Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 HD Camcorder / Digital Camera (Black)

Ive been traulling the world of simple camcorders for a while now , I wanted a simple camcorder that took good quality film and take a resonable photo in one small plastic box . I also wanted and this is the big one , to work on Apples iMovie 08 with out converting pescki files from one to another. Well I think I've found it .I took a deep breath and ordered one of these the CG10. Video good , Photos are good , easy to use, plastic yes , small , well priced and most of all plug in via usb and it automatically fires up imovie 08. Files go on and hay presto film ready for editing !!! SUPERB. So if you have a iMac with iMovie 08 and are looking for a Cam with no fuss filming and editing , this will work a treat .

I agree with the other reviews that this is a good camera for shooting family footage but there are a number of issues:

1. Like most of these type of camera it shoots at 30fps which not 25fps which means if you want to edit it and put it on a PAL DVD there are all sorts of issues, If you just want to watch the footage back on you TV from the camera or on on your computer its fine but worth thinking about.

2. The bit rate is really quite low (around 9) which means you do get a lot of artifacting (blockiness for the none pro!) particularly if image is moving fast.

3. It has not HDMI out which is a shame.

4. Stills bit of the camera has a huge lag from pressing the shutter button to tacking the photo.

5. It has no mic input which rules it out of being used for any more pro video work. The onboard mic is good at getting the ambient sound but not much more.

All in all I like for using as a quick and easy camera to film my family but nothing more.

If you want to see what this camera can do, just search youtube for "Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG 10" and watch the 720p HD footage people have uploaded.

Even though it has it's limitations, I am very pleased with it due to the fact that it can do what it can do for the price. Recommended.

Before I start it should be mentioned that this product shipped with a 2 pin plug for the battery charger. It took me longer to find a UK standard plug to fit the charger than it did to figure out the controls and record my first video.

That said, once battery was charged we were up and running in no time. I have reduced the film quality to the lowest for now and this is more than adequate for my portfolio requirements. The higher res movies are great quality on my husbands HD ready laptop but on my older laptop are very jerky, even once movie files are copied to hard disc. The lower quality videos play fine on my laptop.

Still photos are same quality as my point and click digital camera and with a better optical zoom so I only need to carry the one gadget.

As far as family / holiday videos go. The camera is small and light which means it's perfect for slipping into a handbag or day sack. My 3yr old had no problem making a recording.

The battery life seems adequate so far but I have bought spares to keep us going on the move. It's a bit of a pain that you have to remove the battery to charge it but that's where spare batteries come in.

All in all a fantastic camera, especially for the price.

My second Xacti camera and for 99 pounds you just cannot fault it!!

The video at 720p is fine on my 42inch plasma and not too far behind my Sony HD camcorders (1440x1280) quality. A couple of tips!!! It records at 30 fps. PAL is 25fps - conversion never works well. Best to stream to the TV from PC or NAS with one of the many streamers available, or use bluray!! Just give DVD a miss. The digital stabilisation is pretty weak - use a tripod and don't pan wildly and finally do not use the video noise reduction - it reduces the quality horribly.

To sum up buy it!!! I've used the Xacti more than higher quality gear over the last few years as it's small enough to be always with you without a massive quality loss - especially when you have learned to avoid its weak areas.