Sanyo Xacti VPC-E1 6MP Waterproof MPEG4 Camcorder with 5x Optical Zoom (Blue)

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.

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 and it works perfectly. I also tried inserting a 16Gb Toshiba SDHC card and this was also recognized by the Xacti so I assume it would be compatible (you could record a *lot* of footage onto 16Gb, due to the efficiency of the H264/AVC codec)

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.

The camera itself is great. The large, easily maneuverable and bright display makes setting up shots and picking camera settings a breeze. It's very light and has good ergonomics as well. The images, both still and moving, are excellent. The problem comes if you should go looking for tech support. When you do you'll rapidly find out you're on your own.

I encountered a communication issue between the camera and my desktop. Just finding a tech support phone number on the Sanyo website is a marathon Easter-egg hunt (no number is listed in the documentation that comes with the camera)! Finding the relevant number, I was repeatedly put on hold for 10 to 15 minutes and then dropped. I could not get through despite repeated attempts. As their tech support line is only open during business hours, Monday thru Friday, you'd best hope your boss is an understanding soul. Fortunately, I was eventually able to resolve the issue with my own resources but it took hours to do so.

It's really too bad to see a product this well engineered compromised by thoughtless customer service.

I recently just bought this item off amazon about a month ago and have been looking around for six months trying to see if it was worth it. Now that I actually have it I absolutely love it. Its very small but very stable and doesnt feel cheep like i was afraid it might. The video quality is very good for what it is and amazing in good lighting. I made a whole short film with this camera alone its just plane fun to have around. Don't hesitate i did for a while but have absolutely no regrets. Just a side note... the fact that its water proof never gets old take it anywhere film for no reason.

I love the camara/video waterproof capabilites. It took fabulous videos and also 85% pictures. You have to practice to get yur best videos, but once you perfect it the videos are wonderful to have.

I've been using this camera regularly for six months, and I'm satisfied. There are good things and bad things about it, though, so I'll start with the highlights.

I bought the camera for it's waterproof feature, which is at the top of my list of good things about the Sanyo Xacti. It has survived the snow and has functioned while being fully submerged.

This camera is comfortable and stylish. It gets compliments wherever I use it. Because of its shape, I can rotate the screen 180 degrees to view when taking self-portraits or group photos.

It takes good quality pictures and videos. I am not a professional, and I use this camera for fun, so I haven't played around with a lot of the settings, but I'm happy with the results.

Now for a couple downsides. The most obvious disadvantage to this camera is that it has no red-eye reduction flash. Almost all of my portrait photos that are taken in low light show everybody with red eyes.

Even though it has a cool shape, it means I had to get used to using the buttons. The power and playback buttons are conveniently located on the side, but the rest of the buttons for capture, recording, and navigation take some practice. I like using this camera in the snow, but it's impossible to do with gloves on.

The battery doesn't last as long as expected, since the camera is always on standby (unless I turn it off manually). I'm used to cameras that turn themselves off after five minutes of not being used. As a result, I've been caught off guard by a dead battery and missed the chance to take some good pictures.

Overall, I recommend this camera if you will use its waterproof feature. Otherwise, there are probably other cameras that have better features for the price. At the time I bought this camera, Amazon had the lowest price I could find online. If you would like to see samples of what I have taken with this camera, visit my blog at http://timmyjimi.wordpress.com/