Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2 Camcorder Review

Yes, Sanyo borrows their joystick layout from Panasonic and others, but their follow though fails to make it past the plate. The joystick on the HD2 is so prone to inadvertent menu selections that the camcorder was almost hurled out the window of our office at one point. Just try pressing the center (select function) without shifting right, left, up, down, or diagonal, and you’ll soon be greeted with ample amounts of rage. With that on the table, the buttons in general are cheap and rigid—especially the photo capture button, which must be pressed halfway in order to activate the camera function before snapping a still. When the photo capture button is pressed in 16:9 photo mode, the LCD display jumps to 4:3 mode for a second or two, then back to the letterboxed 16:9 display before a still can be taken; only to reverse the process after the image is snapped. Basically, there are way too many screens jumping about for no apparent reason.

The most ghastly thing about the HD2 by far is the fact that it does not support a live preview before recording! You can fool with the shutter speed or exposure till the cows come home, but you won’t see results until you hit the record button, wasting your time, your friends’ and family’s time, and the time of everyone else within the vicinity of the HD2. In addition, focusing this sucker is not only maddening due to the wonky joystick, but also because the screen is littered with icons and information blocking you from a clean picture. Even if you clear away the info, the screen is too small to make critical decisions regarding focus. While we’re in the neighborhood, let’s talk about the menu. This “structure” is heinously scrambled six ways from Sunday. Nothing is in any particular order within the rotating vertical menu panes, and users will find themselves lost in a labyrinth of tiny icons and options—a point-and-shooter’s nightmare.

The HD2 is not tripod friendly, either. You pretty much can’t do anything with it except change the SD card and use the external mic jack while it’s connected to the shoe. You can’t even connect a power, USB, or AV cable—all of those connections are only exclusive to the HD2’s docking station or cable adapter. If you do opt to use a tripod, make sure the battery is full and that you flip out the LCD screen before attaching it because it will get caught on the rubber padding and refuse to budge.

Handling (3.25)
The VPC-HD2 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $585.36) is very compact, with an upright body that resembles the disposable flashlights sold at K-Mart during the 80’s. We prefer horizontal body designs, but ultra-compacts like the VPC-HD2 and Panasonic SDR-S150 (Review, Specs, $699.95) often adopt this more pocket-friendly shape. The incredibly light weight of this camcorder makes it difficult to keep steady, and with mediocre EIS, it does not do a stellar job of compensating for unwanted motion. The small size of the body has resulted in miniaturization across the board, and the LCD measures only 2.2 inches diagonally. It is the smallest screen we’ve come across in a while, and provides an extremely cramped view. The fact that many image adjustments can’t be monitored live with any accuracy is yet another major problem with this Sanyo, exacerbated by the generally challenging and confusing interface.

The zoom slider is small and allows for a very limited range of movement, so modulating speed with finesse is pretty much impossible. A joystick provides the sole means of navigating the menu, and making manual adjustments other than zoom – but it too is undersized and temperamental. We found it all too easy to make errant selections with the joystick, and engaged Tele Macro again and again unintentionally. Menu structure also plays into any discussion of overall handling, and we found the VPC-HD2’s menu to be chock full of options but uniquely difficult to navigate efficiently.

We could go into much greater detail about the handling problems of the HD2, but there are so many issues it seems better to cut to the chase. In virtually every aspect of handling other than portability, this camcorder falls short of anything else on the market. Caveat emptor.

Menu (2.5)
The Sanyo VPC-HD2 menu is divided into three “pages”: Submenu 1, Submenu 2, and an Option submenu. Accessing the top level of the menu is easy enough, with a Menu button on the back of the camcorder’s body just to the left of the joystick. The menu pages are displayed vertically, on the left side of the LCD, and to toggle between pages (1, 2, and Option), you will need to be positioned at the top of each page. If the icon at the top of each page/list is highlighted, pressing left or right will skip to the next page. While this operation may sound simple enough, somehow it tripped us up.

Portability (8.0)
Yes, yes, Y-E-S! The HD2 will delight moms, teenagers, and spies with its pocket-sized, lightweight frame. Just be sure not to drop it on the sidewalk, for the HD2 might slip down a narrow crack and fall into the sewer to become the official camcorder of the Ninja Turtles. Measuring a modest 80mm (W) x 119mm (H) x 36mm (D) (3.15” x 4.69” x 1.42”), the HD2 will fit in your favorite Coach or Prada clutch, ladies. Don’t worry guys; the HD2 will also fit inside your best beer cozy to impress your friends before capturing a night of drunken mayhem in HD. The HD2 weighs a feathery 210g (7.4 ounces). Tourists unite: May your fanny packs remain spacious.

Now here’s the deal—the HD2 will not go the distance in terms of battery power with a maximum recordable time of 85 minutes in HD-SHQ mode. However, since the HD2 has a fixed battery chamber, there is no room to upgrade to a larger battery. The next best thing is an arsenal of backup packs, which will run you about $50 a pop. That’s not too much of a financial hurdle in order to prolong the cinematic magic of the night. One additional note is to remember where the cable adapter is at all times. This little (and easily lost) square-shaped adapter is the HD2’s only means for USB output and direct AC power connection sans docking station. Without this vital component, you are saddled with the docking station only…until you lose that as well.

LCD and Viewfinder (4.0)
The HD2’s boxy LCD screen brought tears of nostalgia to our eyes as we reminisced of a time when the 4:3 aspect ratio reigned supreme. Since the HD2 records in both HD and standard definition, Sanyo chose to equip the camcorder with a 2.2” 211,000 pixel LCD screen that adds horizontal letterboxes when switched to HD mode. The screen flips out vertically from the bottom and rotates a full 270 degrees. To be honest, we found the LCD picture to be crisp with bold colors—nothing too saturated, though. Of course in lower light, the LCD display whimpers with ample amounts of noise and reasonable loss of color information. The LCD hinge does not prove itself a hefty warrior, but you can expect the same level of durability found on most Canons such as the HV20 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $903)—flexible, and thin. Only the HD2’s LCD hinge is partially built of metal, placing it ahead of Canon’s all-plastic external construction.

There is no viewfinder on the HD2.

Battery Life (8.5)
The VPC-HD2 ships with the same DB-L40 battery as the HD1 (Review, Specs, $499.99). We tested this battery by shooting continuously with the LCD open and the manual controls in auto. When the SD card was filled, we plugged in the DC power, erased the footage, and started again.