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As the fifth Xacti video camera to come from Sanyo, the VPC-HD1E tops off the range by offering full 720p HD (high definition) video at 30fps (frames per second) and stills photography at up to 5megapixels.
Weighing only 210g, it’s both small and light enough for single-handed use and, although it will easily fit into a trouser pocket, comes with a handy belt-pouch.
A 2.2in OLED (organic light emitting diode) viewfinder rotates and flips out from its side, providing access to menus and clear image reproduction even in direct sunlight.
All controls fall conveniently under the thumb. A small four-way cursor controller navigates the menus while larger buttons allow you to start recording video or shoot stills, moving between the two without having to stop any video recording in progress.
The VPC-HD1E records directly onto SD memory. The supplied 2GB card can store up to 28 minutes of maximum-quality 720p video, which increases to a full 80 minutes if you step down to the TV Quality standard definition mode.
Basic in-camera editing is provided but it doesn’t include any of the fancy transitions and effects available on products such as Canon’s similarly-priced DVD-based camcorders (read reviews of the Canon DC40 and Canon DC20).
The 10x zoom lens is complemented by an image stabilisation function that will reduce camera shake when shooting in full telephoto mode.
Both still and video modes come with digital filters and scene modes such as sepia, monochrome and skin-enhancing options and settings for sports, portraits and fireworks displays.
Unfortunately, the HD video quality of the VPC-HD1E leaves a little to be desired.
The pixel resolution is obviously much better than standard definition cameras, but the high level of mpeg compression used causes a noticeable loss of detail.
It’s a shame a less-compressed mode isn’t available as this is otherwise a very capable and versatile camera. This problem is much less noticeable in standard-definition mode, where the VPC-HD1E offers significantly better quality than Sanyo’s standard VGA-resolution cameras.
Aside from the annoying compression artefacts, the VPC-HD1E is an easy to use pocket-sized camcorder.
Related
reviews:
Canon DC40 DVD
camcorder
A marked improvement over the
DC20, it is slightly larger,
but produces better image quality, has a huge amount of features and is easy to
use
See also:
Convert video into Playstation Portable-friendly format without a PC 05 Jun 2006
A value for money camcorder that shoots natively in widescreen 18 Apr 2006
All Digital Cameras
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