Sanyo Xacti VPC-E1 6MP Waterproof MPEG4 Camcorder with 5x Optical Zoom (Blue)
by SANYO
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Our Price: $109.87
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Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: SANYOModel: VPC-CG65
Product features:
- Waterproof digital camcorder
- Shoot 640 x 480-pixel video clips and 6-megapixel still images simultaneously
- 5x optical zoom; 2.5-inch LCD screen
- Built-in image stabilization
- Up to 80 minutes recording time per 1GB memory card (not included)
- AmazonBasics SDHC Class 4 16GB Secure Digital Card
- AmazonBasics SDHC Class 4 32GB Secure Digital Card
- AmazonBasics SDHC Class 10 4 GB Secure Digital Card
- AmazonBasics 8 GB Class 4 SDHC Flash Memory Card
- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to Mini-B Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sanyo Xacti VPC-E1 6MP Waterproof MPEG4 Camcorder with 5x Optical Zoom (Blue)
Customer Review: Much better than I expected from a Sanyo
Summary: 5 Stars
I used to be a sony/panasonic/canon user on AV products. After my 3-year-old sony Mini DV cam decided to quit, I was looking for a next-gen video cam that doesn't use those ultra-annoying tapes. (I cannot believe any people out there will still buy a tape-driven-camcorder in this century.)
There are basically 3 options on the market: DVD based, hard disk based and flash memory based. I think among these three options, flash memory based is the true future solution for all the camcorder products out there since it the smallest, lightest, and fastest to load. You don't have to hook up you camcorder to the computer to download the clips like what you would do with a hard disk based camcorder. And with a 2GB, you can shoot high quality video for 1.25 hr. Which is essentially more than a mini DV tape can offer. Plus, you can get 8GB SD HC card these days. Means you can shoot 5 hrs of video without swapping. (Of course swapping in additional cards is no-brainer anyway.) I appreciate the large storage of a hard disk camcorder. But hey, who is going to shoot over 5 hours of boring family video on a single trip?? Beside, even if you need to shoot over 5 hours, you can always buy/bring more SD cards. But that's not the case for a hard disk camcorder. Once it ran out of space, you are doomed. Also don't forget that you are putting all the eggs in one basket if you think storing all the clips in a 40GB in-camera-hard-drive is a convenience. I think majority of us have experienced the capital punishment of hard drive crashes.
Enough words with the reason to buy, let's talk about my experience with this product after using it for one week. First of all the color of this product is blue on the side you see from all the pictures you can find on the web. However, on the opposite side, it is actually plastic-white. I kind of dislike this color combination. But it's not a big issue.
The build quality is quite solid. The flip screen is even more solid than the sony I used. The button feels a bit "spongee" to touch. It doesn't give you a firm feeling. I think it's due to the reason that it's a water proof camcorder and the buttons are actually pressing on a gasket instead of a solid circuit board. Again, once you get used to it, it's no big deal.
The handling is quite comfortable for a vertical-holding camcorder. The tilted angle of the lens and slim body let you hold the camera without too much stress. But since I'm coming from a horizontal-holding world, it took me some time to get use to it. I found that the best way to hold it is putting your index finger above the top of the lens and your midde finger below the bottom of the lens. That way you use these two fingers to firmly hold the camcorder while you use your thumb to control the shutter and zoom. The down side is you will have some camera shake when you push the zoom since the key is "gasketed" and it takes stronger than normal force to push.
The video quality may be many people's concern since it's a "Sanyo". That was my biggest concern too. But to my surprise, I can truely say that it is very good. It's much better than my 3-year-old sony which always give wrong white balance and grany picture when shooting in low light condition. I didn't compare it to the latest generation of sony/canon. But I think it is very acceptable for family videos. The still photo function is so so. The shutter is kind of hard to control since you need to half-press it to focus. But then again the button is not very firm so you need to get used to the half-pressed-spongee-button feel.
One more good thing about this cam is the fast startup time. Remember the time when your wife screaming at you to shoot the babie's once-in-a-life-time moment and you missed it because it took 10 seconds plus to turn on your tape driven camcorder? This camcorder can be put in sleep mode. As soon as your flip open the screen, it will be ready to shoot in about 3-4 seconds. A small difference in seconds, a giant leap for mankind.
I didn't have a chance to test the under water capability. But I guess it will be okay for pool parties, etc. It's either water-proof or water-leak. There isn't much to talk about.
I did compare this product to the latest Canon TX-1 before I bought the E1. But the awkward handling and inefficient data compression ratio have pushed me back.
I would have given it 4 stars because of the spongee buttons. But since it's a Sanyo and it is forgiven and rewarded for a extra star.
DT
More Sanyo Xacti VPC-E1 6MP Waterproof MPEG4 Camcorder with 5x Optical Zoom (Blue) reviews:
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Description of Sanyo Xacti VPC-E1 6MP Waterproof MPEG4 Camcorder with 5x Optical Zoom (Blue)
Camera, vpc-e1bl, blue, 6mp, 5x optCamcorders
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