Rating

I am a fanatic when it comes to capturing memories with both photos and videos. I read lots of reviews before I bought a camera or a camcorder. I wanted an HD camcorder with a high megapixel camera. I wanted a excellent quality, low price hybrid camcorder/camera. I was very intrigued with this camera and compared to other hybrids, this was the best according to reviews. So I bought it from amazon (the pink was cheaper then the black) I tried it out at my nephew’s football game, set the camera to sports mode and took lots of pictures and HD videos. I was AMAZED and so was my husband! It was evening time, the sun was setting and the picture quality was crystal clear. I could see every brick in the school and every blade of grass on the filed. The action shots did not come out blurry but took a perfect snapshot picture of my nephew in action. The camera is small, pocket sized and simple to use. I just keep it in my purse and take it with me everywhere.

The only drawbacks that I found with this camera was the delay between pictures. You have to wait about 3-4 seconds before you can snap another picture.

Other reviews recommend buying extra batteries off of ebay. Which I did- 2 batteries for $10. AWESOME.

Here are links to two accessories I bought for this camera from Amazon which I am very glad I did.

1. Transcend 16 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card with Card Reader. You don’t have to plug your camera into your computer and wait for it to download. Very simple.

Transcend 16 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card with Card Reader TS16GSDHC6-S5W

2. Flexible tripod, You can wrap it around tree branches and film from anywhere.

Joby GP1-E1EN Gorillapod Flexible Tripod (Grey)

I am still trying to find a suitable case. I bought the Sanyo VCP-HCX2 Case. It did not fit so I am returning it.

Overall I am very very pleased with this buy.

EDIT: 3 MONTHS LATER- I am still pleased with this buy but not as ecstatic as I was when I first started using it. I would change my 5 star to 3 1/2. There is just way to much noise in low light situations. It works fantastic in well lit environment. Also if you are filming things from far away, it doesn’t look HD anymore. I would describe this camera as a 10 megapixel HQ camera because in most situations, the video quality turned out HQ for me.

Rating

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I have read many many reviews about this camera and have looked at countless videos on YouTube about it. Radio Shack has a lot of reviews about it too.

Hopefully I can say something that hasn’t been covered yet about this camera. First of all, there is a video cable that connects the camera directly to a HDTV. The number of the cable is Sanyo VCP-CPNT01U Component Output Cable for Sanyo WH1, TH1, CA9, CG10 Camcorders, and Amazon sells it for $[...]. The cable is shown on page 159 of the manual.

Turn OFF the NOISE REDUCTION. To do this go to MENU 2 under the WRENCH MENU. It is really the 5th MENU down. Go to NOISE REDUCTION, push SET, Then select OFF for both VIDEO NR and PHOTO NR. Push the MENU button to get out of there. I have never found a Noise Reduction on any camera that makes the pictures better. It usually degrades the quality of the pictures.

As others have said, place the FOCUS MODE to SPOT.

A excellent software program is AVS4YOU. Search for it. It is free to try and does a excellent job of playing and converting MPEG4 files to AVI or whatever.

Here is what I like about the camera:

You can join clips or cut out video with the camera in the playback mode. Manual PG 104-112.

You can take up to 11 pictures in sequence in the 10mb Photo mode. Pg 85 in the manual talks about that. To be direct, go to MENU, PHOTO, hit SET, Scroll down to 10mb burst mode, which is down past the .9meg picture selection. Just keep going down till you see it. It works fantastic. Be advised it does not work with flash.

You can also place SEQUENTIAL (I don’t know why they don’t call it BURST) in your SHORTCUTS MENU. Page 128 in the manual. To do this go to MENU, then scroll down on the left side to MENU 2 under the WRENCH MENU. That is really MENU 5 down from the top. Select SHORTCUTS, then SEQUENTIAL and push the SET button. Now once in the camera mode all you have to do to get Sequential is push the SET switch up. Pushing it up again puts you back in normal photo. Be advised if you have the photo set to 10mH (High) once you come out of the Sequential Mode the camera will go back to 10mS (Standard). To fix that you must go back to MENU 1, PHOTO, then select 10mH again.

You can take a photo just by pushing the PHOTO button while shooting video. Pg. 67.

