New Sanyo Xacti VPC CA8 Camcorder

Yes plse..keen to hear what you think of it.
Reading round i think i've turned of the Xacti idea and going to go a Canon SX1 instead
 
davidpey said:
I've just bought one...trying it out. Seems pretty good!
Click to expand...

Well, I've just compared the video quality of the Xacti VPC CA8 Camcorder with another one that I have also just bought: the Sony Sr45 HDD Camcorder.

The former model is more expensive than the latter--but I have found the following:

* The Sony adjusts quicker to different light
* The Sony records in a more natural colour
* The Xacti records in brighter colours
* The Xacti blurs on movement more than the Sony
* The Sony has the capability of running without battery on DC power, whereas the Xacti can only run on battery power
* The 8 megapixel still image capabilities of the Xacti don't actually seem really good (is this possible?). It seems that my 5 megapixel digital camera takes better stills than this 8 megapixel job.

I tend to lean toward saying that the Sony (although R500 cheaper) is actually a better product.

What do you guys think?
 
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I'm new into camcorders and just bought the Sony DCR-SR45 today.

- very good even with poor light conditions
- records on Hard Drive, MPEG-2 and quick to transfer recordings
- standard bat lasts 2 hrs. I bought extra capacity bat that lasts 5hrs.
- still pictures are crap but then again, I expected this
- although its 40X optical zoom, it tends to be poor at video stability at higher optical zoom.
- colors are impressive and I like the nightshoot (plus) video capability

So far I'm happy to have chosen this gadget.
 
dlk001 said:
I'm new into camcorders and just bought the Sony DCR-SR45 today.

So far I'm happy to have chosen this gadget.
Click to expand...

Have you noticed something strange about the sound on your videos? After listening very closely to mine with sensitive headphones... I'm convinced that I'm hearing the sound of the hard drive activity!! Do you hear the same? It even picks up the sound of the zoom function and my breathing....!

Is there any way to avoid this? It's quite distracting
 
davidpey said:
Have you noticed something strange about the sound on your videos? After listening very closely to mine with sensitive headphones... I'm convinced that I'm hearing the sound of the hard drive activity!! Do you hear the same? It even picks up the sound of the zoom function and my breathing....!

Is there any way to avoid this? It's quite distracting
Click to expand...

Well, I found one of the settings which fixes this problem. While videoing, click the button in the bottom right and navigate to the last tab where you will see an option to change mic settings to low.

The problem is that the HDD activity is still picked up... Not great. There is probably no way of fixing this--unless my camera is a dud.

Anyone else experienced problems like this with HDD cameras?
 
davidpey said:
Have you noticed something strange about the sound on your videos? After listening very closely to mine with sensitive headphones... I'm convinced that I'm hearing the sound of the hard drive activity!! Do you hear the same? It even picks up the sound of the zoom function and my breathing....!

Is there any way to avoid this? It's quite distracting
Click to expand...

I'm going to check this tonight and report back!
 
I'm off to Dion Wired right now to exchange (hopefully). Taking my laptop with to test the exchanged product!
 
davidpey said:
I'm off to Dion Wired right now to exchange (hopefully). Taking my laptop with to test the exchanged product!
Click to expand...

well they wouldn't let me test out the new product in the shop... but have just tried it out now at home. It still does the same thing (i.e. you hear the HDD activity)! :(

Tell me what you find on your camera?
 
I just checked the vids I took on Sunday while driving to Suncity. I also took another vid in a quiet place at home.

Apart from the hiss sound generated possibly by the mic, I could not hear any noticeable HDD noise. If I use my headphones, I can slightly hear the sound of the zoom function in a quiet environment.

My mic settings are on 'normal'.
 
Very strange.... yes, the zoom function is somewhat noticeable on mine too.

I wonder if I've just had two duds...?

Overall, it's a great piece of equipment. Optical zoom is fantastic. Hope you enjoy your's :)
 
Where can I find the Sanyo Xacti VPC CA8 Camcorder (brick and mortar) and how much are they? My kid has her school play and the missus wants to video it.
 
davidpey said:
Have you noticed something strange about the sound on your videos? After listening very closely to mine with sensitive headphones... I'm convinced that I'm hearing the sound of the hard drive activity!! Do you hear the same? It even picks up the sound of the zoom function and my breathing....!

Is there any way to avoid this? It's quite distracting
Click to expand...

The camera has an auto gain setting for the microphone. In a quiet environment it will pick up the sound of the zoom, your breathing and possibly the hard drive. The only real solution is to use an external microphone... or buy a camera with manual audio level controls (starting at around R20K). Or alternatively to not use it in quiet environments, breathe quietly, and to edit the audio track at a later stage by dropping the level and/or adding music.
 
trying to deside on what to buy

hi there

There is a special at macro @ the mo for a sony sr 45 going for R3499, is this a good deal? I need it to do castings out side in the street? or is this model a bit out dated?
 
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