Sanyo confesses its love for water with Xacti E2 pocket camcorder

The predictably named successor to the Xacti E1 has finally arrived, and it's just as waterproof as the original. The Xacti E2 records MPEG-4 AVC / H.264 video at 640 x 480, snaps stills at 8-megapixels, captures content onto SD / SDHC cards and features a 2.5-inch flip-out LCD for easy viewing of what footage you're snagging. There's also a 5x optical zoom and Face Chaser technology, the latter of which uses a "proprietary Sanyo algorithm to compensate for distracting up-and-down or side-to-side camera movement, keeping your subject steady and easy to follow." The 9.1-ounce device (in brilliant blue or pearlescent white) is available now in the US for a penny shy of $400.

[Via Macworld]

[who? @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:21PM]

If it was around $200 I'd get one, but I don't really think it's worth $399.99. It would be great for my trip to Hawaii this winter!

[phanbouy @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:32PM]

$200? you can't even get a decent hooker for that

[who? @ Sep 3rd 2008 8:10PM]

You can get a hooker for $200?

[tekdroid @ Sep 4th 2008 12:03PM]

well for around 250 USD you can get a standard-def MiniDV cam with frighteningly close 40x+ zoom, touchscreen LCD about the same size as this one, optical image stabilisation, etc.

[quag @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:30PM]

It's a great idea, but...

I bought a waterproof Xacti video camera last summer and took it with me to the Caribbean. Sadly, it only survived a few trip into the water before it stopped working completely. At $500 (the price at the time) it was a bit to pricey for what turned out to be a disposable camera.

Your mileage may vary...

[required @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:31PM]

I don't think the face chaser tech is new, the hd1000 has it.

[Chris @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:35PM]

this thing has been out for ages and i mean ages
check the argos catalogue in the uk which has been out months
and qvc uk which have had it for months

timee warpppp

[phanbouy @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:53PM]

OMG! MONTHS?!!!?!!one! call the pope!

[Raphael Salgado @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:49PM]

Just like the E1, still not widescreen. Is it really that hard to do 16:9 or 720x480?

Who has a 4:3 TV anymore?

[Joshua @ Sep 3rd 2008 5:09PM]

I do! And will until it dies...

[farfisa @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:56PM]

I too love water!

[Navin R. Johnson @ Sep 3rd 2008 3:24PM]

Why buy this instead of the OLYMPUS Stylus 850 SW for $250? You get the added shockproof, crush proof and WAY better stills I'll bet, for $150 less.