It may not be a huge photo file, but it works.

You can delete 1 picture, selected pictures, or all pictures in the camera. You can print from the camera. You can use the camera with the cable as a card reader. pg 145 of manual

I have found that using all the optical zoom, you can use 1/3 of the digital zoom and still get a excellent looking picture. I took a picture of my wife at 125 yards and could read the lettering on her shirt using the optical zoom and digital zoom at max. I am not saying this is the best thing to do, but in some situations that is the only way to get the shot. Optical and digital zoom max is 60X. The quality wasn’t all that terrible.

Macro goes down to .39 inches. You do have to set it to SuperMacro focus in the menu though.

To do that go to MENU, FOCUS, then select SUPERMACRO. Then push MENU to get back to the camera mode.

The ISO goes from 50 to 1600. Your best picture will be in the 50 to 100 ISO range. The higher the ISO, the more the noise in the photo/video. I noticed leaving the ISO in Auto is sometimes a mistake. I was going to take a picture and I knew the flash would go off. It was somewhat dark, but not very dark. When I looked at the screen the picture didn’t look all that fantastic. It was grainy and I could tell the Auto ISO setting was pretty high. I manually set the ISO for 100 and it really cleared up the screen. I took the picture. It came out fantastic. It was a small darker than I wanted, but the picture looked clear. I brightened the picture up with Photo software and the results were outstanding. While looking at the screen, you can adjust the ISO and instantly see how it is going to affect your picture. In some situations it is better to take charge of he ISO and set it manually.

In taking a photo, pushing the button half way down causes the camera to focus. Pushing it the rest of the way causes an nearly instant shot with very small delay.

You can use the camera as a PC camera (like a monitor camera for your computer). Pg 150

In watching a video in playback, if you pause the video an image can be taken by pushing the PHOTO button. Pg 73.

There are a couple of things I don’t like about the camera. One is the battery, but you can buy them on EBay. Search for “DB-L80 Battery”. I found them for just over ten dollars for two. They are cheap and in most cases it also includes shipping. The battery that comes with the Sanyo is a 700mAh (Mili Amp Hour) battery. The two that I bought on Ebay are 980mAh. That means they are stronger and will play longer. They work fantastic. So the battery isn’t really that much of a problem after all.

The camera has a flimsy latch that covers the SDHC card. It is really flimsy. As a result, I just use the supplied cable and plug the camera into the USB slot on my computer to download files instead of taking the SDHC card out. The camera questions you if you plot on using it as a reader when you plug it in. Just click SET on that and the computer sees the drive instantly.

The last thing I don’t like about the camera is the lack of a strap. I don’t like holding a camera without something keeping it from hitting the ground if dropped. I found a couple on Amazon just doing a search under CAMERA STRAP. Nikon AN-CP14 Replacement Strap or Canon Metal Neck Strap 1 for All Elph Cameras, 34″ Length. The cost is real cheap for either the metal necklace or the wrist strap.

Well that is it. I hope you loved my review. Take care and get the camera. It is awesome for the price. I wish I could afford the Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2000 “Dual Camera” with 8MP & 10x Optical Zoom “Full HD” 1080p Pocket Video Camera.. Wow, what a camera, but for $[WOW!]?

Oh, one last thing, the case. I found a really excellent cheap case for the camera. It is a Tamrac Explorer 15 (Model 5415) Compact camera case for slim-line cameras. The price is small and the shipping is free. The case is small, but the Sanyo fits in it perfectly. The front pouch is huge enough for extra batteries.

At night, set the ISO to 1600, and the Sensitivity to HIGH. That is the best this camera can get in low light conditions. With the lights on in the house the camera did ok. The video was bright and looks excellent.

At night another accessory might be the answer. It is a video light. I have one and it works really fantastic. Sima SL-20LX Ultra Bright Video Light (Silver). It works for about an hour before giving up the ghost. In most cases that is plenty of time. It comes with a bracket that mounts to the Sanyo. I found that mounting it catty corner (about 45 degrees) on the left side of the camera works really well. It is not in the way of the screen but right out there to provide the quality of light you need. Mounting on the right side interferes with your hand in holding the camera. Mounting it on the left side will not let the screen open fully. You have to mount it at about 45 degrees on the left side and then all works fantastic. The light is really bright. I found that setting the ISO on 100 gives a fantastic picture but the light only lights up clearly about 7 feet. If you need more lighting than that, set the ISO higher. Setting it at 1600 made the light really bright, and it made the whole area bright for the video. Maybe 1600 is the best place for this light. You have to experiment with it.

