Shoot 1080p video with $149 digital camcorder

The Aiptek Action can record 1080p video at 30fps or 720p at 60fps.

(Credit: Walmart)

In the market for a digital camcorder? You could spend $179.99 on one of those Flip Video Minos, which let you record a whopping 60 minutes of YouTube-quality video. Or you could pay $149 for the Aiptek Action, which records hours' worth of HD (up to 1080p) video on inexpensive memory cards. Hmmm...

Yep, sounds like a no-brainer to me. The Action is a slim, pocketable camcorder (and 8-megapixel camera) with a swiveling 2.4-inch LCD and an SD slot that accommodates cards up to 32GB. It captures video in H.264 format, which you should have no trouble editing in programs like Pinnacle Studio. And it includes a 3X optical zoom and component-video outputs for connecting directly to your HDTV.

I haven't tried the Action myself, but Walmart buyers collectively rated it four stars out of five. (That's significant because the Action is available only at Walmart.) However, while video quality was reported to be quite good, still photos come out mediocre at best. I'm more concerned with the lack of an optical zoom.

Walmart's product page is annoyingly light on details, but you can get the full scoop on the Action at Aiptek's site. This could be a great "starter" HD camcorder, or even a secondary one for two-camera shoots. I must confess to a misguided love for the aforementioned Mino, which is tiny and drop-dead simple to use, but for less money you can get a major bump in pixel count. Like I said, kind of a no-brainer...

[horsenbuggy]

I just bought a 16GB "Class 6" SDHC "Qmemory" card from www.flashmemorystore.com for around $50. That same card (w/o reader) is now down to $39.95. My Pentax DSLR reads and writes to the card fine. I've shot enough photos to almost fill it up once since I got it. Unfortunately, I don't have a reader that I can use with this card. But it was easy enough to connect my camera to the PC to download the images that way. So far, I'm really happy with the card and the price. I'm not sure who sells the 32GB cards that this camera supports, but surely 16GB will get you started ... and at a good price.

[Drewber]

Kingston sells a 32gb SD card for about $175, but I've even seen 8gb cards from Kingston as low as $30. Also, SanDisk sells a portable SD card reader called the Mobile Mate that I use, for about $10 and it looks exactly like a thumb drive, you just plug your card in to the side and stick it into an available USB port. Hope that helps.

[ktappe]

You had me hooked until you said "only available at WalMart." No sale.

[alstatr]

amen to that.

[cdotspace]

second amen to that.

[donsms]

Plz,how bout dismounting from that high horse your sittin on first-then makin a comment.

[sparrowhyperion]

Same here. I do not shop at Walmart on principle... I'd rather support retailers who do not engage in the practices they do. But if the camera ever makes it to Best Buy, or Circuit City, I'll snag one.

[ecomaniac]

hmmm, so you prefer to purchase from Best Buy? Did you know that they have been caught with duplicate websites that depict in store prices as higher than viewed from outside internet connections. Talk about unscrupulous biz practices! And good luck buying from Bankrupt Circuit City!!!

[aj37viggen]

Thanks for the "no-brainer" recommendation. Now, what would you suggest for people who DO use their brains?

Seriously, if there's one thing we all should have learned from digital still cameras, it's that pixel count alone is NOT a reliable indicator of image quality. Things such as the lens and the compression algorithm matter a lot. That's got to be even more true of digital video, where compression is such a big factor.

Going into Wal-Mart makes me feel all creepy inside, so I'm not going to be tempted unless/until you actually USE the thing and THEN report that it actually produces better, more usable video than the Flip Mineo.

[dwinks]

"However, while video quality was reported to be quite good, still photos come out mediocre at best. I'm more concerned with the lack of a digital zoom."

Digital Zoom is COMPLETELY useless. All it does is crop the image and scale the cropped image up. This is best done on a computer later. Shoot the video/picture at full resolution and edit it later. You can always "digital zoom" on a computer later, but you can't "un-digital zoom".

OPTICAL zoom is important, not digital. There is a VERY good reason why high-end cameras don't have digital zoom, because it is best done in post-processing.

[rickbroida]

OPTICAL ZOOM! That's what I meant. Believe me, I totally know better. Sorry, fixing it now...

[rickbroida]

Interesting... didn't realize so many of you had such strong feelings against Walmart. Will note for the future.

[atlanta_guy_1]

Rick, going into Walmart means dealing with actual people and the general public. A lot of posters on here I would guess are somewhat anti-social, thus the anti-Walmartitis. They will come up with all kinds of reasoning why they don't like Walmart, but they really just don't like crowds and especially non-english speakers. But please don't assume this Internet-vocal minority speaks for the rest of us.

