Toshiba Camileo Pro review

Toshiba Camileo Pro Review

Reviewed by: Rich Trenholm

Reviewed on: 5 December 2007

There's a straightforward no-frills feel to the camcorder features. Despite an elastic-feeling zoom rocker, the zoom isn't especially responsive and doesn't work while filming. Stills cannot be captured while filming, and the internal memory holds less than a minute of video.

TheToshiba Camileo Pro includes a handy, flexible mini-tripod, which prevents you covering the flash and microphone with your hand

Video is certainly usable, however. With no zoom to worry about while filming, the autofocus is more than capable. Colours are generally well reproduced, although a tendency to overexpose leads to some bleaching out of colour in bright sunlight. Footage of movement is choppy, but only when inspected carefully.

Low-light performance is better than we expected, in that the autofocus doesn't struggle too much and metering is capable. Unfortunately, this good work is undone by excessive noise in shadow areas. Low-light footage is really only suitable for small, Internet-only video files.

Conclusion
As a lightweight, basic and extremely affordable camcorder, the Camileo Pro does the job. That said, we can't help but wonder why Toshiba has chosen to make the Camileo Pro a camcorder, as its video quality is not the biggest draw.

A digital stills camera with exactly the same specs, extras and price would be an interestingly feature-rich model, while as a camcorder, the Camileo Pro represents something of a compromise. Still, it's a fun, accessible little shooter with some big ideas and deserves credit for being affordable, at £135, without feeling cheap.

Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Jon Squire