Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2000 Camcorder Review

by Kaitlyn Chantry and Jeremy Stamas
Published on Mar 17, 2009 3:15 AM

 
Intro
Product Tour
Color & Noise Performance Motion & Resolution Performance
Low Light Performance Compression & Media
Manual Controls Still Features
Handling & Use Playback & Connectivity
Audio & Other Features Canon HF20 Comparison
Panasonic HDC-SD20 Comparison Canon HF S100 Comparison
Conclusion Photo Gallery
Specs and Ratings


Product Tour Summary
• Nontraditional upright design and a pistol grip; sleek overall aesthetic
• Large lens with a large, high resolution sensor
• What's nice to have: microphone and headphone jacks, accessory shoe
• What's missing: on-board AV ports and an integrated lens cover
• Controls are all mounted on the back and within natural reach of your thumb
Introduction (Page 2 of 17) Color & Noise Performance

 

Lens & Imaging System

The lens on the VPC-HD2000


The lens on the VPC-HD2000 features a 10x optical zoom and an aperture that can open all the way to f/1.8. The lens does not have an integrated cover, which makes the HD2000 a rarity in the consumer HD camcorder market. Instead, Sanyo opts for a removable lens cover that attaches via a strap to the side of the camcorder. We can see positives and negatives to both: you can't lose a lens cap that's built into the camcorder, but the small moving parts of an integrated cover are more likely to break. We'd probably rather have the mindless ease of an automatic lens cover, but the detachable one gives the HD2000 a bit of old school flavor.

Speaking of old school flavor, you can also attach a 40.5mm diameter filter, in case you want to throw on a wide angle lens or specialized filters for particular shooting environments.

Lens   Sensor
Filter Diameter 40.5mm   Type CMOS
Focal Range 6.3 - 63mm   Size 1/2.5-inch
Focal Range (35mm equiv.) 44.4 - 710mm   Pixel Count (Gross) 8,100,000
Aperture f/1.8(W) - f/2.5(T)   Pixel Count (Effective) 5,310,000 (HD)
2,000,000 (SD)
8,000,000 (Photo)
Lab Tested Wide Angle* 46°
* How We Test Wide Angle

 

Front

  surprisingly large lens
  with f/1.8 aperture
  1/8-inch microphone
   jack
infrared sensor
  headphone jack

 

Right

bar for lens cap lanyard
  battery cover release switch
  The battery cover takes up most
   of the handgrip on this side.

 

Back

record/playback
mode switch		 menu button
photo preview display
photo shutter button video record button
zoom toggle

normal mode/ Simple mode switch
2.7-inch 230,000 pixel LCD
    joystick
  SD/SDHC card slot
on-camera DC power
connection (not seen)
ports on the included
docking station
 

 

Left

microphone

 

Top

indicator light
release button
for pop-up flash
  pop-up flash for
   still photos

 

Bottom

proprietary data
connection for use with
docking station
  tripod mount
  stabilizing slot for use
 with docking station

 

In The Box

Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2000
camcorder
power supply
composite AV cables component AV cables
USB converter cable
microphone jack

lens cap
docking station
remote sensor
wrist lanyard
USB cable
 



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