Sanyo HD1 questions! at DVinfo.net

Dylan Couper · February 23rd, 2006, 10:15 PM

I think I might be ordering one of these within the week, but I have a few questions for those of you who have one already. Any feedback is appreciated!

1) Does this camera have a Mic input? If so what type?
2) Is there a shoe to mount a mic on (if I can even connect one)?
3) Is there a maximum size of SD card that this can take? (EDIT, 4GB at least)
4) 20 minutes of HD is 1GB right? (EDIT, it's about 14mins per GB)
5) Can I take the video right off the card and edit it in Vegas without messing with it?
6) Is there a video input on it anywhere, in case I wanted to use an external lipstick cam for sports stuff, or record anything else (like TV) into it?
7) I read in one review that the longer clips you record, the more problems you have. ANy feedback on this?

I think that's it, for starters... :)
Thanks!

Robert M Wright · February 23rd, 2006, 11:08 PM

You wouldn't want to edit an MPEG-4 file in Vegas directly. Seek times (for moving between frames, particularly backwards) would be very slow. An intermediate codec (or using proxies) would be the way to go. Similar to HDV (MPEG-2), because of the interframe compression, but even more demanding on the computer.

Robert M Wright · February 23rd, 2006, 11:26 PM

There's a huge thread on here about the HD1 ("Sanyo HD1 Footage!"), big enough that it daunts me to read much of it, much less carefully! I think you could find quite a few links to sample clips and stills in the posts, and probably quite a bit of detailed information. It looks like the camera compresses the video it aquires to 6mbps MPEG-4, which is reasonable, but is pushing towards the limits of MPEG-4, to get good quality at that resolution (I'd like to know how big the GOPs are). It says on their site that a 2gb SD card can hold 41 minutes, so maybe 2gb is a limit for the size card it can use. You can get some fairly brief information from Sanyo's site at:

http://www.sanyo.com/entertainment/c...productID=1239

I know there's a little more information there, but not sure how to find it again.

Dylan Couper · February 24th, 2006, 11:13 AM

Robert, I read the first 20 pages of that thread before posting this. My left eyball shriveled up to rasin size.
I'm sort of hoping to get the ball rolling on a new thread so people don't have to sift through it all.

Anyway, I forgot, about 14 minutes of HD for 1GB. Aparrently no size restrictions from the camera.

I didn't watch the lowlight video clips that were posted, but I did go back and find them. Not super, but not the worst I've seen.

Robert M Wright · February 24th, 2006, 06:48 PM

My eyes glazed over pretty fast, reading a little in that thread, also. I did peek at a couple clips though, and was pleasantly surprised (especially considering, my first thought upon seeing a photo of the camera was "keychain novelty toy").

I believe it's 20min/GB, with perhaps a 2 gigabyte limit (since they mention "up to 41 min on a 2GB SD card" - why the reference to a 2GB card there?). That seems like at least a reasonably decent limit (not like 10 minutes on a really pricey P2 card in the HVX!).

If you do pick one up, I'd sure like to hear what you think of it first hand. Might could make for a dang nice pocket cam! If so, I could probably stop taking my TRV70 along with me everytime I walk out the door (my just in case I see something I just gotta shoot camera). Would be nice if it has a shoe and can take an external mic (I have doubts that it will though).

Joseph Aurili · February 24th, 2006, 07:21 PM

1) Does this camera have a Mic input? If so what type?
Yes. I think 1/8 inch.
2) Is there a shoe to mount a mic on (if I can even connect one)?
No.
3) Is there a maximum size of SD card that this can take? (EDIT, 4GB at least)
My 4GB card works.
4) 20 minutes of HD is 1GB right? (EDIT, it's about 14mins per GB)
Yes, 14.5 minutes per GB.
5) Can I take the video right off the card and edit it in Vegas without messing with it?
Unknown.
6) Is there a video input on it anywhere, in case I wanted to use an external lipstick cam for sports stuff, or record anything else (like TV) into it?
NO.
7) I read in one review that the longer clips you record, the more problems you have. ANy feedback on this?
Unknown.

Gary Gowman · February 24th, 2006, 09:37 PM

I would also like to know about the Sanyo HD1-

Is the Mic input mono or stereo and does it have phantom power? And, does it have a manual level setting or is it always using Auto gain?

Is there a standard screw hole for tripod mounting?

Is there manual Iris and maual focus?

Is there a manual white balance setting by aiming at a white card and setting?

What is the battery and charger situation? Sizes, costs, run time, can we charge a spare while still shooting?

Is there a Lanc input so I could use the Sony tripod that allows Stop/Start and Zooming from the tripod handle?

Gary

Joseph Aurili · February 24th, 2006, 09:59 PM

>Is the Mic input mono, stereo and does it have phantom power?
I would be really surprised if it was not stereo. Don't you need to have an XLR connection to get phantom power?
>Is there a standard screw hole for tripod mounting?
Yes.
>Is there manual Iris and manual focus?
Yes.
>Is there a manual white balance setting by aiming at a white card and >setting?
Yes.
>What is the battery and charger situation? Sizes, costs, run time, can we
>charge a spare while still shooting?
One size. Pretty cheap on eBay. Supposed to last an hour, but you won't get that. Charges in the camera in the base.

