Sanyo VPC-HD1 Camcorder Review

The Front (8.0)
At the front of the Sanyo Xacti HD1, the 10x optical zoom lens sits at the top of the camcorder body, its snout tilting up at an angle.  This lens has a length of 38 to 380 mm, when measured with 35 mm conversion, and an aperture range of f/3.5 to f/8.0. Beneath the lens, on the right side of the camcorder, is an IR remote control sensor. A charge LED indicator is to the right of the sensor, and a vertical polished silver ridge starts directly beneath it. On the edge between the front and bottom of the HD1, extending the vertical polished silver bar, is the wrist strap eyelet. It's an elegant looking front.

The Right Side (3.0)
The internal Lithium Ion battery pack is located on the right side of the camcorder, under a cover that opens via a tab in the upper front corner. This cover is made of the same material as the camcorder body, opens easily when needed, and it seems to be well constructed for durability and extended use. Above the tab is the internal playback speaker for monitoring audio when viewing footage in-camcorder. Positioned on the right side of the in-camera pop-up flash housing is the clearly-labeled flash button. A mic in-port is located towards the back edge of the flash housing. Its rubber cover cannot be pivoted, and it will block the port when the user tries to insert, switch, or remove mic jacks. The lack of a hand strap and solid grip also lowered this side's score.

The Back (4.5)
The SD memory card port is located in the back of the HD1, positioned vertically near the bottom of the camera. Its cover is constructed of the same material as the camcorder body and can be opened via a tab located on the left side.. Above the SD card port is the Rec/Play switch, which moves the camcorder between these two operation modes. Above that switch and slightly to the right is the small silver Menu button which will open the menu structure on the LCD.

To the left of the Menu button is the joystick for the Sanyo Xacti HD1. This small joystick can be used to navigate and set menu options. It also serves an additional functionality once the camcorder is out of the menu. When navigating menus, the user can use intuitive joystick directions to move through the structures, then push the stick inward to activate the Set button and select or alter settings.  Outside the menu structure, the joystick's up arrow controls AF lock, the right arrow controls exposure compensation levels, the down arrow rotates through focal options, and the left arrow allows the user to enter the manual controls when the camcorder is set to manual, shutter, or aperture priority modes. However, the joystick control is poor, as will be discussed in the Manual Control section, which is the main reason for this area's low rating.

Above the joystick and menu buttons, in a circular face set out slightly from the camcorder, are three essential controls for the Sanyo Xacti HD1. The leftmost control engages the shutter button for still images, while the button on the far right will start or stop video recording. Between these two capture controls is a zoom slider that moves vertically to engage telephoto and wide-angle levels. When shooting in playback mode, these controls double as playback zoom/multi-up display. Above the zoom slider is a multi-indicator LED.

The Left Side (7.0)
The 2.2 inch organic EL display on the left side of the Sanyo Xacti HD1 has a total resolution of 210,000 pixels, and can be opened from the front, bottom, or back edge. As the HD1 has no viewfinder, this is the only viewing device available to the user. The camcorder's stereo microphones are located on the exterior of the OLED monitor,  perfectly placed for users to mask, muffle, and cover during use.  In the space masked by the OLED when closed are three controls, two of which are positioned near the edge hinging the LCD to the body of the camcorder. The front-most button is the on/off button, the button behind it switches the camcorder between HD and normal video modes, and the final button, located beneath these controls and slightly towards the back edge, is the burst/single shot switch. Positioning these controls slightly lower would have allowed access regardless of the LCD screen's position; as it is, the OLED has an aggravating tendency to block these options.

The Top (5.5)
The in-camera flash is the only feature located on the top of the Sanyo Xacti HD1. Its housing extends slightly from the rest of the camcorder. On the right side of this housing is a button that opens the HD1's pop-up flash.