Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2 First Impressions Camcorder Reviewby John NeelyPublished on Jan 17, 2007 2:00 PM
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The Front
The VPC-HD2 is an upright camcorder, taller than it is wide, and when viewed from the front, the 10x optical zoom sits atop a body that tapers towards its base. The focal length of the lens is unchanged from the HD1, at f=6.3-63mm (35mm equivalent of 38 to 380 mm), and an aperture range of F3.5 throughout its zoom range, thanks to an aspherical lens design. Below the lens is an IR (infra red) remote control sensor and a LED power indicator lamp is to the right of the IR sensor. A metal wrist strap eyelet connects at the lower front edge of the camcorder.
The Right Side
The enclosed Lithium Ion battery clicks into a slot on the right side of the VPC-HD2 protected by a hard plastic cover. The cover is opened by a switch at its upper right corner and seems to be sturdy enough to stand up to extended use. The battery itself is worth mentioning – it's smaller than any other enclosed camcorder battery we’ve come across, and it looks like the tiny batteries found in digital still cameras. Above the battery cover switch is a small speaker for monitoring audio during playback. On the top edge of the camcorder directly above the speaker is the flash release button. At the back edge of the top is a small port cover that conceals a microphone jack – one of the features that add to the HD2’s appeal.
The Back
The cover of the SD/SDHC card slot is vertically aligned, near the base of the camcorder. Its cover is made of the same hard plastic material as the rest of the body, and it can be opened with a fingernail by pulling on a small tab on its left side. The Rec/Play switch is above the card slot, and moved the VPC-HD2 between off, video and still modes. Above that switch is a cluster of controls that serves as the main interface of the camcorder.
The tiny silver Menu button provides access to the camcorder’s extensive list of settings and is above and to the left of the Rec/Play switch. A joystick serves as the menu navigation control and sits to the left of the menu button. Many camcorder manufacturers have adopted joysticks, including JVC, Canon, and Panasonic – the company that has implemented the control most successfully. This Sanyo joystick is small, to be sure. Last year, we found the joystick prone to incorrectly interpret movements, creating a lot of frustration when it made selections you didn't want. This year's joystick, at least the one on the floor model, seemed better. In menu modes, the joystick enables a user to move through options and make selections. In camcorder mode, it controls AF lock, exposure compensation levels, focus options, and engages manual control access.
Three key controls sit above the joystick and menu buttons in a circular interface. On the left is a still photo button, and to the right is the video start/stop button. The zoom slider sits between these two capture control buttons. In playback mode, the zoom slider controls playback zoom. A small mode indicator LED is positioned at the top edge of the camcorder’s back.
The Left SideLast year’s VPC-HD1 featured a 2.2 inch OLED (organic light emitting diode) display, and it was replaced this year by an identically-sized LCD screen. (Sanyo and Kodak ended a manufacturing partnership for the OLEDs.) Last year’s display had a resolution of 150,000 pixels, and this year's has the same. The LCD folds flat against the body of the VPC-HD2 with the screen facing in for storage or out for viewing, and the top-mounted hinge allows rotation through 285 degrees. The camcorder's stereo microphone is mounted on the outside surface of the LCD screen – an unconventional location that is sure to pickup handling noise if the screen is manipulated during a shoot.
Three buttons are hidden in the LCD cavity, accessible only when the screen is pulled open. At top left is the master on/off button, and the high-definition/standard-definition recording mode button is to the right. The still photo burst mode/single shot select button is below the video mode button, on the right side of the cavity.
The Top
The pop-up flash is the only major feature on top of the Xacti VPC-HD2. Its housing extends slightly upward from the camcorder’s body, and the flash release button is on its front-right edge.
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