Quick Review Camcorders: Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1

The Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1 seems to fulfill the fantasies of many a tech-head: high definition (HD) video at an affordable price. And it does meet the technical requirements of HD, recording at 1280 x 720 at 30 frames per second (fps), also known as 720p. However, the camcorder does not deliver anything near the quality most people would expect from an HD camcorder. We’re here to warn you: the VPC-HD1 is a bad buy.

While the VPC-HD1 captures video and stills to SD cards, an SD card does not ship with the box. We’d recommend buying a 1GB card, at least, which will only hold about 14 minutes of HD video.

Video performance was the clearest indication that the VPC-HD1 is not up to snuff. Despite a large 1/2.5” CCD with 5.36 gross megapixels, the picture could not come close to the sharpness of shots from Sony's HDR-HC1, another, more significantly  expensive, consumer HD camcorder. Even worse, the Sanyo could not match the quality of comparatively priced standard definition camcorders. Oversaturation, noise, and sharpness all plagued the Sanyo’s picture.

The VPC-HD1 also captures video in standard definition at 640 x 480. The saturation levels were still very high, and resolution only went downhill. Again, for $800, you could do a whole lot better.

Low light performance was terribly noisy in both SD and HD. Saturation levels were too high and produced uneven color tones. There are worse camcorders in the price class, such as the JVC GZ-MG37, but the VPC-HD1 was far from exemplary.

The VPC-HD1 did not rank highly in our Ease of Use section either. Unlike almost every other consumer camcorder, the Sanyo has neither an Easy mode nor even a clearly defined Auto mode. Newcomers to the video world will be frustrated by the joystick, a terribly foreshortened nub on the rear of the body. It moves in five directions – up, down, left, right, and inwards, the last movement functioning as the “enter” button. Nearly 50% of the time, though, our attempts to move it up, down, left, and right were interpreted as moving it inwards. This is a terribly frustrating process.

Another major handling problem is the menu, which is split into several pages. The VPC-HD1 records stills as well as video, but makes no clear distinction between each mode. Normally, a camcorder would have a switch to toggle between modes and would provide each with its own menu. Here, the menu and manual controls are the same for both. This is true even in situations where still and video manual controls will necessarily be different. For instance, the menu allows you to set the shutter speed as long as 2 full seconds, even though the video, by definition, cannot go any lower than 1/30 of a second.  It's impossible to know what the shutter speed really is. Similar problems occur with the ISO settings, which correspond to gain settings.

A number of quasi-automatic controls, including multiple focus methods, exposure methods, and a neutral density filter, appear on the VPC-HD1. Fully manual controls include focus, exposure compensation, and aperture and shutter priority modes.

This brings us to the third major handling problem, one which is inexcusable. As you make changes to exposure, shutter speed, and filters, the LCD does not show you how they affect the picture. Unlike every other camcorder, the VPC-HD1  offers no "live view." What does the picture look like with an exposure compensation of +2? Change the setting to +2, hit record, and look at the image. Then hit stop.  You cannot see what the changes are without doing this. Sanyo should be ashamed that they brought a product to market without this sort of basic functionality.

Still performance, on the other hand, was exceptionally good. This produces our theory that the VPC-HD1 actually uses a still camera’s CCD rather than a camcorder CCD. The stills are very large, by camcorder standards, 2592 x 1944 (5MP), and users take interpolated shots which, although they contain no more information, are twice the size of normal images.  

If nothing else, the Sanyo VPC-HD1 shows us why good HD camcorders are not available under $1000 yet. The technology is simply not there. As far as we can tell, the VPC-HD1  is little more than a tricked out camcorder with a still camera chip, shoddily produced in a rush to meet market demands. We don’t doubt that many people will fall for this, drooling at the thought of owning an HD camcorder.  You, on the other hand, are now equipped with the knowledge to avoid such traps. Go forth and spread the word.

Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1 THE BOTTOM LINE Rating: 214.04

Likes

-Mic-in port -HIghly Portable -Flash is pop-up -Flicker reduction mode

Dislikes

-Non live-view for all manual settings makes for a tiresome guessing game -Irksome docking station -Poor video quality -Terrible handling

Sony DVD-DCR450 Rating:	JVC GZ-MC500 Rating:217.33	JVC GZ-MG37 Rating:166.88	Sony HDR-HC1 Rating:276.67	Canon Optura 600 Rating:230.33
Better	Better	Better	Better	Better
-In camera flash is more centered -Low light performance  -Live view of images before shooting -Auto shooting mode will work with success -2.7 inch LCD is bigger (but with lower resolution) -Electronic color viewfinder	-Memory options include CF, Microdrive, and SD formats  -Unique physical design  -External focal ring  -Simpler menu and control system  -Low light performance  -Better video quality	-2.7 inch LCD screen with a 16:9 format view -S Video port on the left side of camcorder  -Includes memory  -Live preview prior to shooting  -32x optical zoom level  -55 degree field of view for wide angle shooting  -Direct to DVD burning	-Video performance and quality with superb resolution -Low light performance -Better control -Far more advanced -Better handling and grip -Auto performance -Higher resolution LCD on a 2.7 inch screen -External focus and zoom ring -Exposure control and range -Pop up flash	-MiniDV format recording means lower compression and better video  -Headphone jack  -AV In/Out jack for analog to digital pass through -Better video quality  -2.5 inch LCD screen  -Low light performance
Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal
-10x optical zoom range  -Poor in-camcorder microphone placement  -Digitally controlled manual focus -Manual exposure control -Overall video quality  -Manual white balance  -Still and video recording abilities  -Electronic image stabilization	-Pop up flash   -Does shoot in 16:9 as well as 4:3 formats  -Manual control over Shutter speed  -Exposure is manually controllable  -White balance is manual	-Digitally controlled manual focus   -SD card for still images  -Manual exposure capabilities  -Manual control over shutter speed  -Manual white balance  -Automatic Gain-up control feature  -No viewfinder  -Original MSRP  -Electronic image stabilization	-Manual shutter speed is controlled via a digital interface  -Manual control over white balance  -10x optical zoom lens  -MIcrophone input	-While not identical placement, both have terrible placement  -Digital manual focus interface  -Manual control over exposure and aperture  -Manual white balance  -10x optical zoom  -SD memory cards for still images  -Electronic image stabilization
Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse
-Still image resolution  -Slightly higher price  -DVD format is harder to work with in post-editing  -Proprietary hot shoe limits audio and light options  -No mic-in jack (unless through the "intelligent" hot shoe)  -Touch screen interface is confusing and obtuse  -No Gain-up option or manual control  -Lacks the wide screen field of view  -Memory stick for still images	-No HD format  -1.8 inch LCD screen  -Higher price range  -Still Image resolution	-Terrible video quality in well lit scenes  -Limited to 30 GB of Hard Drive memory for footage  -No mic-in jack  -Less portable, memory is more fragile  -Field of view for widescreen shooting, on 46 degrees	-Less portable  -Memory stick recording instead of SD  -Still image resolution  -Smaller field of view for wide angle  -Bottom loading tape cartridge -Way higher price	-Higher price range  -No in-camera flash  -No gain control options, manual or automatic  -Bottom loading tape cartridge  -Still image resolution