The Mitsuba Hdc-55 pocket camcorder is the predecessor of the HDC-505 Review series that has made Mitsuba popular for wacky designs. This smaller HD camcorder provides innovation, without the other bells and whistles that were just not as innovative as they thought.
The old Mitsuba HD camcorder was innovative for its time, and when it first came out for $300, people thought this company had gone mad. Now hdc-505 seems a little clunky, but is still a good deal for the bargain savvy.
However, you will be better off going with the newer, pocket sized HDC-55. For a measly $140 you can get 720p high definition video, a 5 megapixel camera(up to 16mp images), an mp3 player, a web cam, and my ultimate favorite I haven't seen in a camcorder, is an MP4 player. That's right, watch the newest Iron Man right along with the home vids. This bargain camcorder can double as your ipod alternative if your cash strapped, saving you, what $300 or more if you were to buy a separate ipod touch and camcorder! It's insane.
Despite that awesome feature the rest of its features are standard for its class, and we're neither raving, or critiquing. It's a solid camcorder that provided us with decent video, and a fun "toy" on the side when we weren't making vids.
| SPECIFICATIONS | |
|---|---|
| Sensor (Mega Pixels) | CMOS (5.0MP) |
| Resolution Camcorder | HD(1280x720) VGA(640x480) QVGA(320x240) |
| Resolution Camera | 16M(4608x3456)/12M(4000x3000) 8M(3200x2400) 5M (2560x1920) 2M(1600x1200) |
| File Format | MP4, JPEG, WAV |
| Video Frame Rate | HD/VGA/QVGA up to 30fps |
| External Memory | Micro SD Card (T-Flash Card) up to 8G (Not included. Get some here: ) |
| LCD Display | 2.5'' TFT Panel |
| Lens Fixed | Fixed, 2 steps |
| Digital Zoom | 8X |
| White Balance | Auto / Sunny / Cloudy / Tungsten / Fluorescent |
| TV out | HDTV(HDMI output);NTSC/PAL color system supported |
| AV in | Yes |
| MP3 MP4 Player | Yes |
| Voice Recorder | Yes |
| PC Cam | Yes |
| Digital Stabilizer | Yes |
| Self-timer | 10sec |
| Dimension | 119.3x58.3x19.1mm |
| Interface | USB 2.0 mass storage |
| Power | Li-ion Battery |
PROS: mp3/mp4 video player, 16 mp photos, sequence shots, timer, strong battery
CONS: digital only zoom
Overall, we highly recommend it over its weird brother the hdc505, but if comparing it to camcorders such as the Flip or zi8, it would come to personal preference and budget. Weighing in about $60 cheaper than the namebrand pocket camcorders, can save you cash, and it doubles as a mp3/video player, which essentially saves you even more cash.
 MITSUBA HDC 55 HD Pocket Video Camcorder Camera R  US $99.97
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