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Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 Digital Camcorder and 8 MP Digital Camera (Blue) by SANYO
List Price: $199.99Our Price: $159.00You Save: $40.99 (20%)Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Digital Camera See more product details
Digital Photo Product DetailsManufacturer: SANYO Model: VPC-E2BL Color: Blue Product features: - Records full 640x480 resolution video at 60 fields-per-second to memory card
- Takes high-resolution 8-megapixel digital still images
- Easily share videos on the Web, as the camera incorporates AVC/H.264 video compression
- Record up to a total of 8 hours of full motion video on an 8 GB memory card
- Comes with a 2.5-inch LCD screen that can rotate up to 285-degrees
Accessories:
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 Digital Camcorder and 8 MP Digital Camera (Blue)Customer Review: Pretty good overall Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
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 1600x1200. With 2 megapixels, you could still print an 8x10, but a 5x7 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 640x480, which is plenty for display on a TV, or 320x240, 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.
Description of Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 Digital Camcorder and 8 MP Digital Camera (Blue)Camera, VPC-E2Bl, Blue, 8MP, 5X Opt
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