Sanyo Xacti VPC-CS1: ‘World’s smallest’ HD camcorder

Cameras & Imaging — By Beth Precious on March 4, 2010 9:00 AM

Tomorrow  (5^th March) sees the UK launch of the world’s tiniest full HD camcorder. Just 27mm thick at its widest point, the Sanyo Xacti VPC-CS1 has been designed with a slim sensor module and superslim lens so it’s small enough to slide easily into your pocket and take wherever you go.

The new model promises to be thinner and lighter than any other HD camcorder on the market, but don’t let its size fool you – the diminutive exterior is packed full of features.  It shoots full 1080i HD footage, has a 10x advanced zoom and adjusts automatically to the conditions to give you top quality images whether you’re out in the sun or dancing the night away.

Still shots are captured by a 3-megapixel image sensor then enhanced and recorded as 8-megapixel quality. The fold out 2.7inch TFT LCD screen can be tilted 285 degrees to capture any angle and the familiar-looking pistol grip chassis is easy to keep steady.  Both the video and still shot modes have image stabiliser and face recognition features.

There are three ways to record sound: you can capture everything to create atmosphere, or focus in on noises and speech in the direction that the camera is pointing. You can also set it to change as the camera zooms in on a subject, to focus on the specific sounds around them.

Footage is shot in MPEG4 format, supported by Windows OS and Windows 7 and compatible with YouTube and the social networking sites.  It has a 50MB internal memory and works with SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards.  It can also be used with Eye-Fi SD cards for easy wireless transfers to the internet, and there’s a mini HDMI port for top quality TV playback – although you have to buy the cable for this separately.

This is a stylish offering, available in silver or magenta, and sure to be a hit with both sexes – and all ages as it promises to be simple enough to appeal to everyone from teens to grandparents.  And at around £249 it is well placed to tempt a broad group of buyers, so expect to see it coming out of a pocket near you soon.

Tags: camcorder, Sanyo, Xacti