[dude7895]

Don't care about the place, just the price.

[John_Johnson]

You can just as easily buy Wal Mart stuff on line, that's not at all why people are objecting to it.

[spurs11]

if you have half a brain and pay attention to the news, you'd know about Wal-Mart. The way they treat their employees, the mom/pop shops, and what they do to entire towns is absolutely disgusting and criminal. Watch the documentary called: WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price. www.walmartmovie.com/ If you are oblivious to their scrupulous conduct, shame on you as this corporate greed/unethical behavior has been rampant for years within wal-mart. The movie is eye-opening and most people will not step foot inside another wal-mart after they see it. Simply put, this one case where the gov't should step in and shut the entire company down!

The most entertaining thing about people who blog is their lack of knowledge on subjects they fire off hate or negative comments about. So many uneducated fools out there who don't perform their due diligence BEFORE showing their cards. Get a clue and a life!!!

[lbytesxk]

Yes, we all seen the movie, WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price, I couldn't stop crying. Seriously though, I'm not a fan of walmart my wife drags me in there maybe once a year and can't wait to leave. The problem is with these anti-walmart people is that they are hippocrates. Oh sure, they don't set foot in walmart but I bet they go regularly to a supermarket chain or a giant electronic reseller or department store that does the exact same things to the mom-and-pop shops, the community and their employees as walmart does. Until they move to a farm where they can produce their own food, stop using items that are sold in giant department stores or chains, I say they should just keep quiet.

[Dragon_Myr]

Great deals and price are more important than the store that sells them (as long as that store is a reputable reseller). A lot of people get vocal against Walmart, but it seems the majority just cares about what they get for the money. People can grumble all the want, but Walmarts will be absolutely packed later this month as usual. Maybe someone will even be trampled to death again. Who knows...but not everyone hates Walmart. I don't mind shopping there. Yeah, I don't like the crowds, but there are plenty of ways to avoid them.

[dustpuddle]

Just for the record I, too, would like to say that if a product is only available at Walmart, please advise in the heading so I, and many others, can just skip it. I can't promise to only hand my money to companies like Costco, (their CEO only makes 10 times more than the lowest paid employee, per contract), or Whole Foods, (who's CEO only makes 7 times more than the lowest paid employee, per contract), but I do try to shop responsibly. Walmart is certainly off the charts. You might want to research the firm for yourself. The film, The High Cost of Low Cost is horribly biased, but there is certainly plenty of just plain facts out there to find that will curl your toes. I think there is a saying, "knowledge is power". A few minutes for a peek, hours for a novel, and you will understand the outcry.

[dwinks]

Ah, well that would change things. I wouldn't buy any sort of camera lacking optical zoom, video or still. My digital SLR doesn't have a digital zoom, and I have never once wished it had.

I didn't even think that you might have meant to say optical zoom, as I couldn't believe anything other than a cell-phone camera would lack optical zoom, as it necessary for anything resembling quality pictures.

[Dan Owen]

Unfortunately, I concur. It has two black marks against it.

No optical zoom and WalMart.

Sigh.....

[rickbroida]

Hey, you know what they say: zoom with your feet. :)

[bo3b]

If you haven't tried the Action, then it's hardly a no-brainer.

[j_a_s_p_e_r]

I usually don't go to Walmart or avoid Chinese products in general (try finding garlic thats not from China!), but sometimes my inner cheapskate overrules me. I'll go to Walmart if the deal is very good.

That said Aiptek is from Taiwan (technically part of China) and their products are garbage in general. They produce knock-offs and clones of other quality products. I'll pass on Aiptek

[vwtick]

According Aiptek's website this has a 3X optical zoom.
I think one thing that is missing is image stabilization, even digital stabilization would be welcome with the sensor size this has. The sensor is 5Mpixel, they are using interpolation (I guess) to achieve 8MG photo size

[rickbroida]

Geez, my second bonehead mistake today! My bad for looking at a previous post about an Aiptek camera while composing this one. THINK I've got all my facts (and ducks) in a row now...

[mishani]

Recommending a (almost) no-name product without testing it, based only on specs is not very helpful - they often advertise great features and specs only to fall down on actual performance and quality (and they often use tricks like interpolation to report higher resolution than they actually have).

[kieranmullen]

Agreed. To Author- Get one. Try it out. It seems that CNET either does product recommendations without the product in hand or show us pictures of some random product taken apart without a review. It would be nice to see some serious work being done here.

[rickbroida]

FWIW, this is not a review site...it's a place to find cheap deals. On the surface, a $149 high-def camcorder is wayyyy better than a $179 VGA camcorder. And even if the former isn't the greatest camcorder on earth, you're still getting HD recording for less money than the industry standard.

