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| Brand: Aiptek
Category: Photography
List Price: $299.99
Buy Used: $124.99
You Save: $175.00 (58%)
New (6) from $150.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  42 reviews
Color: Black/Silver
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Floppy Disk Drive: None
Optical Zoom: 3
Display Size: 2.4
Maximum Focal Length: 21.5
Minimum Focal Length: 7.5
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 10 x 8 x 3.2
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: GO-HD CAMCORDER
Model: GO-HD CAMCORDER
UPC: 653886020411
EAN: 0653886020411
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Item is a store return tested 100% Guaranteed
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| Customer Reviews:
 I may have gotten a newer model aiptek hd 720p 8mp November 16, 2007
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
Correction, I actually have an Aiptek A-HD. Mine does have a zoom, but I believe it is a 2x digital--which would explain the difference in price from this unit that has a 3x optical.
The local store had this on sale from $150 to $120, so I decided to look it up on Amazon for reviews on my mobile device right before I went into the store to buy. These reviews seems to be the best description for my unit, so I decide to get it to try for an upcoming trip.
I have already seen several difference in my unit. If anyone is interested on the feature differences to this one, the following are the obvious ones.
(note, the Aiptek A-hd has 2x digital zoom, and not 3x optical zoom--there is a big difference.)
The plastic and light construction gives is more of a "toy" feel than a real electronic equipment.
However ....
My unit seemed to have a very inexpensive / last minute lense cap thrown in. It looks like a simple bottle cap with a little tie string--but, it seems to work, and it is definately better than nothing.
On my first charge, I plugged it in overnight, and after reading some other reviewers, I was hoping to get 20 minutes of recording time. I simply left it on and pointed it my living room right before I went to sleep. To my surpise, the next morning, the 2gig SD memory card was full with about 1:05 hrs of video, and the battery still seems to have all 3/3 bars. (I doubt it was really 3/3; however, it was able to record for more than 20 minutes on a single charge). (The manuals lists 90 minutes of recording time per charge).
My unit had an option for 8Megs for still pictures, and the 720p picture was much better than my ancient regular camcorder.
I'm hoping to take this snowboarding with me, and for the inexpensive cost (relative to the regular price of $150.) I feel slightly less worried about damaging it.
I have seen pictures out of my friends Sony HD camcorder which is amazing (at 1080i/p), and I believe provides better pictures than this unit; however, I find it more difficult to carry around such expensive electronics up in ski areas.
For the cost and the quality, it has a good fit with my normal outdoor gear.
 Amazing Picture June 24, 2007
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I normall use a Sony HDV camera, but I have to say that this little camera has amazing picture quality in its HD mode, especially if the camera is on a tripod. Very good in low light too, Sound quality is also decent as long as you don't exceed a certain sound pressure level.
Keep in mind this is a progressive 720, 30 frames per second recording (not 60), so one can't pan so fast, and that the .264 compression is good, but it is high compression so there are some artifacts when shooting grass, leaves, and water. Yes, the lens is noisy, the camera plastic construction is "loose" and does not have a Canon feel, and the battery life could be longer, but the camera (and a tiny tripod) can fit in a shirt pocket and records an hour of HD on a 2Gb SD stick. Amazing. I can't wait till the end of the dominance of the DV tape by the Japanese manufacturers with their overpriced tape decks. This camera may not be perfect, but it sure points to where shooting will go in a year or two.
Bargain HD camcorder!! July 10, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Impressed with the pictures & videos it took in HD all for only $250. Also has a histogram meter! Nightshot mode was acceptable & the zoom noise wasn't as bad as others made it out to be. It may not have all the features of more expensive models, but for the price I'm happy!
 Make sure you check out the other options May 19, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I admit that I am a geek and I'm proud of it. I love to explore new technologies and see how different designers approach the same problem.
I have had a little media production company for a few years which has allowed me to experiment with a lot of different equipment. High-end video cameras are great, but I also love the cheap little cameras sold by companies like Aiptek and Mustek. My interest in these cameras is based on their tiny size and tiny price. Unfortunately, the video quality has typically also been "tiny."
With that said, for little money you can buy a camera that serves both as a still camera and a video camera good enough to send videos of little Timmy's piano recital to grandma or to take some casual still shots. Several years ago I wrote a long review on the Aiptek IS-DV camcorder for E-pinions. Although the IS-DV was a seriously flawed machine it offered "good enough" performance, a very attractive price and a nice software bundle. Based on the above I thought it would be a great little camcorder for the above listed uses, especially for those on a tight budget.
