Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 Digital Camcorder and 8 MP Digital Camera
Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 Digital Camcorder and 8 MP Digital Camera
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Stop fussing with bulky underwater housing. The Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 Waterproof Digital CameraCorder captures both high-resolution 8-megapixel digital still photos and high quality video underwater. It is pocket-sized, so it’s perfect for the beach or on the ski slopes. This unique CameraCorder also offers face detection for both still photos and video and is designed to easily upload video to social networking websites such as YouTube and portable digital media players such as the iPod Video. Full motion video up to 1.25 hours on an SD card and up to 10 hours on an 8 GB SDHC card (TV-HQ mode) Face detection – up to 12 faces for still photos and 6 faces for video Ergonomic design for single-handed operation Uses SD/SDHC memory card Simultaneous still image capture while shooting video Underwater mode for better color in underwater photos and video Digital Image stabilizer Full-range digital stereo recording In-camera editing MPEG4 video files can be directly imported into iTunes and transferred to video-capable iPod, and other portable digital media players Web-mode for simple sharing to Web sites such as YouTube and portable media players such as the iPod video Super fast start-up @ approx 1.7 seconds Taking navigation for first-time users Simple or sophisticated menu options Sequential photos up to 10 photos@ 5fps Connectivity to TV, VCR, DVD Recorder and/or PC Includes Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0 for movie editing and DVD authoring Lightweight (258 grams/9.03 ounces including battery and SD card) Lithium-ion battery and charger
Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 Digital Camcorder and 8 MP Digital Camera Reviews.
Before purchasing E2 I was torn between E1 and E2 but decided to go with a new model. There were no reviews on E2 other than a single one for Euro/Japanese/Canadian version of E2 called CA8 and that review blasted the camera’s new sensor. Nevertheless, with Amazon’s liberal return policy, I decided to take my chance and to get E2 instead of E1. After all, it is a second generation of this waterproof camera, and I thought the second generation is typically better.
If you are trying to decide between E1 and E2, here are the major differences:
The most obvious is a change of sensor.
E1 uses 6MP CCD 1/2.5 sensor
E2 uses 8MP CMOS 1/2.5 sensor.
E2 adds a 60 frames per second movie option (E1 was limited to 30 frames per second)
E2 adds face recognition mode. E1 has no such face detection mode
E2 adds a dedicated ‘underwater’ mode among several others. E1 did not have a specific ‘underwater’ mode.
First, I tried both the new 60 frames per second mode and the old 30 frames per second mode and I decided that I will be using 30 frames per second, I actually like the quality of 30fps mode better.
I then tried the photography mode. I took most photographs inside in tricky low-light incandescent and florescent light conditions, because I know these give ANY camera, including DSLRs such as my Canon 40D $1300 camera, the most problems. I upped the ISO to 200 and then to 400. You can see samples I posted here. BTW the macro mode on this baby goes to 1 cm!!!! I don’t know if E1 had such super-macro to 1 cm. I found the photo quality acceptable and similar to that of other point-and-shoots using the same 1/2.5 and similar sensors. I felt that ISO400 was acceptable. I have not tried ISO 800 and 1600 yet.
E2 has following ISO range: in photo mode 50-1600
in video mode: 100-3200 in high sensitivity mode (3200 I don’t believe you can select, but it does it).
The image stabilization feature is tricky, it is EIS, Electronic Image Stabilization, not Optical Image Stabilization, so when you use it, it crops a little bit on sides of your video and photographs, depending on which mode of EIS you use.
The sound is stereo and the quality is acceptable. The camera is tiny btw, I fit mine in case logic case I had from my Canon A75 camera.
I tried this camera underwater in my pool, both video and photographs. All worked fine, even shoots photographs with flash underwater, which makes for very freaky results.
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Finally, some people complained that Sanyo has their own unique USB cable which is a pain if you lose it or don’t have it with you, and cannot read it in ordinary card reader. WRONG. I did not even bother taking the proprietary Sanyo USB cable from camera packaging. The card works easily in my HP (windows vista) desktop’s card reader. I downloaded PICASA 3 which I recommend. Picasa 3 will find, download, and play all photos and every video you shoot with this camera easily and quickly, just take the SD card, put it in your card reader and Picasa will do the rest. Very easy, so don’t need to bother with this cable that comes with it.
