I don’t think I complain a lot but actually looking back at the blog posts I’ve written recently, I think I’m becoming a bit of an online whiner…and nobody likes a whiner, on or offline. Still, sometimes you just need to vent and where better than on here? So my mini rant for this week is about “extras”. What do I mean by that? It’s the sort of things that you assume you will automatically get when you buy something so you don’t give them much thought, but then actually when you get home, unwrap what you’ve bought and then go to use it, you realise it doesn’t have batteries / storage card / control pad – delete as appropriate.
Now I know that perhaps I just haven’t read the small print but I reckon writing it in small print in the first place is just sneaky. If you’re buying something you’re vaguely excited about, like a new camera or games console, you tend not to think about the small things – you just want to play! I remember when I bought my Wii I was devastated that I only had one Wiimote so couldn’t play 2-player tennis. And then when I found out they were £33 each I was more than a bit miffed. Especially since I then bought 4 so we could all play a full doubles match – which set me back £132!! Ouch. The Wii only cost me £160!
On the Download show last week we looked at the Sony HDR-TG3 and the Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1000. The Sanyo is by far the cheaper of the two and boasts that it has room for 16GB SDHC cards but then you realise that it doesn’t actually come with an SD card at all! So you have to shell out another £50-£100 for a good quality SDHC card too! Ggggrrrr extras. I’d stick with the Sony – it’s more expensive but at least it comes with a 4GB storage card so you can at least start somewhere. And as my dad always says, if you pay peanuts, you tend to get monkeys J
Tags: Sanyo Xacti, SDHC, Sony TG3, Wii, Wiimote
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June 16, 2008 at 11:02 am |
Bit harsh but I’d rather pay a bit more for a much better camera than settle for the cheaper – and weaker – option and then go and buy the extras on top. Yes the Sony only comes with 4GB SD card but that’ll give you 30 minutes good quality footage time – a good starter. And did you see the pic of the Sanyo?? It looks like my hairdryer. The Sony looks good, keeps all the feature keys on the LCD screen so doesn’t look cluttered and takes great quality footage and pics. The Sanyo is sluggish, footage is grainy and shooting in low light is pretty cr*p. Plus I’ve seen the Sony on Amazon £100 cheaper than the RRP. How’s my logic now?
June 16, 2008 at 3:50 pm |
Say you need a dentist. You ask a co-worker since you’re new in town. Your co-worker’s opinion is worthless because he/she did no research, has no idea how good their dentist really is. The opinion is biased… do you expect them to say anything other than “he’s really good?” No one will admit they have a bad dentist. Anyway, they have no idea how good or bad he is. Your bashing of the HD1000 and your assessments (sluggish, grainy and crap) are not supported by all the reviews I’ve read.
Once you read a few articles (that is somewhat like research), you choose a Sony. Now you hate to admit (1) you paid too much or (2) gave money to a sleazy company like Sony. Give your opinions on the Sony and the Sanyo, but realize that we realize such opinions are biased.
Both cams shoot quality state-of-the-art video. The Sanyo requires a lower investment. Saying the Sanyo looks like a hairdryer is like me saying your new Honda Civic looks like a toaster (to me).
You make a big deal about Sanyo no including an SDHC card. I recall buying a digital camera that came with a 16Mb card that held a wopping 6 photos. This is the way mfgers post a lower sales price and is not a rip-off.
BTW, you can buy an 8GB SDHC card for $29 USD (Transcend).
For those wanting a compact cam, “beyond a starter unit”, that shoots HD, the Sanyo HD1000 is a winner. The comfortable pistol grip shooting position alone is a big plus over the standard vertical forearm shooting position of most other camcorders.
June 17, 2008 at 9:30 am |
Thanks for your comments again. I don’t think I’m biased as I don’t work for Sony or Sanyo but you are right in that these are just my thoughts and opinions and I’m sure anyone looking to buy a camera would do ample research beforehand…and reading reviews is a great way to get a little more understanding – although again this is just the opinion of the reviewer. Check out PC Pro’s review of the Sanyo which also criticises the camcorder image quality:-
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/145191/sanyo-xacti-vpchd1000.html
They say: “Image quality is the HD1000’s biggest failing. Still images are a little too soft and lack detail, and video has a number of faults. The intense colour saturation is a matter of taste, but the high compression used makes itself evident, particularly in low light, where footage becomes grainy. The zoom, autofocus and auto exposure also feel sluggish.”
But they give it an overall 4 out of 6 so there you have it.