The Fisher FVD-C1 Pocket CameraCorder’s unusual shape tips you off that something went terribly wrong in the design studio at Sanyo (Fisher’s parent company). The concept is good: Pair a decent 3.2-megapixel still camera with the ability to take MPEG-4 compressed videos, add sound recording and a friendly female voice to tell you what’s going on. Unfortunately, the video quality is abysmal, the recorded sound is tinny and distorted, the LCD screen is tiny, and the camera has only 3x optical zoom. The design virtually requires you to hold it like a pistol, so if you’ve got big hands, your index finger may obscure the flash. And though the dock is a nice idea, it does look a bit goofy sitting on your desk. We’re not impressed.
-Dylan Tweney
Best Feature: Decent still-image quality
Worst Feature: Takes terrible videos
SPECS:
Sanyo Fisher FVD-C1 Pocket CameraCorder
$800
Weight: 6.2 ounces
Size: 4.3 x 2.7 x 1.2 inches
Specs: MPEG-4 video recording; 3x optical zoom; SD card slot (512MB card included); USB 2.0; AV port; 3.1-megapixel still images
www.fisherav.com
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Link: Fisher FVD-C1 Pocket CameraCorder
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