$200 1080p Camcorder

Aiptek made a lot of ripples with their cheap and cheerful Go HD camcorder that would shoot 720p video and cost well under $200.00. It had flaws (mediocre audio, no completely smooth recording, cheesy zoom) but it actually did record 720p video, that in daylight, looked fairly good.

Now they have introduced a 1080p camcorder for $200.00. It isn't 1080p 16:9 (instead it is 1440x1080 4:3) but it will also shoot 720p at 60fps! Of course, the trade-off is a zoom that is not as smooth as more expensive cameras, autofocus is a little iffy in dim light (where noise really becomes a problem as well) and optics that are not as nice as the more expensive camera. But it still quite a break through. It is almost twice of a Flip video camera, but much more capable -- 640x480 video looks terrible on someone's nice new 42 inch HD tv set. I wonder how well it stacks up agains Sanyo's HD700. I have a friend that just bought a HD700 after my positive experiences with my Sanyo CG-65, and so far he is happy with it. I am planning on buying one myself (particularly now since I have missplaced my beloved CG-65).

Here's a review with some sample video.