Creative Vado HD: A review.

The Creative Vado HD (1st generation) is supposed to boost amazing HD recording, long battery, easy to edit, and a rechargeable battery that allows me for hours of 'fun'. Although most of my experience did not go along these lines.

The Creative Vado HD (1st Generation)

    

First when I got it a year ago, it had a protective case that was silicon, due to the warning not to handle the camera its self due to toxins or something of that sort. That was a tad scary at first.

I enjoyed recording on my camera, but everything beyond recording was a test of my sanity. Being able to edit this HD content was more difficult that it was made to seem.

 I was not able to use the software on my PC at first. To be able to use the software on my computer I had to download a codec, which wasn't that hard, but then it didn't deal with the HD well, and there was always terrible lag in the sync between the audio and video. I attempted to put it in a HD video editor and it would only come onto the editor as audio, since it did not recognize that file.

I ended putting it into Windows Movie Maker, exporting all my footage as a movie file, and then putting it in Sony Vegas Pro 9. The movie turned out like this: http://yobi.tv/yobilaugh/contestant/8938/Corabubbles/the-essay

Troubleshooting with this camera seems almost impossible. I hadn't used my camera in a few months, due to my lack of knowledge of where it was, and then BAM I found it. I was so excited, I was going on an intense hike, and if I died I would have able to get footage of it. And then it wouldn't work. I couldn't get it to turn on. For 2 days I tried to get it to turn on, but nothing. When I returned to the urban world, I got a response from the Creative company on Twitter. At one last desperate chance to get the silly camera to turn on, I tried it. It turned on. It would have been nice for it to work the day before. 

Another issue I have with this camera is the battery. It boasts an amazing 2 hours of recording, but it is not straight recording. I charge up my camera for hours, and I start to record and I feel like I am rushing because the bars go down while you are recording but magically go up. I know this happens in many cameras, but my camera says it is almost dead while recording but fully charged when not. 

I don't like to regret purchases. The company is very friendly, and if you  have them on Twitter, they are generally just a update away, but the product it's self hasn't been that great. I haven't tried the newer generations but I don't know if I would like to go in the pocket camera direction.