Gary Gowman · February 24th, 2006, 10:19 PM

Joseph, Thanx for the info.

Some cams have a mono mic input that also supplies power to a mic using the other pin. A stereo mic input could use a Y cord that breaks out for two separate mics, but no power for phantom. I would be happy to get a good lav hooked in for interviews.

I think I read it had manual focus, but Manual Iris, too? That would be good.

So you can't have a spare battery charging while you shoot because it has to use the camera as the charger? That could be a problem on a long day of shooting. Or buying a lot of extra batteries. I wonder how we charge all those extra batteries? Do you know how long a charge time is needed for a full charge from empty? No fun baby sitting the changing of batteries all night using one camera as a charger. I hope they have accessory chargers for sale.

Gary

Joseph Aurili · February 24th, 2006, 10:37 PM

It has nice manual controls: Manual ISO, f stop, focus, shutter, white balance, ND filter

Here is the instructions manual in PDF:

www.gamersden.com/hd1test/Camera_GB.pdf

Joseph Aurili · February 24th, 2006, 10:39 PM

I think the battery charges in an hour or less. I have been looking for an external charger, but no luck yet.

Joseph Aurili · February 24th, 2006, 10:42 PM

If you look low on this page it looks like an external charger will be released by sanyo:

http://www.sanyo-dsc.com/english/pro...pec/index.html

Gary Gowman · February 24th, 2006, 10:59 PM

Joseph,

Thanx again,

Gary

Gary Gowman · February 25th, 2006, 12:32 AM

It looks like the supplied cable adapter (which is where the AC power cable plugs into) is plugged into the bottom of the camera right next to the tripod mounting hole. I would think some sort of stand off adapter would need to be made to use the camera on a tripod with external AC power. I am guessing about 3 inches of a stand off. Unless there is another external AC input on the camera that I didn't see in the PDF manual.

Gary

Robert M Wright · February 25th, 2006, 01:17 AM

Wow. Sounds like Sanyo was fairly serious when they decided to make this camera. I think I'm going to see if I can find a retailer near here that has one and take a look-see.

February 23rd, 2006, 10:15 PM	#1
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	Sanyo HD1 questions! I think I might be ordering one of these within the week, but I have a few questions for those of you who have one already. Any feedback is appreciated! 1) Does this camera have a Mic input? If so what type? 2) Is there a shoe to mount a mic on (if I can even connect one)? 3) Is there a maximum size of SD card that this can take? (EDIT, 4GB at least) 4) 20 minutes of HD is 1GB right? (EDIT, it's about 14mins per GB) 5) Can I take the video right off the card and edit it in Vegas without messing with it? 6) Is there a video input on it anywhere, in case I wanted to use an external lipstick cam for sports stuff, or record anything else (like TV) into it? 7) I read in one review that the longer clips you record, the more problems you have. ANy feedback on this? I think that's it, for starters... :) Thanks! __________________ Need to rent camera gear in Vancouver BC? Check me out at camerarentalsvancouver.com

February 24th, 2006, 11:13 AM	#4
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	Robert, I read the first 20 pages of that thread before posting this. My left eyball shriveled up to rasin size. I'm sort of hoping to get the ball rolling on a new thread so people don't have to sift through it all. Anyway, I forgot, about 14 minutes of HD for 1GB. Aparrently no size restrictions from the camera. I didn't watch the lowlight video clips that were posted, but I did go back and find them. Not super, but not the worst I've seen. __________________ Need to rent camera gear in Vancouver BC? Check me out at camerarentalsvancouver.com

February 23rd, 2006, 11:08 PM	#2
Robert M Wright Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota (USA) Posts: 2,171	You wouldn't want to edit an MPEG-4 file in Vegas directly. Seek times (for moving between frames, particularly backwards) would be very slow. An intermediate codec (or using proxies) would be the way to go. Similar to HDV (MPEG-2), because of the interframe compression, but even more demanding on the computer.

February 23rd, 2006, 11:26 PM	#3
Robert M Wright Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota (USA) Posts: 2,171	There's a huge thread on here about the HD1 ("Sanyo HD1 Footage!"), big enough that it daunts me to read much of it, much less carefully! I think you could find quite a few links to sample clips and stills in the posts, and probably quite a bit of detailed information. It looks like the camera compresses the video it aquires to 6mbps MPEG-4, which is reasonable, but is pushing towards the limits of MPEG-4, to get good quality at that resolution (I'd like to know how big the GOPs are). It says on their site that a 2gb SD card can hold 41 minutes, so maybe 2gb is a limit for the size card it can use. You can get some fairly brief information from Sanyo's site at: http://www.sanyo.com/entertainment/c...productID=1239 I know there's a little more information there, but not sure how to find it again.