So it was with great expectation I purchased the Aiptek "Go-HD" camcorder. This camera was bigger than the IS-DV but offered 750p resolution, a 5 MP camera, low light mode, auto focus (instead of fixed focus) and an optical zoom. I was very excited to try it out.
My overall impression has (unfortunately) been so-so.
Why?
1.Cost...The price of the Go-HD is dropping, I bought it when it had just come out and it was significantly more expensive than previous Aiptek products. It is significantly less expensive than a true HD camcorder. With that said you can now get a regular DV type camcorder for just a little more than this one.
2.Picture quality...Certainly an improvement over older Aiptek cameras but (IMHO) not as good as a regular DV camcorder. This surprised me as the specs of the camera suggests that the picture quality should be better..
3.No image stabilization...I didn't think that this would be a big deal as I know how to hold a camera. Yet, it turned out to be a big deal as the camera is so small it is hard to steady and the video can look pretty shaky unless you are real careful.
4.Quality of still pictures...They are pretty good, so what is my beef?? They are not as good as an inexpensive point and shoot which you can now get for around $100. Low cost point and shoots now offer a lot of modes (like sports, night shot, etc) which this camera does not. I often found that I had to tweak pictures in a photo editor, something that I don't have to do with pictures from other cheap cameras.
5.Poor battery life
6.Rare codec...The Aiptek web page says that the camera's video is in the .mov format. What is in the small print is that the camera uses a particular codec called the H.264 codec and it doesn't seem that many video editing programs support this particular combination. This is a huge problem if you want to edit your footage. I did buy Arc Soft's Total Media Extreme software from Aiptek and that software does work with this camera but is it extremely basic in its functioning. To get a useable file (one that I could edit) I had to combine all of the video clips and render them to more common file format. This was a very slow process (set it up and go to bed) which degraded the final video. Only then could I use a video editor like Vegas Video or Movie Maker. Apparently there is some sort of a work around to use ULead's Video Studio but even that program doesn't support the H.264 codec packaged in .mov. This is a big deal as many folks would buy this camera for things like emailing a video to family. When you do this you want to trim the video down so that you send the smallest possible file. If it was possible to easily edit video from the Go-HD I would rate it higher.
7.Noise...Using the optical zoom results in a very loud motor noise the in final video. Even when the zoom isn't used the audio quality isn't very good and you get a mechanical noise when you play back the video. This is very strange as the machine records to flash memory and there are no moving parts.
8.Size...The camera is very small, but bigger than the IS-DV which was so light you would forget that it was on your belt. Other camcorders have been shrinking and now the difference between them is less than it was a couple of years ago.
In many ways this camera is a vast improvement from the IS-DV that I liked in the past. However, the cost of this device is higher and the playing field has narrowed considerably. You can buy a decent DV or DVD camcorder for just a little more cash. On paper DV resolution should be a lot worse than the Go-HD's 720p, but in practice DV looks better (IMHO). Further, you can easily edit DV videos with many inexpensive or free programs.
Conversely, you can buy an inexpensive point and shoot camera that will take great still pictures. Most of these cameras will also shoot decent (not great) video, perfect for email or web use.
There is also a very inexpensive, tiny video camera called "The Flip." This camera takes very nice video and has built-in flash memory and editing software all for a very inexpensive price.
Will I continue to play around with this tiny camera?? Sure! However, I find that I rarely use it in "real life." Nowadays when I need a mini video of a recital I use a "Flip" video camera and for more serious video adventures, like a vacation, I go with my standard video camera. What about stills?? My $100 Nikon from Walmart seems to do a great job. I wouldn't say "don't buy the Go-HD," but I would say "check out all of your options." You may find a camera that better suits your needs.
 Aiptek GO-HD - BUYER BEWARE!!!! August 6, 2007
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
I purchased a GO-HD a month ago. The flash unit packed up on the first day and the camcorder does not switch off when closing the screen or pressing the power sitch, requiring the battery to be removed to power the unit off. When it was working, the zoom makes grinding noises which gets captured by the mic.
I sent emails to Aiptek USA & Taiwan sales, support & marketting dept's and have not recieved a reply since, indicating their total lack of commitment to product support.
If you are happy to accept this $250 "Throw Away" camcorder, buy it and take your chances.
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