Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2 First Impressions Camcorder Reviewby John NeelyPublished on Jan 17, 2007 2:00 PM
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Audio
The Xacti VPC-HD2 has both an onboard mic and a microphone jack that broadens sound recording options considerably. The onboard mic is located in an unusual spot – the back of the LCD panel, and it does seem to be the only place a mic would fit, with the top occupied by the flash and the front by the lens and grip area. It’s a sensible solution because of the lack of external real estate on this cam, but it will be susceptible to picking up the sound of any LCD screen manipulation. Any onboard mic picks up handling noise, but most people actively adjust their screens while shooting so this seems a particularly noisy – if inevitable – placement for the HD2’s mic.
Luckily, the mic jack gives you a vast array of third-party mic options. You won’t be able to monitor your sound because there is no headphone jack (where would Sanyo find room?) Given this limitation, you should test your own mic with this camcorder to gain an understanding of its recording tolerances.
The Xacti HD2 includes a standard playback mode, controlled by the joystick, and also allows users to edit clips, rotate and resize stills, and display images in both thumbnail (multi-up) and single image displays. Clips can be viewed at normal speed, or scanned at 2x, 5x, and 10x. Playback zoom is engaged by using the zoom slider and allows the image onscreen to be enlarged from113% to 4050%.
Editing clips in-camcorder is a cumbersome process, but one that some users will appreciate. The ability to cut out unwanted chunks in the field does help to address the relatively limited recording time afforded by SD and SDHC card media.
The playback menu includes additional options, including playback method, multi-up, playback volume, protect, erase, rotate and resize (stills only), extract still (for video), edit video, print setting, and smooth playback.
Connectivity
Due to the size of the camcorder, the VPC-HD2 has only three onboard ports. On the top right side is the microphone jack; the SD/SDHC card slot is on the camcorder’s lower backside, protected by a plastic cover; and the docking station terminal is on the camcorder’s base. We’re generally not fans of docking stations when they seem unnecessary because they require users to carry an additional piece of hardware in their camcorder kit.
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The docking station viewed from above |
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Ports viewed from the back of the docking station |
In the case of a camcorder this tiny, a docking station makes sense because it offers additional real estate for terminals that don’t fit on the body and because the camcorder can't even stand up on it's own if the LCD is open. Sanyo’s HD2 docking station includes the AC adapter port, USB 2.0 to S video/AV, USB and component ports, and a HDMI terminal. The Xacti is inserted into the docking station in an upright position and therefore doubles as a convenient storage unit.
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