks for listening to my irrelevance.

Wayne.