Sanyo Xacti VPC-E1 6MP Waterproof MPEG4 Camcorder with 5x Optical Zoom (Blue)
by SANYO
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List Price: Our Price: $109.87 You Save: $390.12 (78%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sanyo Xacti VPC-E1 6MP Waterproof MPEG4 Camcorder with 5x Optical Zoom (Blue)
Customer Review: Very nice price-quality relation
Summary: 4 Stars
A very good buy IMHO, with a some caveats though.
One pretty well advertised feature of this camera is its capability for shooting pictures while recording. This feature has some less advertised drawbacks, however. First, it's quality is automatically set to 6M, which in most cases will not bother you. Also the flash will not shoot, which can make this feature unusable in some cases. However, as the camera doesn't have a lamp or low-light mode, in most situations you aren't able to shoot without the aid of the flash you won't be able to record decent video either anyway. What makes this feature really unusable in my opinion however is that while the camera records the picture to the memory card it will stop recording video, so your video ends up with annoying cuts in the moments you took pictures. I'm using a Transcend 8GB SDHC Class 6 card, which as far as I could figure out is the fastest type of card on the SDHC realm, and the clipping is still too noticeable for my liking. In my opinion it's much better to stop recording and take the pictures or extracting the stills from the video, using the camera's own edition features even. All these peculiarities are not advertised, but they are detailed on page 53 of the camera's instruction manual.
The autonomy is 80 minutes, which is ok, but I recommend buying at least a couple extra batteries. Just today I used the camera at a family reunion and I went through two batteries. I must add however that even if it wasn't used continuously, it wasn't given much rest either between playback and recording. Personally I bought and recommend Lenmar DLSAL20 Lithium-ion Batteries. Onlyne I found discrepancies about the capacity of the original battery, but in the end I found both the original and the Lenmar "replacement" have the same 720 mAh capacity and hence the same autonomy and can be used with the same charger. The Lenmar ones cost about one-third the price of the official ones though, so even if they have lower lifetime (which I'm not sure is the case, but can't be sure because I still haven't had time to exhaust one) they are still worth it.
As for recording space, the 8GB card mentioned earlier allows me to record over 5 hours of video at the maximum possible quality (TV-SHQ, 640x480, 30 fps, 3 Mbps = aprox. 1.26 GB per hour) and also over 300 pictures at the maximum possible quality (10M = 3680x2760). Lowering the quality one step or two almost doubles the quantity of video and images. In my case that's more than enough. In the manual it warns that the video will stop recording after reaching a file size of 4 GB. I think this might be a restriction imposed by the FAT file system the memory cards use. This is a pointless warning though, as you need over 3 hours of continuous recording at maximum quality to reach that file size and the battery lasts only about 80 minutes and the camera has no socket for an external power source.
I was a bit surprised at the small size of the camera, and a little afraid as my hands are big (and clumsy too, yeah). After using it however I found it quite easy to handle and practical. It is very light and adapts fine to the hand, providing a decent grip. The display is comfortable, clear and reasonably big. It does have a socket for fitting on a tripod, and I mention this in hopes it helps someone because I couldn't find this specific detail mentioned anywhere when I was researching information on this camera prior to buying.
To be honest, I haven't had the necessity or the heart to test its underwater resistance yet.
The soft case included is barely enough to protect it. I would strongly recommend buying a better case along with it.
My most firm complains about this camera are related to the picture shooting, and being it a camcorder I consider picture shooting an incidental plus, so I wouldn't take that much into account. The only recording-related thing I would change is the autonomy, but I'm not sure I would trade it's compact size and light weight for some extra battery time, so I'm not going to complain about that either.
Overall, I think it's a pretty good camera, and although I agree there are better ones on the market, I'm not sure there is one as good as this one for a similar price.
