What is it?
Tape is dead - long live digital. Brief experience with Mini-DV video cameras taught me that it's a huge hassle to deal with analogue media. Video transfer may have been facilitated using digital cables, like FireWire, but ports for those cables weren't as common as the makers would've intended. Instead, people amassed a collection of family holiday memories on Mini-DV tapes.
Digital video has changed all that. Now it's easy to trade your collection of tapes for an archive of digital footage. Or SD cards, in the case of the Camileo SX900.
This is a full HD camera, capable of capturing video in 1080P resolution. It is small and light, affordable, and has enough features to just be a good camera.
Does it work?
Oddly, for a camera that proudly advertises full HD capabilities, the SX900 produces better video when recording 720P than it does when recording 1080P. It can record in 1080i (interlaced) at 60 frames per second or 1080P (progressive) at 30 frames per second, but 720P at 60 frames seems to be the sweet spot. It's a bit counter-intuitive, since more pixels should capture more detail. Compared to full HD footage from competing models though, the Toshiba's produce is neither as firm nor as ripe.
Video is stored on SD cards in MP4 format. The Camileo's SD card slot can take cards in the new SDXC format, breaking the 32GB limitation set by the SDHC format.
In 720P, an 8GB card can hold just under 80 minutes of video - more than enough for an average picnic or day at the beach. Copying the saved files to a computer can be done using the included USB cable or an SD card reader, but there's also an HDMI output to link the SX900 directly to a TV.
One cool thing about the USB link, for Windows users at least, is the included software that lets the camera upload directly to YouTube. Just keep an eye on your Internet data allowance, as HD video files can get quite large.
Where the SX900 feels most flawed is in its design. The small, lightweight casing is great when you're travelling, but less awesome when it becomes difficult to keep the camera stable during use. This isn't helped by the zoom lens controls. I'm pretty used to this being a smooth sliding switch, with precise control for how fast to zoom. Instead, the Toshiba has what feels like a digital switch to operate its 9x zoom lens, and it's difficult to actuate without making the camera move around.
More control woes come when navigating menus on the flip-out LCD screen. A set of navigation buttons are placed on the inside of the camera's body and it can be tricky to use them when the screen isn't in the normal, 90-degree position - perhaps a touch screen would have been better.
Should I buy it?
It's not badly priced, but the performance only echoes that age-old saying: “You get what you pay for.” Even if the video quality were better, rather than just being high-resolution, the SX900 would still have to live with a few usability and design flaws that make it a hassle to operate effortlessly.
If you want something with removeable storage, a decent price and pretty good low-light performance, this is it. Just don't pin all your hopes on stellar HD video quality.
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