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Sanyo Xacti GH2, CG102, CG20 preview: full-HD cams for less than $230
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. %Gallery-88953%
Sanyo rolls out GH2, CG102, CG20 1080i camcorders in the US
Sanyo just announced a trio of 1080i camcorders for Japan last week, and its now gotten official with some ever so slightly different model for the US, which look to just be the beginning of a new wave of Sanyo camcorders rolling out in the coming weeks and months. As you can see, these ones a bit more subdued than their brightly colored Japanese counterparts, and Sanyo has naturally changed the model names to keep everyone on their toes (they're now the VPC-GH2, VPC-CG102, and VPC-CG20). You'll still get the same 1080i video and either 14- or 10-megapixel still images as before, along with a somewhat unique 12x "double-range zoom" on the GH2 and CG102, which apparently lets you switch between a wide-angle and telephoto zoom for videos. Sure, full 1080p would have been nice, but it's hard to complain too much with prices of $229 and $199.
