Reasonably priced HD camcorders are now a reality
It seems that Sanyo waited for the Consumer Electronics Show hype to end in order to roll out its new Xactia “dual camcorder” line-up on Wednesday. The new Xactia generation consists of six HD-capable camcorders with still-camera features, two of which can record 1080p full HD footage. As the price tags for the new video-photo devices are quite reasonable, analysts expect that many potential customers will go down and buy one. All these models will be available starting March 2009.
Essentially, the new dual camcorders from Sanyo are oriented to users who feel cumbersome about carrying a competent still camera along with their video recorder. Sanyo decided to aim its products both to style-conscious and more conformist users, as three models have a more conventional camcorder shape, while the other three come in a vertical form, specifically designed for one-hand use.
The high-end models, the conventional Xactia FH1 and the vertical-shaped HD2000, are capable of 1080p video recording at 60 frames per second, but they will also be glad to provide users 10 megapixel crisp photos. However, even though there is a welcomed option that enables 16:9 ratio of the photos, this means that the resolution will drop to 7.5 megapixels.
Both models have HDMI connectivity ports that are able to deliver HD content directly to your LCD TV or your laptop. While bringing some nice features overall, these two models still come at affordable prices, as the FH1 will cost $500 and the HD200 will cost just $100 more.
Another sought-after feature of these two models is the optical image stabilization option that makes sure that the footage isn’t too shaky. However, the downside is that if one wants to disable it, one will have to cope with the not too ergonomic menus, turning the day-to-day use a somewhat awkward experience.
Within the new Xactia line-up, Sanyo also released two waterproof dual camcorders, the classic-shaped WH1 and the vertical CA9. While the $400 priced WH1 is rated to resist even at 10 feet deep water, the classy $350 CA9 will only go half as far, but it features a 30x optical zooming feature.
These two models cannot keep up with the high-end FH1 and the HD2000, as they are only capable of 720p footage. This thing alone wouldn’t be a deal-breaker itself, but it’s worth noting that they will record video at just 30 fps. Moreover, while the WH1 still follows Sanyo’s dual-camcorder philosophy by taking 9 megapixel photos, the CA9 falls short with its rather disappointing 2-megapixel picture quality.
The TH1 and CG10 base models also feature 720p footage quality at 30fps, but it seems that they will return below par quality, as the lack of image stabilization means that videos will look wobbly, unless a stand is used. These two models will cost $300 and $200, respectively.