Customer Review: Great little unit, perfect for vacations
Summary: 4 Stars
A few comments about this camera. I took it with me to India, and the standalone battery recharger was fried by a power surge after a short time. Fortunately, I found a cheap universal charger in a local shop which saved the day. Since the recharger would appear to be easily damaged by power spikes I recommend a good quality surge protector when travelling to countries where fluctuating voltage or power outages are common (e.g. India, China, and other developing countries)
The camera itself is very compact and straightforward to operate. The zoom buttons are tricky to operate with one hand without causing camera shake, so I suggest using a second hand to stabilize the camera when zooming in or out.
You have to be careful to protect the lens because there is no lens cap. So the lens will need to be cleaned regularly.
The camera adapts very well to different lighting environments automatically, even in dim light (e.g. dusk) the image will be quite acceptable. As others have pointed out, it can sometimes lose focus in dim light, but switching to "Normal" focus mode (rather than "Total" focus) will generally solve the problem.
I have not tested the camera underwater, but I have used it in heavy rainfall and it didn't skip a beat.
The quality of the H264/AVC codec is superb, especially when you record in the highest quality mode (640 x 480 resolution). However, at the moment this codec is not very widely supported by standalone players.
Sony Blu-Ray players and Xbox 360 can play these mp4 video files directly however. Other DVD players claiming "MPEG4" compatibility will NOT work with H264/AVC (i.e. when the mp4's are burned straight to a data DVD/CD or accessed on a memory card).
This means conversion to DVD-VIDEO format will be necessary in most cases. For this purpose, I do not recommend the software that comes bundled with the camera as it is quite poky and the converted quality is not great.
Instead I suggest you download the software "Total Video2DVD Author". This converts the H264/AVC mp4's in very high quality (virtually no pixellation/artefacts) and is no slouch either.
** But be sure to configure the target for NTSC DVD-VIDEO and not PAL, otherwise fast-moving sequences will appear jerky **
(same goes if using the bundled conversion software)
I assume the reason for this is that Xacti's native video format conforms more closely to NTSC standard in terms of framerate, etc. All DVD players can handle NTSC discs anyway so this shouldn't be a big deal.
I tested the Xacti with 8Gb SDHC card (generic brand) and 16Gb Toshiba SDHC card and both worked perfectly.
By the way, the recorded sound quality is very good. When zooming in/out, some mechanical noise will be picked up, but otherwise is great.
Still image (camera) mode works quite well, sometimes the photos appear over-exposed in broad daylight but you could manually adjust for that. If you try to take a photo in the midst of recording a video, the photo will be limited to 6MP resolution (2816 x 2112). If the photo is taken when no video recording is taking place, the resolution can be up to 10 megapixel (3280 x 2760). Even though it is claimed to be a 6MP camera, somehow it can manage the 10MP resolution, which is a plus.
Customer Review: You almost had me, Sanyo, but beware Mac users!
Summary: 2 Stars
After watching a video review of the Sanyo Xacti E1 camcorder, I was sold on it before I could get rid of my current camcorder. I ran to the nearest store to buy one and took it straight to the beach. The video quality was amazing. As a current widescreen camcorder and widescreen TV owner, I missed 16:9 over the 4:3-only video recording (even though it surprising shot 16:9 digital stills!). The flash was strong, and underwater recording was even better than expected. The battery life is estimated at about 80 minutes, but it's so easy to find spare batteries (as low as $20 for 5 on eBay!)
Of course, even though it was waterproof, it certainly isn't pebble-proof. Sitting at the beach and having the waves rush into me and the camera was fun, but not when I couldn't flip or close the screen, as pebbles got caught in and around the hinge. Needless to say, it got pretty scratched up on its first day trying to get the flip-out screen to close and open properly.
As a new Apple user, owning a MacBook, iPhone, and Apple TV, what sold me was the blatant mention of H.264 and AppleTV, right on the box. I wasn't expecting a grand suite of Mac applications, but it was easy enough to just drag into iTunes to sync up. This is where the fun ended on the Mac side. The H.264-friendly iPhone rejected every video created with the E1, and the AppleTV played back every video with such artifact corruption that I was so embarrassed when performing a live demonstration of the ease of use of both the E1 and the Apple TV to family and friends.
