And the camcorder has an all-plastic build, which definitely makes it feel a bit cheap (but also slim and light, and probably fairly durable). It’s nice to have the macro/landscape toggle, but the macro mode doesn’t allow for extreme close-ups the closest I was able to get to a subject and shoot a clear shot was about a foot away. Also, digital image stabilization is available only in the camcorder’s 720p/30 fps mode, meaning you don’t get that option for the Camileo’s highest-resolution video setting or even in its lower-resolution, Web-friendly video modes. For example, it has no flip-out USB connector instead, Toshiba includes a separate cable in the box for charging your battery and offloading your clips. I got shaky, blurry images when my hand moved slightly while taking a shot if you use a tripod, image quality is about on a par with that from an above-average phone camera.ĭespite all the fun features, the Toshiba Camileo S20 has a few notable drawbacks.
The Camileo S20 also takes 5-megapixel photos (and, according to its on-screen menu, up to 16-megapixel photos at its maximum-resolution setting), but you’ll need a steady hand when shooting stills.
Toshiba Camileo S20: Low-Light Test With High ISO Toshiba Camileo S20: Wide-Angle Video Quality Test (For the highest-quality footage, select “1080p” from the drop-down menu that will appear in the lower right corner of the embedded video player when it starts.)
Video quality didn’t look bad at all, but colors aren’t as vivid as they are in footage shot with the Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 or the top-rated Creative Vado HD.
With all the normal settings in 1080p (30 fps) mode, the Toshiba Camileo S20 served up sharp, smooth, but slightly muted video when compared to similar pocket camcorders. That said, it’s big and adjustable enough to get the job done as a viewfinder.
The adjustable screen is great for composing odd-angle shots (filming over a crowd or taking self-portraits, for example), but it’s not the sharpest screen we’ve seen, and it looks a bit dull in direct sunlight. Instead of the candy-bar design employed by the vast majority of pocket camcorders, the Camileo S20 shoots in a pistol-grip style, thanks to a flip-out, swiveling 3-inch LCD screen it’s a Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 on a no-carb diet.
It shoots AVI files in 1080p or 720p at 30 frames per second, recording the video footage to a user-supplied SD or SDHC card. It may be thin and light–even for a pocket camcorder–but the ultraslim Toshiba Camileo S20 ($180 as of ) packs more features into its frame than any high-definition pocket camcorder we’ve tested to date.Īlong with 1080p high-definition video, digital stabilization, and a macro/landscape toggle switch–all of which we’ve seen in models such as the Kodak Zi8–the Camileo S20 has a handful of pocket-camcorder firsts, including an LED light for shooting in the dark, a time-lapse mode that lets you select between three preset intervals, four white-balance presets, and a slow-motion mode that helps you take (very grainy) footage of fast action.