February 24th, 2006, 06:48 PM	#5
Robert M Wright Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota (USA) Posts: 2,171	My eyes glazed over pretty fast, reading a little in that thread, also. I did peek at a couple clips though, and was pleasantly surprised (especially considering, my first thought upon seeing a photo of the camera was "keychain novelty toy"). I believe it's 20min/GB, with perhaps a 2 gigabyte limit (since they mention "up to 41 min on a 2GB SD card" - why the reference to a 2GB card there?). That seems like at least a reasonably decent limit (not like 10 minutes on a really pricey P2 card in the HVX!). If you do pick one up, I'd sure like to hear what you think of it first hand. Might could make for a dang nice pocket cam! If so, I could probably stop taking my TRV70 along with me everytime I walk out the door (my just in case I see something I just gotta shoot camera). Would be nice if it has a shoe and can take an external mic (I have doubts that it will though).

February 24th, 2006, 07:21 PM	#6
Joseph Aurili Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 326	1) Does this camera have a Mic input? If so what type? Yes. I think 1/8 inch. 2) Is there a shoe to mount a mic on (if I can even connect one)? No. 3) Is there a maximum size of SD card that this can take? (EDIT, 4GB at least) My 4GB card works. 4) 20 minutes of HD is 1GB right? (EDIT, it's about 14mins per GB) Yes, 14.5 minutes per GB. 5) Can I take the video right off the card and edit it in Vegas without messing with it? Unknown. 6) Is there a video input on it anywhere, in case I wanted to use an external lipstick cam for sports stuff, or record anything else (like TV) into it? NO. 7) I read in one review that the longer clips you record, the more problems you have. ANy feedback on this? Unknown.

February 24th, 2006, 09:37 PM	#7
Gary Gowman Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 47	I would also like to know about the Sanyo HD1- Is the Mic input mono or stereo and does it have phantom power? And, does it have a manual level setting or is it always using Auto gain? Is there a standard screw hole for tripod mounting? Is there manual Iris and maual focus? Is there a manual white balance setting by aiming at a white card and setting? What is the battery and charger situation? Sizes, costs, run time, can we charge a spare while still shooting? Is there a Lanc input so I could use the Sony tripod that allows Stop/Start and Zooming from the tripod handle? Gary

February 24th, 2006, 09:59 PM	#8
Joseph Aurili Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 326	>Is the Mic input mono, stereo and does it have phantom power? I would be really surprised if it was not stereo. Don't you need to have an XLR connection to get phantom power? >Is there a standard screw hole for tripod mounting? Yes. >Is there manual Iris and manual focus? Yes. >Is there a manual white balance setting by aiming at a white card and >setting? Yes. >What is the battery and charger situation? Sizes, costs, run time, can we >charge a spare while still shooting? One size. Pretty cheap on eBay. Supposed to last an hour, but you won't get that. Charges in the camera in the base.

February 24th, 2006, 10:19 PM	#9
Gary Gowman Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 47	Joseph, Thanx for the info. Some cams have a mono mic input that also supplies power to a mic using the other pin. A stereo mic input could use a Y cord that breaks out for two separate mics, but no power for phantom. I would be happy to get a good lav hooked in for interviews. I think I read it had manual focus, but Manual Iris, too? That would be good. So you can't have a spare battery charging while you shoot because it has to use the camera as the charger? That could be a problem on a long day of shooting. Or buying a lot of extra batteries. I wonder how we charge all those extra batteries? Do you know how long a charge time is needed for a full charge from empty? No fun baby sitting the changing of batteries all night using one camera as a charger. I hope they have accessory chargers for sale. Gary

February 24th, 2006, 10:37 PM	#10
Joseph Aurili Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 326	It has nice manual controls: Manual ISO, f stop, focus, shutter, white balance, ND filter Here is the instructions manual in PDF: www.gamersden.com/hd1test/Camera_GB.pdf

February 24th, 2006, 10:39 PM	#11
Joseph Aurili Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 326	I think the battery charges in an hour or less. I have been looking for an external charger, but no luck yet.

February 24th, 2006, 10:42 PM	#12
Joseph Aurili Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 326	If you look low on this page it looks like an external charger will be released by sanyo: http://www.sanyo-dsc.com/english/pro...pec/index.html

February 24th, 2006, 10:59 PM	#13
Gary Gowman Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 47	Joseph, Thanx again, Gary

February 25th, 2006, 12:32 AM	#14
Gary Gowman Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 47	It looks like the supplied cable adapter (which is where the AC power cable plugs into) is plugged into the bottom of the camera right next to the tripod mounting hole. I would think some sort of stand off adapter would need to be made to use the camera on a tripod with external AC power. I am guessing about 3 inches of a stand off. Unless there is another external AC input on the camera that I didn't see in the PDF manual. Gary

February 25th, 2006, 01:17 AM	#15
Robert M Wright Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota (USA) Posts: 2,171	Wow. Sounds like Sanyo was fairly serious when they decided to make this camera. I think I'm going to see if I can find a retailer near here that has one and take a look-see.