Sure, I could drag all the H.264 movie files into iMovie and re-render them, but then what makes this camcorder different or better than others that I would have to re-encode anyway? Sanyo should really reconsider the mention or detail the specifics of Apple compatibility if they want to gain the trust of Apple users in the future.
Ultimately, the camera went back to the store, and my quest continues for a decent-price, widescreen-capable, high compression, flash storage-based, Apple-friendly ultraportable camcorder. They might be able to fix these problems with a firmware update, but I doubt it. Perhaps I'll revisit Sanyo again when the Xacti E2 or VPC-HD3 (speculative names) come out.
Customer Review: Worked for first Year, then broke......
Summary: 3 Stars
Sanyo has since improved this model....hopefully the quality for lasting because when we first got this we paid about $300 because it had just been released and we wanted the new model. Always better to wait a while because 1) price usually comes down and 2) you can read reviews to see if it is indeed worth purchasing.
However this is a great product. We went on a cruise and took it and during one of our stops we took a tour in which it was raining. Everyone had to either leave their camera and camcorders on the ship or had it under their coats because they could not get it wet. Not us!! We had our water proof camera out in the rain taking video and pictures!! It was great and that alone was totally worth having it. We also have a pool and it is nice to have it around and not worry about any splashes of water. Our camera worked great for over a year however oneday it developed a problem where the picture on the screen was distorted. It was obvious at first it was a short because wiggling it around would make it work however over time it stopped and now I cannot get it to work at all. It is stuck in the distorted view. Upon sending in for repair, the cost would have been $96 for labor alone and the part(hinge for flip out screen) was almost $100. So to get it fixed would have been over $200. Way to much for a discontinued model. I purchased a slightly used one on Ebay for about $80. You can also get the E2 for a good price.
Now Sanyo is making this in an HD model VPC-CA9. It is the same pistol style which we really like because it is small and very easy to carry and use. We plan on purchasing this new HD one also because we love the camera and it can use all the extra batteries we have.
The only downfall is the battery does not last as long as we would like. Also, due to the waterproof design, there is really not an option for an extended life battery. They do make some with more MAH and it does last a little longer but not a lot. But the batteries are so inexpensive to purchase on here or ebay, you can get many extras. Also they are very small to carry. Along with the small SD cards, this can go right in your pocket!
More companies should make this design!
Customer Review: Great Little Combo Camera!!
Summary: 4 Stars
I have been searching for a combo camcorder/camera for over a year. I didn't want to break the bank while doing it either! As a family it is necessary to have a camera that can go anywhere, and this camera can do just that. It can go on vacations with us, we can take it to Seaworld, sit in the front row and not hide our camera for fear of it getting wet. This camera is a MUST for the Mom(or Dad) who likes to carry a camera around, to get tons of shots of their kids. Another thing Moms & Dads can appreciate, is the lack of lag time. Yes a camera that actually takes the picture when you press the photo button! As a Mom that was a huge plus for me, I don't know which made me happier, the fact that I could carry on camera to do two jobs, because with this camera you can get both still and video at great quality. Or the "no lag" button.
Now first I want to address the reviewers who said they got horrible still shots with this camera in poorly lit areas. This camera as with any camera requires that you read the manual, because you can't put a camera on auto and expect to get great shots all the time. Had you read the manual you would have known that you can put the camera in different modes to get the best picture for a particular situation, so had you read the manual you would have found the "low light" mode. When you use it, your pictures in low light rooms come out just as good as the outdoor/bright light photos.
I think anyone that purchases this camera will be very happy with it. If you are just going to leave it set on auto expect to get some crappy pictures, but if you take the time to at least skim over the "important" parts of the manual this camera will work overtime for you!
So, if I love the camera so much why did I only give it 4 stars? Well, my only complaint is if you have larger hands it tend to be awkward to handle. I have found that I "feel" like I have to have the wrist handle on, and I have to hold the camera with one hand and push buttons with the other, while making sure I don't accidently put my hand in front of the camera. But I want to make sure I end on a good note. I really enjoy this camera and would recommend it!