RCA Small Wonder EZ201 (silver)

Pros: Ability to expand storage via SD card memory slot (2 GB max)

Cons: Absolutely unacceptable video quality

Summary: Buy the FLIP Ultra instead. My interest in the Small Wonder was due primarily to the SD card feature which should have allowed me to expand recording time from 30 minutes of HQ video to 150 minutes with a 2 GB card in place.

However when I ran some test footage I found the quality of even the HQ vid (not the lower quality LP option) and although it would read the unlocked 2 GB SD card I placed into it, it would never write to that card as the camera is supposed to do whenever a card is present. The resulting video would pixelate out about every 10 seconds - as if shocked by an electric charge - making the entire shot virtually unusable. I returned it the day I got it for a replacement, thinking this one cam was faulty.

The replacement camera was no better, however this one created video that had a pulse: about every other second it would freeze just long enough to notice, again making the video absolutely worthless. Again I returned it to the online reseller the same day I received it. This time I requested a refund.

Prior to this I had been using the 30 minute FLIP Ultra which produces a far superior output both in virtually flawless video and incredible audio quality. The FLIP Ultra is an amazing little workhorse. After shooting and editing hundreds of hours of HQ video on the FLIP perhaps my expectations were high. So with the Small Wonder at the same price I expected the same quality. But great features mean nothing if the resulting video is poor.

I phoned Thompson (Audiovox, who recently purchased RCA)and they were hopeless and helpless in being able to tell me anything about this product whatsoever. I sent the second one back and will not make any further attempts to own and RCA in the future.

The RCA Small Wonder EZ201 is a cheap attempt to capitalize on the budget camcorder market without delivering the minimal quality one should expect when purchasing a product in this price range.

I have to wonder if CNET ever really tried this camera...instead of hawking it on features alone. C'mon CNET, I rely on your ability to separate truth from fiction. In this case you really let me down.