Toshiba Camileo S30

The basics

The Toshiba Camileo S30 is a full HD camcorder with a diminutive form. At 59mm x 106mm x 19mm (W/H/D), the S30 is about the size of a large box of matches. It breaks away from the traditional camcorder shape, as it more resembles a phone camera than a handycam. The S30 features digital image stabilisation, 16 X digital zoom and LED flash lighting as well as HDMI, Mini USB and composite outputs, enabling connection to most devices, PC and TV alike.

The good

In this fast moving world, we don’t always have time to setup a tripod, load a heavy video camera, adjust ISO and white balance – sometimes you just want to video things!

This is where the Toshiba Camileo S30 really comes into its own. Being ready to shoot in less than 3 seconds, and being small enough to carry with you at all times; the S30 is a camera that will be with you whenever you need it. Still images are sharp and clear and video is crisp.

Loading images onto your computer is a breeze – either with the included software for PC or iMovie on a Mac – getting your media is nothing short of perfect.

The bad

Comparative to its price, there really aren’t that many things wrong with the Toshiba Camileo S30, however there are a few considerations you should make before buying. The zoom is digital only, as is the image stabilization – so if you intend on use either a lot; you can expect a fair amount of quality degradation. The microphone is very tinny and doesn’t pick up all that much unless you are fairly close to it.

The bottom line

The S30 isn’t the most feature packed camcorder you are going to find, but it is one of the smallest full HD camcorders on the market. We loved the ease of use and portability of this device. The build quality is good and for normal un-zoomed recording it is great.