Sanyo's Xacti HD2 high-def camcorder delivers 7 megapixel stills

It's deja vu all over again: at almost this exact same time last year, Sanyo unleashed the world's smallest HD camcorder in the form of its VPC-HD1, and now the company has stepped up its game with the brand new Xacti HD2. Maintaining the same pistol-grip form factor and 720p resolution as its predecessor, the HD2 kicks the stills up to seven megapixels, delivers 75% better low-light sensitivity, and perhaps best of all, ships with a docking station that sports HDMI out. Like the HD1a, this new model boasts support for SDHC, and Sanyo claims that a big fat 8GB card will store almost three full hours of footage. Other notable specs include 16:9 mode, a 2.2-inch LCD, 10x optical zoom, and spoken directions to help newbs get shooting right away. Expect the HD2 to drop sometime in March, and even though you're getting a number of improved features, Sanyo managed to knock $100 off of the HD1's initial price of $800. Check out the gallery below for some hands-on action...

Sanyo's Xacti HD2 high-def camcorder delivers 7 megapixel stills

[M @ Jan 8th 2007 4:30AM]

I hope this is not as bad as the HD1. It took horrible video and was hard to hold without shaking.

[Z @ Jan 8th 2007 6:40AM]

I second that. If this takes fantastic videos and good solid stills, I'm sold.

[gotz @ Jan 8th 2007 7:43AM]

hum hum...the only product one could compare to the Xacti line were the Sony M1 & M2 until today's HD2 were the Sony M1 & M2.

As a videographer I really see the use of this thing especially now that it has an external mic plug. sometimes you need a very small device with a descent enough quality of image that can fit in your edited film shot in HDV. Imagine interviews of political activist in those part of the world where censorship and hardcore surveillance is still the rule...it would be very cool to hide a pocket sized HD with a "anything better than an internal shit" tight mic. I think it's the smallest device in the world with a mic-plug. This little detail can bring the product to the prosumer niche market.
I can't wait to see the quality of the image.

[Chris Milnes @ Jan 8th 2007 3:35PM]

I have had the HD1 for over a year. Great for what it is. So portable - so easy to use - amazingly bright oled screen. Mic input is even more than expected. BUT! one fatal flaw that has not been corrected on this model (they did correct it on the non-hd version) is the placement of the flash. The lens is in the way of thr flash. So you will see a half round of darkness at the bottom 1/4 of the photo. You can workaround this by zooming in a little bit of but not using the flash at all.
Overall though this is a great little cam.

[sdwells @ Jan 8th 2007 11:37AM]

Basicly this is the device everyone who's in the market for a camcorder is looking for. The only thing holding back the previous virsion was the image quality and even then it was a very tempting compact solution. It would be nice to see another company put a little healthy competition on the market and also its only a short matter of time until we see a 1080p device... although that'll probably be when 16gb and 32gb flash is a consumer possibility.

[Kyle @ Jan 9th 2007 2:29AM]

from the image, looks like its for shooting amatuer video... thats just sick

[Luigi @ Jul 19th 2007 12:52PM]

I purchased the HD 1 just priot to the holidays. It was ment to take video of my new born. Wow, was very disappointed. The ability to shoot footage in low or even just dim normal indoor lighting is abysmal! I compared it with a friends non hd camera, he wanted to upgrade. His model performed better!!! it cost me $300 more than what he paid for his.

I wouold have returned the camera but had left town for a month and did not have the reciept. Boy, do i regret it! Junk is too kind a word to describe this thing.

I recently lost one of the cables so I cant hook it up to the computer. This is also preventing me from selling the unit on ebay.

Cheers and good luck

[dz0 @ Feb 24th 2007 9:31PM]

I am debating between the Panasonic hdcsd1 and the xacti hd2 (i know it's not out yet in the U.S., i can wait). My question is what is the difference between 720p and 1080i? My understanding is that this would give the edge to the xacti actually, since motion filming would be clearer. However, the panny hdcshd1 is 3ccd video camera. Does that have a factor in quality between these two? tell me experts, please!

[DannyMac @ Mar 7th 2007 6:52PM]

720p is great for fast action scenes, okay for more stationary scenes, and manageable to store and broadcast.
1080i is bad for fast action scenes, great for more stationary scenes, and manageable to store and broadcast.
1080p is great for fast action scenes, great for more stationary scenes, but requires lots of storage space and bandwidth for broadcasting.

For more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/720p

[crashsite68 @ Mar 27th 2007 1:42PM]

I've used the Xacti HD1A and its not bad. Compared to an older Hi8 camcorder, the built in mic is quiet and doesn't pick up any internal noise from moters or gears... because there are none.

On the other hand it does terrible in low light (which I knew before hand from reading reviews). It does do good for the purpose it was bought for. To document physical therapy patients and their progress over time. Being able to drop the SD card right into the computer, edit the video and burn a DVD in no time at all, was worth the few issues it has.

I did not like the mounting threading on the bottom of the unit as it is too close to the power input and cannot be mounted while plugged in.

With the addition of HDMI and a 75% increase in low light video resolution, I think the new HD2 is worth a look.

[xvariable @ Apr 8th 2007 4:52AM]

Now that this camera is out, what is the verdict on the picture and video quality? is it a great improvement over the HD1?

[biker-d @ Jun 6th 2007 6:54PM]

I have the HD2 and i really like it.. Yeah shooting in dim light is a little tricky.. but get a tripod for stability and if you can apply a levels filter in software.. it looks nice. In bright light this thing is awesome (considering the size that is). If you are only concerned about quality.. you may want to go with a larger camera.. but to be able to grab hd video at a conference from a device from my jacket pocket.....cool.