We caught up with Sanyo and its
recently announced, sub-$230 GH2, CG102 and CG20 high-def camcorders this morning, and have to say the company has
done it again. While we didn't have enough time to test the video quality, for less than 300 bucks you sure can get a compact and solid feeling cam, regardless of which model your big heart desires. We're especially taken with the CG102 and GH2, which are virtually the same, only housed in two different form factors. Both record full HD 1080i60 videos, have 14 megapixel still cams and Sanyo's 12x "double-range zoom," which lets you switch between a wide-angle and telephoto zoom when shooting vids. Cleverly, the horizontally-built GH2 -- which can be ordered with an expansion lens -- now has two sets of record / stop controls for those that tend to hold the cam in different ways; one set is on the top and the other on the inside of the LCD pane. Those that don't want to shell out the extra $30 for the vertical CG102 can grab the $199 CG20, but keep in mind that it drops you down to 10 megapixels and nixes the dual zoom function. We're looking forward to thoroughly testing one of the $229 units in due time, but for now you can check out their sleek bods and buttons in the hands-on gallery below.
posted March 25th 2010 12:49AM
Waiting on Apple to make a camera...
@iPad2010
Seriously? There are some great hd mini-camera's on the market right now...
I'm betting one from Apple will easily cost $300+ since it will be a "revolution"
@iPad2010 Well they did . . . back in 1994.
@iPad2010
Acording to Steve Jobs they have already entered the flash camcorder market remember? I think it was released about the same time as the 5g iPod nano.
@iPad2010 are you for serious? u think apples going to make cameras like the sanyo and such do? your in for a big surprize. apple already has a camera on the iphone but thats about all they will do with cameras anytime soon. apple is so preoccupied with the ipad and what they have instore for the masses next. which has NOTHING to do with cameras i can assure you. even if they did make a camera like this one here in this article, it wouldnt be 14 megapixel thats for sure. apple is more of a 10 and under megapixel kind of company! Im really excited what they are releasing next, i read that it could be bigger than the windows os itself! very unique and orriginal!!!!!! hopefully they wont get sued!
@iPad2010 Waiting on Apple to cure cancer...
@User Formerly Known as Dave
I hate to join a flame - but let's let Jobs work on gadgets. Bill Gates is the one working on cures for cancer, malaria, hunger, tsunamis, etc.
Duh everything is worth the "Apple tax" from Apple. Some people can afford it unlike your cheap ass.
@iPad2010 Apple already have a video camera, two in fact. The iPhone 3GS and the 5G iPod nano.
@KlassiK
But do these cameras have stereo sound or mono??
Do these have image stabilization, or are they unfortunately like the Flips and their brethren in that aspect?
@jhoff80 I doubt it matters. I use a Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2000 which is a lot more expensive than these and the image stabilization is essentially worthless.
It's really too bad because in every other way this camera is awesome.
Doesn't really matter, because this is crap:
"Both record full HD 1080i60 videos"
INTERLACED? In 2010, these cameras are introduced using a 1930s hack that has no place in any modern broadcast standard or motion-picture device. Don't vote for this garbage with your dollars, please.
And if "full HD" meant anything, it would NOT mean interlaced video. Interlaced footage is blurred vertically to reduce twitter (flicker), so you're not even getting your supposed 1080 lines' worth.
Then there's the undoubtedly abysmal bitrates...
I was thinking of picking up a CG20. Looks like a sweet deal for less than $200.
The Sanyo Xacti cameras look slick and the specs look nice. But the support is awful. I purchased a Xacti camera a few years ago and had problems with it only a few months after buying it. I called Sanyo and the best they could do is repair it for a minimum fee of $120. That's it! No warranty! It simply wasn't worth the repair since $120 was more than half of what I bought the camera for! My advice is to check the warranty on this one. I won't go near a Sanyo camera again.
Good grief! I waited for so long, finally it is (or should I say, they are) here.
I think Sanyo got it right by building cams vertical, it is a far more relaxed and natural position to hold a camera.
Keep waiting. Sanyo is still pushing 1930s technology (interlace) here.
Engadget, you forgot to emphasise the word "i"
1080i? Interlaced recording is crap. I don't understand why would anybody wants to see jaggies on their videos. Even worse, this adds processing time when editing to de-interlace the videos.
The 240fps recording sounds delicious though. :)
@pika2000
I'd be fine with 720p24 and a good image stabilization, but 1080i60 with all that shaking sounds dangerous.
Yes, any interlaced camera is garbage. It's that simple. There's no excuse anymore.
@pika2000
Bingo... 1080p24 or I don't give a $#!+....
"...the company has done it again. While we didn't have enough time to test the video quality..."
do you really expect people to take you seriously?
@mrqs
engadget = blog != dpreview etc.
get over yourself
@ravissimo
sure i hardly expect to see a full blown objective review on anything here, but praising a video camera without taking in to account the quality of the footage it takes is just stupid
I guess that these will do 1080p 30fps besides the useless interlaced option.
But Sanyo makes the best budget camcorders available. Compared to all these Flip clones, you get optical zoom and much better colors and sound.
btw The megapix0rz stories are totally irrelevant. The photo function on the Sanyo's sucks.
So what ever happened to the Xacti VPC-SH1 with 30x Advanced Zoom that Engadget said would be released in February? It's almost April now....
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/sanyo-xacti-vpc-sh1-full-hd-camcorder-with-wide-angle-lens-annou/
ladies and gentleman. this may shed some light on things-
http://discuss.gdgt.com/sanyo/xacti/vpc-cg102/general/Finding-Specs/
its very likely that post is talking about the US version of the camera.
"The biggest concern for myself about the CG110 is that the 1080/60 mode is interlaced. I was hoping that -maybe- a 1080/30 mode would be progressive. This is what prompted me to find Savov's post.
The site offers the following insight on the video modes supported by the CG110:
Full-HD ：1920x1080 (60fields/sec, 16Mbps)
Full-SHQ ：1920x1080 (30fps, 12Mbps)
HD-HR ：1280x720 (60fps, 12Mbps)
HD-SHQ ：1280x720 (30fps, 9Mbps)
TV-SHQ ：640x480 (30fps, 3Mbps)
So there are, as expected, multiple modes. The lack of mention of interlaced or progressive in the mode names still leave us in the dark, though.
I did not know, however, that the mode names DO give us some information. According to a thread on Steve's digicam forums (*2), Sanyo uses the SHQ and HR monikers for -progressive- capture modes--the former being 30fps and the latter 60. Therefore, the Full-SHQ, HD-HR, HD-SHQ and TV-SHQ modes are all progressive. "Full-HD" is, consistently, the name they use for interlacing capture modes at 1080. This naming scheme can be deciphered by comparing the capabilities of prior Xacti models, the HD-1000, 1010 and 2000 with their spec sheets.
And it makes sense: there is potential that the camera can do both, as Sanyo has done with its other camera the DMX-SH11. Akihabara news reports (*3) the SH11 has multiple capture modes, some interlaced and some progressive, but the comparable spec source is as untelling. I assume that they too deciphered the code, or its meaning is clear in the industry.
It is greatly based in speculation, but I want to believe that the Sanyo CG110's video modes are (at least) comparable to the CG102's, ensuring the device is capable of a 1080p recording, albeit at a lower 30fps."