Addition:1/1/2010

Someone emailed me and said the video was shaking using Quicktime. It is jerky. If you have this problem there are several solutions. One is to download AVS4YOU. It is a free trail but the program costs money. Another is to download ACDSee Pro 3 but you have to pay for it too. The third solution is to download the latest version of Windows Media Player (version 11). The link is posted in the COMMENTS Section of this review. You must also have the CODEC that goes with Windows Media Player to play the MP4 extension. Do a search on Windows Media Player CODEC on Google. Select the link that says “Media Player Codec Pack, Free software downloads and software” The link is posted in the COMMENTS section of this review. That should solve your video shaking problem.

To force Windows to use Windows Media Player to play your video files, go to the directory where your video files are located. Place the curser on one of the video files and right click on it. Select PROPERTIES and click. On the screen near the top you see the OPENS WITH then the box CHANGE. Select CHANGE and scroll down till you find WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER. Click on that then click OK. Now at the bottom of the page click APPLY then OK and you are set.

Rating

I searched for weeks and read scores of reviews of HD video cameras (both compact styles and traditional styles) before settling on this camera. Ultimately, the clinchers for me were two things: 1) the pistol grip (much better design for controlling the stability of the camera than the design on Flip cameras, and much more comfortable, natural) 2) perfect combination of features for me (large LCD, decent zoom, HD quality, 10mp stills make carrying my digital still camera pointless, and, finally, *cool* factor). I’ll say up front that I wasn’t looking to become the next Spielberg with my new buy, but I did want to be able to get a camera that impresses me and makes me feel like Spielberg whether I’m recording my kid’s babbling, a vacation, or my dogs barking.

I am not one of the types of reviewers who tests all the features and settings of cameras — some reviewers seem to have test labs set up in their homes — but I do my homework and want the best mix of features I can find in a camera, so I search until I find that. I believe I’ve found that here. I am really excited about this camera and haven’t had one ounce of buyer’s remorse since I got it a week ago.

I am really pleased with this camera because the video quality is awesome — better than any camcorder I’ve ever owned (though this is the first one I’ve bought in 7 years; my last one was a Sony MiniDV digital, fyi), and it is just plain fun to use. I’ve shown it to geeky friends and they are impressed as well — not to mention, they like the grip!

To respond to a few concerns raised by other reviewers:

Yes, the SD card door is flimsy, but that weakness will simply make you handle your new toy more carefully. Not a deal breaker and I probably wouldn’t have noticed had another reviewer not pointed it out before I bought mine. Just handle it with care.

Stability/Shakiness: Not a problem for me as yet. I’ve mostly shot fun small videos around the house so far, and none have made me nauseated. In my humble opinion, avoiding “the shakes” is more a matter of common sense (meaning, be a excellent camera-man/woman and you can minimize it); this camera doesn’t have a problem with this as many Flip-style cameras do. I’d say that the pistol grip style is the main reason for that because that grip helps you hold the camera in a stable, comfortable way.

Soft Focus: haven’t had a problem with that either. Again, I’m not in a labcoat testing for 100% accuracy, but, if you’re a regular person with desire for nicer things like I am, you won’t see any issues here either.

Low light issues: I’ve recorded in dark-ish rooms of my house and, yes, the images come out kind of dark, but not darker than the room itself was when I was recording! Again, not a concern for me. If I’m recording in low light, I expect that the image will not be as high quality as if I’m recording outside. Common sense. If I were spending $3K on a camera, this might bum me out, but not if I’m spending $200.

Main Pro’s:

Size, Size, Size: camera is small, LCD is huge, resolution (stills and video) is fantastic. Period.

Price: Find a Flip-style or traditional style camera with this combination of features for under $200. I don’t reckon you can (not yet anyway).