Wherever possible, I include links to reviews--and I don't post stuff that's known to suck. As I wrote, Walmart users rated the camcorder 4 stars out of 5, which leads me to believe it's at least halfway decent.

[bbdesw]

Taiwan isn't China, hating chinese made or walmart stuff doesn't make you a better person, but someone who spreads hate, (someone should be thanksful that foreigners have been financing US debts for 6-7 years) and Rick, thanks again for the info on this camera, I will pass, but there are people out who are looking for a simple, entry level camcorda should be happy such inexpensive ones are available. Afterall, it's ok to think you are drinking champagne even though what is in your glass is from California...this is still a free country!!!

[j_a_s_p_e_r]

This is a free country. Everyone is free to shop where they want. BTW, Taiwan is a Chinese territory.

[justdenny]

some of the best champagne there is comes fro California

[joevai52]

My problem with Wal-mart is that I've never had a good experience shopping in one, and I've had plenty of opportunities living in a small town with a Walmart Supercenter and little else (at least since the supercenter arrived). It is next to impossible to get any assistance, and if you can get someone to attempt to help you, they quite often have no answer or give an inaccurate one. Walmart thinks it can get by on the promise of low prices alone (and those money savings are usually negligible and sometimes non-existant) while completely sacrificing customer service. I would rather pay slightly more to be able to actually get some assistance from someone with a clue.

The worst part about shopping there is the waiting in line. Whenever my wife and I grocery shop there, half of the time we are in the store is spent waiting to check out because only four of the forty or so lanes are open while at least three employees stand around and do nothing. This is unacceptable to me, and my wife and I avoid shopping there as much as possible. By the way, if you think I'm exaggerating the time spent in line, I always wear a watch with a chronograph, and I have timed my wait several times. Only once has my wait been shorter than the time I spent shopping.

All that being said, if you review this product, and it is a good camera, I would be tempted to put myself through some Walmart brand torture to try one. I look forward to hearing more.

[dvferret]

third amen to that.

[kentfenwick]

I got one of these little guys last spring and it's a lot of fun.

Pros
Real 1080i/720p and 720p @ 60fps (great for sports) - looks great as long as you have plenty of light
Uses Quicktime h.264 (Mac caveat: may need to install Perian tools)
Cheap enough not to care about the cons too much
Pretty small form factor
Outputs to component video - no hdmi

Cons
No image stabilization - can cause nausea if you're not a steady hand holder - Monopod recommended
Hyperactive autofocus in close situations and when zoom is fully extended.
Forget about anything resembling low light situations
Codec demands reasonably fast system
Must overcome Walmart Stigma
Probably less than stellar tech support
Have to listen to me whine because I paid $199

With proper expectations it's (wait for it....)

a no brainer

[tmacarel]

you people are so annoying with all this wal-mart b.s. Who the hell cares if the customer service sucks at Walmart? Thats what places like this website are for. Instead of wasting your time talking to a sales person, who, if some of you may have forgotten, really is only there to sell you a product, you could spend an hour tops doing your homework on websites like this and probably be able to make a much more educated decision than you could based on what some bonehead sales guy could tell you. And second of all, I think once someone decides to refer to that Walmart documentary, thats sufficient for similar remarks. Im sure a lot of you are going through a mid-life crisis and therefore find it necessary to build up your own self-confidence by attempting to make yourself look smart and seemingly original online, but seriously, who really thought a store like Walmart would treat their employees like royalty? And if you refuse to buy from Walmart based on moral obligations, why pay your taxes when you hear about some of the crap our government does? Yeah there is the legal obligation, but out of such a large group of morally superior beings such as yourselves, im sure there would be a few brave souls out there who would risk their current status as free citizens to stand up for what it is assumedly right. But then again, it wouldn't have any sort of effect on the system, just like no matter how many of you boycott Walmart because of this false sense of moral obligation you've created for yourself after watching one documentary, there will be 10 times as many people like myself who will gladly ignore what goes on behind Walmarts doors and save my self some money. I can understand if the product absolutely sucked, but I think buying a camcorder that has the capability of filming in 1080p for $150 is definitely worth it. And who cares if something is made in Taiwan or China or any place like that. Stop complaining and go take care of your grandchildren you half witted, senile mongrels.

[etnier]

THIS IS NOT A WALMART-ONLY DEVICE>

Google.

Amazon sells it as do several other retailers linked from Amazon.

[rickbroida]

Actually, I did search around, and didn't find this exact model anywhere else (Aiptek does have several others that look very similar). Even Aiptek's own site says it's a "Walmart exclusive."

[dustpuddle]

Wow, thanks for the heads up. I will now look into the product.