hd1a
Latest
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
Sanyo updates handheld HD camcorder - Xacti HD1a
Sanyo is yet again offering 720p quality in an extra-small package; their new Xacti HD1a handheld camcorder records in HD and pulls double-duty as a camera if you so desire. Sanyo kept the same 5.1 megapixel sensor from the HD1 and added some forgettable features in the refresh including a 16:9 still picture mode and in-camera editing capability, but did manage to up the ante by providing a 320 x 240 MPEG-4 recording mode ready-made to play on your iPod. The secret to keeping it compact is the usage of SD storage in favor of more traditional miniDV tapes; you can squeeze about 21 minutes of beautiful HD footage on a GB, or about an hour in SD quality if time becomes an issue. Weighing in at just 8.3 ounces, keeping the HD1a handy shouldn't be much of a burden, but there just isn't much new here to get excited about. For those who prefer form over function, you can pick this up for $699.99 in September.
