Adventure Travel Online

If you've been reading forum threads on this site then you'll have gathered by now that I'm not exactly what you'd call a techie. Tents, jackets, sleeping bags etc I can understand but generally speaking nything that comes with a user manual of more than a page brings me out in a rash and I have to go to bed for a week or so to recover from the information overload.

However, I thought it about time that I looked into buying a video camera with a view to, er, making videos.

So, I've walked around Curry's and Jessops, talked to the staff and as per usual i'm now deep in confusion. My questions are; what features should I be looking for? Is HD worth having? My main use would be to pack along on hiking and overseas trips.

Features for the outdoor life:
Rugged
Doesn't have a problem with water.
Lightweight
Batteries last forever and don't weigh a ton.

Then start to look at the other features like resolution. In short - the best camera is only the best when it works, so concentrate on getting something you can rely on in the wild.

For outdoor work I think it's hard to beat the Xacti. http://sanyo.com/xacti/english/products/index.html

The one I have is weather proof, but they now offer full water proof (which is supposed to mean underwater videos). The still photos are good, it seems to have good software. I like the format in terms of being able to shoot easily with one hand.
Why not have a look at Utube or flickr and see the real results from any camera you are looking at?
What quality do you want? The best you can buy will cost the earth and be outdated yesterday, so I've always tried to buy just under the best.

Hi Jim and thanks for the advice. It's been a while since I've used any Sanyo equipment but from what I remember the companies equipment always came with good value and performance.

Battery life will be a major concern as will the ruggedness of the camera and, when I think of usage I doubt if I'd need it for anything other than You Tube quality - though I'd like to think I'd be shooting a widescreen HD epic.

Which model are you using, they have a few different waterproof units?

I have an old CA6, which has served me well. The battery is tiny, so I carry three and that is more than enough for a few days away from power.
It survives rain really well, but has stopped working once with a condensation in the SD card slot problem.
An advantage I found with the Xacti was that it was a camera sold for the video market that also takes great stills.

Thanks for the info Jim. And, as it happens...I've just has a press release in from Sanyo regarding the new Xacti models. Someone's listening out there.

Maybe they could offer you one for a gear test?

Have you had a look at the Oregon Action Cams? they are designed to be fitted to places like your helmet to get good action shots.

Just seen some of the new cameras with built in GPS (lke the Sony HDR-TG7VE). Any idea how good the GPS system on them is?

Sanyo has good cameras! The VPC-WH1 waterproof camera is an option to discover and film under water world. You can go up to 5m deep with this camera and it records high definition qualitative (720p) videos!