Grip: Pistol grip is WAY more ergonomic, which means your fingers don’t get tired holding it (as they would with a Flip), your videos are more steady, and you get to feel like you’re using your grandpa’s Super8 from 1972. So, it’s just better.

Lens cover: Who wants to spend money on a camera you can’t protect from your own abuse? Many competing models don’t come with this basic feature.

Only complaint: I wish Sanyo would make an AC adapter available! They have a picture of one (and how to use it) in the Owners Manual along with a model #, but, alas, I’ve yet to find the actual product available for buy anywhere in the U.S. I’m going to buy a second battery instead, but I’d much rather just be able to plug this thing into a wall when my battery dies and there’s currently no such option.

Just for fun: if you want it in Red, only Radio Shack carries that version and it does look pretty cool.

Rating

I’m going to try and answer some issues with this fantastic camera because it makes me sick that so many issues listed here can be remedied by simply reading the manual for this Fantastic CAMERA! I have had my VPC-CG10 since June and I like it. For a sub two hundred dollar camera, it is hands down the best. I tried around half dozen others and they all went back. This one is a keeper. The video quality, clarity, and color balance is on par with and better than some 1080P video cameras I’ve seen. I bought my red one at Radio Shack. Their website also has fantastic reviews, tips, and advice about this camera.

sekander, did you burn it to a bluray dvd or HD dvd? Probably not, that’s why you lost clarity. THE CAMERA SHOOTS IN HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO. If you’re burning it to DVD, YOU ARE NOT BURNING IT IN HIGH DEFINITION. Your PC screen is HD. Your losing the HD when burning it to a DVD disc, cutting the resolution in half. Then you’re making the video larger on a huge screen… and you wonder why it’s fuzzy?!?!?!? Just some things to reckon about.

The camera performs very well in low light, but not perfect, and if you can’t make it do so, read the manual or study up on photography, lighting, and videos a bit before trashing the camera. I get Fantastic results. Since Amazon doesn’t allow web links, go to YouTube and search for my videos taken with this camera, search for user “MrJuanitoBandito”. See my dim Thanksgiving 2009 restaurant video and my low light Delta 2 Rocket Launch, Sunrise.

I don’t know how these people are getting fuzzy video other than operator error because this camera has the best video clarity I have ever seen in my life. Look at my other videos. The food in my Thanksgiving video is a bit fuzzy but that’s because it was on the table about a foot away from the lens. I probably should have used the macro. Operator error.

The “ripply” or “tearing” effect in videos means you have a weak computer… it’s NOT the camera guys and gals. It has to do with a few things, mainly the Flash Video format with web videos and/or your weak computer with videos and/or Quicktime AND the vertical refresh or synch setting in your video card’s control panel… not the camera. I can suggest trying the FREE VLC Media Player program and you will see it less. If it still does it, adjust the vertical refresh or synch setting in your video card’s control panel, buy a new computer and/or upgrade your video card to one with a MINIMUM of 256 megabytes of dedicated video RAM (VRAM) on board, the more the better. If your video card has that, try adding more system memory (RAM). Your PC is too weak for high definition video in MP4 format if none of these options works for you. Here’s a test, watch one of my videos or any other on YouTube that’s in HD. Click the HD button at the bottom right of the video, then the full screen button. If your PC locks up or the video is jittery and jumpy… if after trying the above options and they don’t work, get a new PC or upgrade… yours is currently too weak. Every HD video on YouTube you should be able to watch in HD full screen, and it should be fluid like watching television, if you can’t… you probably will have issues watching videos from this camera as well and maybe it’s time for a new PC, processor, video card and/or upgrade. I recently had a friend that upgraded his processor from a Celeron to a Pentium 4 with HT and videos that he couldn’t play before now play smooth, fluidly, and perfectly… full screen.

UPDATE ON THIS TEARING EFFECT ABOVE. Since upgrading my PC to Windows 7 Professional, which now supports MP4 video in Windows Media Player, I get the smoothest video ever with NONE of this effect above. It’s gone!

