Olympus LS-20M 1080p mini camcorder takes over from Flip

The Gadget Show  Wednesday 04 May 2011

In a month where Cisco has just shut down its Flip camcorder division, Olympus has decided to have a crack at its own mini camcorder, the Olympus LS-20M, offering 1080p HD video and 24-bit stereo sound.

We love mini camcorders – they’re usually cheap, decent enough for a good day out, easy to stick in your pocket and they don’t tend to attract unwanted attention. However, with smartphones like the Nokia N8 and Apple iPhone 4 offering HD video recording, it seems like a dying market. Olympus disagrees, and has launched the Olympus LS-20M.

Unlike the flip, the Olympus LS-20M looks like a gadget for the more serious user. It’s still no high-end camcorder, but features like a second digital display, offering information such as run time, date and battery life, along with the full colour screen, mark it out as something a little special.

The Olympus LS-20M really stands out from the latest smartphones when it comes to sound quality, however. If you want your movies to sound as good as they look, the Olympus LS-20M could well be the solution.

The Olympus LS-20M is capable of recording high quality 24-bit sound, using Linear PCM stereo recording technology to offer authentic and uncompressed audio to match your high-definition movies.

Would you be happy carrying round a stand-alone camcorder? Or are you willing to accept a drop in sound quality, and use your smartphone instead? Leave a comment below and let us know.