Review: Creative Vado Pocket Video Cam

In brand name popularity and sales rate, Pure Digital is the most dominant YouTube friendly pocket camcorder, similar to how the Apple iPod is king among mp3 players. However, in practicality, Creative's new Vado Pocket Video Cam beats out the Flip on many different levels: it's sleeker, thinner, less expensive, and has a larger capacity for footage.

However while it is cheaper, it does come with its cons. The Vado, which sells for $100, lacks in video quality compared to the $180 Flip Mino. This may or may not be a deal breaker for those YouTube moviemakers out there.

Similar to the Flip models, the Vado features a minimalistic design, it is a simple camcorder with a USB connector that flips out. In a single click your photos or videos can be immediately uploaded to Photobucket or YouTube. For those looking for high definition, you will have to look somewhere else. This device is built for on-the-go, low quality footage.

The Vado comes with a two inch screen, which is just a little bigger than the Flip Mino's. On the device itself contrast, color, and display are very bright and sharp. However, the impressive LCD screen records and plays video much more brilliantly than it will look after your YouTube uploads. Once uploaded, there was much more murkiness and pixilation compared to the video played back on the Vado.

Operation of the Vado is extremely simple. The directional pad on the device allows the user to zoom forward and back by pressing up and down, and the left and right buttons scroll through the different video clips. The middle button of the directional pad begins and stops the recording. A button on the side alternates between playback and recording modes, and a button below that is used to delete clips. Holding both of those aforementioned buttons down is a quick way to access the menu.

The Vado offers two modes of antiflicker. One mode offers a 50 Hz refresh rate, and the other offers 60 Hz. This option is convenient for capturing monitor screens or television footage, by matching the refresh rate you can avoid the scrolling lines sometimes created by mismatched rates.

The Creative Vado has the option to switch between high quality and standard quality video. In standard quality, the Vado can store up to two hours of video. In high quality, up to one hour can be stored on the Valdo's 2GB flash drive. When I uploaded both high and standard quality videos I hardly noticed a difference on YouTube. I suggest leaving your Vado on standard quality to get the most recording time.

For the price, Creative Vado is a very viable option when compared to the Flip Mino. It offers reliable video capturing, albeit low quality. If quality is extremely important to you, you may want to look somewhere else.