Sanyo’s Xacti DMX-CA100 would be a good enough HD camcorder on its own right – a 1/2.33-inch CMOS sensor, 5x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD, takes 14MP still pictures – if it weren’t also waterproof. But watching it work underwater? That’s something else. More »
Joining the SH1 and CS1 from a mere month ago are three new Xacti models from Sanyo& – the GH2, CG102 and CG20. All three film in 1080i widescreen resolution, and will cost under $US230 each. Score! More »
Sanyo is finally gracing the US with the second generation of their respected waterproof Xacti line, the Xacti E2. Capturing either 8MP stills or 640×480 AVC/H.264 video, the 257 gram Xacti E2 can fit up to 8 hours of footage on an 8GB SD/SDHC card (so that’s 1GB/hr). Unfortunately, the Xacti E2 is only waterproof to depths of 1.5 metres. Available now for US$400, we dug up some test footage for those of you who like watching a couple of dudes swimming:
Sanyo’s HD700 Xacti was the then smallest 720p camcorder in the world, and we liked it. Time’s moved on and Sanyo has a new Xacti, the HD800, and it’s apparently a great leap in video quality. The new cam has an 8-megapixel CMOS sensor, and shoots 720p video at 30fps in MPEG4 format. It’s also got “three-dimensional noise reduction” for improved image sharpness, can track up to 12 faces in the scene for optimum image settings, a 5x optical zoom and can shoot down to a minimum of 3 lux. The SDHC-recording cam comes this time in whacky 70s-esque colour schemes, and is available August 22nd in Japan at first, for around $460. Press release below.
Casio’s excellent EX-F1 slow motion digital camera has a bit of competition in Sanyo’s Xacti HD1010 camcorder. The 1080i HD cam does face detection for up to 12 people at once, and 300 frame per second slow motion as well as seven frame per second still shooting. YES! IIIIII saaaaaaaaiiiiiiidddd SLOOOOO MOTIOOOOON!
You probably remember DXG’s insanely cheap DXG-566V HD camcorder, the US$150 answer to Sanyo’s Xacti line. Well, DXG maybe didn’t think the 566 was enough of a copycat: The company has totally revamped the 720p/30fps camcorder with a “sexy vertical design” to look a lot more like the Xacti. The low price is retained: the all-new DXG-569V HD only costs US$170, while Xactis still cost anywhere from US$260 up to US$700. The DXG also only comes in silver or black, a small price to pay… literally. Specs and availability after the jump.
Sanyo’s new Xacti isn’t much of a change over the previous version: mainly a new 8 megapixel CMOS sensor (versus the previous 6) and a “face chaser” mode. This maintains exposure and focus settings on people you’re videoing or snapping. There’s a new underwater shooting mode too, which corrects for blue-colour light effects, and seems sensible for a cam that can be taken down to 1.5 metres underwater for an hour. The rest of the camera remains the same, including the case and 5x optical zoom. Next time give us a waterproof HD version, eh Sanyo? Available in Japan at first, mid-May, for around $500. [Akihabaranews and Impress]