Fuzzy video when you zoom? Again, take the time to read the manual and learn about the camera, read up on photography and lighting and video. The camera has both optical and digital zoom. Optical is real, mechanical zoom… the lens adjusts and moves. It is the best and usually satisfactory for my needs. I have digital zoom turned off because it’s just cropping a part of the last optical zoom… it’s not REAL zoom like optical is. I read somewhere someone got excellent results after going about one tenth into the digital zoom then stopping, because after that it does get fuzzy… but ALL cameras with digital zoom do that… it’s the nature of the zoom! Just remember, digital zoom is fuzzy… not the camera! Also, this is THE ONLY CAMERA in this price range that allows you to zoom in, to use the zoom, WHILE YOU ARE FILMING! A professional photographer once told me the best zoom was his feet.

“comparatively weak zoom”?!?! Compared to WHAT?!?!? 99.9% of cameras out there in this price range only have 3X optical zoom… IF they even have optical zoom… most cameras in this price range only offer digital zoom. This camera has 5X optical zoom as well! Complaints are being a bit petty. I reckon you work for a Sanyo competitor.

A “cheap” “flimsy” lens cover?!?! Again, Compared to WHAT?!?!? This is the only camera under two hundred dollars that comes with a lens cap! It’s plastic. So? Aren’t all lens caps? It snaps on. Don’t all lens caps? Stop complaining, this camera blows away the competition in this price range. What were you expecting? A magnesium alloy lens cap with a 200 PSI vacuum seal? Come on, the camera sells for under two hundred dollars, not a thousand dollars. At least Sanyo had excellent sense to include a lens cap that works!

Audio? Take the towel off the camera because I can pick up people 25 feet away and on playback hear them crystal clear. Again, operator error. Watch my Ares 1-X rocket launch video on YouTube. When you hear the guy in the background “A four hundred and fifty million dollar bottle rocket…”, remember this… he’s behind me about two to three hundred feet away!

The camera doesn’t lay flat? You knew this wasn’t a conventional rectangular camera before you bought it just by looking at it! That’s like buying a green car and complaining about the color AFTER you bought the car. BUY A 6″ or 8″ TABLETOP TRIPOD for $8-$10!

You DO NOT have to remove the tripod mount to replace the battery or download anything to the PC (I have no thought what camera he was reviewing here because it’s not the VPC-CG10 I have). May I suggest you read the manual? If it is connected to a tripod… YES, you would have to remove it from the tripod to plug in the USB cable or change the battery. It takes about ten seconds to remove the camera from a tripod… no huge deal. Next, just set the camera on the desk next to the computer! Are we getting a small petty about our complaints here? Or do you work for a Sanyo competitor or a life long fan of another manufacturer?

Battery life? About 45 minutes to an hour or so of continuous video shooting. I bought two more batteries on e-bay for $12 and that included shipping! Wow! It works for me!

Editing the MP4 videos made with this camera on the PC? I have used about a half dozen programs and they all gave me some sort of issue but that’s the programs, not the camera. I have been using Microsoft Windows LIVE Movie Maker and it works just fantastic for me without any issues (SEE comments of this review for more info). If I was a pro, I’d look into another program though with more options.

Buy a 6 speed/class SDHC card for this camera. If you use a 2 speed/class SDHC card, ANYTHING you do with this camera will really suck and you will be sorely disappointed thinking it’s the camera’s fault. These 2 speed/class SDHC cards are plentiful, common, and CHEAP! DO NOT USE THEM. A 4 speed/class SDHC card is MAYBE acceptable… barely. In reality though, anything less than a 6 speed/class SDHC card and your video playback will be slow and lag. I use both a 6 and 4 speed/class and am MUCH more pleased with the video and photographic results using the 6 speed/class SDHC card. I don’t know what camera the reviewer below used saying it doesn’t take 6 speed/class cards… my VPC-CG10 camera does.

I swear, either all these terrible reviewers work for a Sanyo competitor, or they never read their manuals and/or don’t know a thing about cameras (especially this one) or photography. I don’t know what it is, but with nearly all these terrible reviews… I don’t reckon they have the same camera as me!

That’s all for now. I will update with more later when I have more time to read through these competitors terrible reviews of this fantastic camera. I hope I helped!

BUY THIS CAMERA! You won’t be disappointed.