Problems: Battery life is not impressive. Battery is tiny. I am used to Fuji F30′s 500 shots per charge. This battery sucks. I charged the battery fully. I then took 80 photographs (some with flash), 4 or 5 2-minute videos and my battery showed 70% gone. You need a second battery, and hopefully there are some with more juice in it that the Sanyo one that comes with the camera.
I also wish the lens would start at 28mm and not 38mm as it would make easier to take pictures/videos of oneself without need to stretch your body away from the camera. Also my belief is that the flash only operates in photo mode and not in video mode. However, it is much better than its only competitor, Panasonic SW20, which does not have any flash at all
I will add more photos later.
Before I start, let me mention that I am a professional photographer and I teach photography for our local college. When I look at a new camera, that background plays a role. You may be looking for something completely different in a camera than I am.
My first impression of the Sanyo Xacti VCP E2 was all about its size. It slips right into my shirt pocket. Once I got over the size (and got the battery charged up) I was ready to go. Oh, and install a memory card. The E2 takes the popular SD cards, and it does not come with one. That’s probably not a bad thing. Most people who have had a camera or two have a few of these cards lying around. If you don’t, get one with the camera. I installed an 8gig card.
I was first trying to hold the camera in one hand. That didn’t work very well for me. Your hands may vary. The best hold for me turned out to be with the camera in my right hand, and my left thumb and index finger on the top and bottom of the LCD, which steadies things nicely. The controls, located on the top rear of the camera, are designed to be thumb operated.
The two buttons at the very top take still photos and movies, respectively. They are easy to operate, and the still photo button does the usual “press halfway to lock everything in” function. Below these is the usual four way rocker with the button in the middle. When you are making pictures, this area is used mainly to zoom.
There is also a menu button on the back, and many functions, like turning the flash on and off, can only be accessed through the menus. If you have used digital camera menus before, these will be easy to follow.
So, how well does it work? Pretty well, actually. The macro ability of the lens is outstanding in a camera of this type. It focuses at 1 cm. That’s less than a half inch, if you are metric challenged. In addition, it has a full range focus mode that will go from 1 cm to infinity without putting it into a special macro mode. I like to get in close, so that’s important to me.
The camera has all the usual settings for ISO, light balance, etc., and will go as high as 3200 ISO. If you get higher than 400, buy a good noise filter plug-in for Photoshop. Once I apply that, even photos shot at 1600 look pretty good. The 8 megapixel stills are 3264 by 2448, and print nice 8x10s. You can grab stills while shooting a movie. If you do that, the stills will be 1600×1200. With 2 megapixels, you could still print an 8×10, but a 5×7 will be better. The 5X zoom works fine. There is also a 12 megapixel setting, but the sensor is 8 MP, so I assume it is simulated. I didn’t use it.
Videos are either 640×480, which is plenty for display on a TV, or 320×240, which is perfect for UTube or similar services. You can record at either 30 or 60 frames a second, and I didn’t see much difference. At the lower resolution, you can also record at 15 FPS, which makes a small file that’s easy to email or upload.
The waterproof feature is interesting. It is supposed to be safe to 5 feet, and it seems to be. I tried it by holding it under water in my backyard pond and bothering my goldfish. Water’s a little chilly this time of year!!! Anyway, it worked fine. For many people, the main advantage of this would be that you don’t have to worry if you are getting rained on, and you can use it by the pool with no issues.
This camera won’t replace your DSLR, but it might replace both your point and shoot still camera and your camcorder.
Pros: Size, easy to use, great macro ability, and very acceptable photo and video quality, with the waterproof feature a plus.
Cons: Not many – Uses a non standard USB cable (included) and battery life is around 100 or so stills if you are using the flash – more if the flash is off. Figure an hour of video.
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