Making movies used to be a talent reserved for, well, people with actual talent.
These days, there’s a built-in video camera inside everything from our mobile phones to the one hidden in the smoke detector above the bed in our guestroom. But that doesn’t mean the quality is where it needs to be to create the next YouTube (or Xtube) masterpiece.
For us, it’s most important to have a video camera that’s easy to use, small enough to stow in our back pocket, and able to capture the moment in a matter of seconds. (That polar bear isn’t going to maul the zookeeper forever, you know.)
And the quality needs to justify carrying around a separate piece of technology.
So when we got the ultra-lightweight Coby SNAPP CAM5002 to try out we were skeptical, mainly because of the price. It’s less than $50! Our first video camera cost more than a grand and was the size of a loaf of bread.
Yet, here is this slim little thing that shoots incredible HD video (and still photos, too). There’s a tiny bit of built-in memory, but it’s expandable using a standard SD memory card. Depending on the capacity of the card, you can get up to two hours recording time.
Not bad for something that’s thinner than a slice of bread.
The only minor downside, the included software isn’t Mac compatible. But really, that’s far from a bummer because the video imports easily into iMovie for what’s probably better anyway.
After all, if we ever hope to get millions of hits on our Spanish-language gay video series, ¡Pinga Gigante!, we know people are going to expect professional graphics, a killer soundtrack and the ability to freeze-frame at just the right moment.
Coby SNAPP CAM5002
$49.99 retail
$41.79 at amazon.com
www.cobyusa.com
