Product Description

Stop fussing with bulky underwater housing. The Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 Waterproof Digital CameraCorder captures both high-resolution 8-megapixel digital still photos and high quality video underwater. It is pocket-sized, so it's perfect for the beach or on the ski slopes. This unique CameraCorder also offers face detection for both still photos and video and is designed to easily upload video to social networking websites such as YouTube and portable digital media players such as the iPod Video. Full motion video up to 1.25 hours on an SD card and up to 10 hours on an 8 GB SDHC card (TV-HQ mode) Face detection - up to 12 faces for still photos and 6 faces for video Ergonomic design for single-handed operation Uses SD/SDHC memory card Simultaneous still image capture while shooting video Underwater mode for better color in underwater photos and video Digital Image stabilizer Full-range digital stereo recording In-camera editing MPEG4 video files can be directly imported into iTunes and transferred to video-capable iPod, and other portable digital media players Web-mode for simple sharing to Web sites such as YouTube and portable media players such as the iPod video Super fast start-up @ approx 1.7 seconds Taking navigation for first-time users Simple or sophisticated menu options Sequential photos up to 10 photos@ 5fps Connectivity to TV, VCR, DVD Recorder and/or PC Includes Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0 for movie editing and DVD authoring Lightweight (258 grams/9.03 ounces including battery and SD card) Lithium-ion battery and charger

Product Details

• Color: Blue
• Brand: Sanyo
• Model: VPC-E2BL
• Dimensions: 4.75" h x 5.25" w x 7.00" l, 2.88 pounds
• Display size: 2.5

Features

• Records full 640x480 resolution video at 60 fields-per-second to memory card
• Takes high-resolution 8-megapixel digital still images
• Easily share videos on the Web, as the camera incorporates AVC/H.264 video compression
• Record up to a total of 8 hours of full motion video on an 8 GB memory card
• Comes with a 2.5-inch LCD screen that can rotate up to 285-degrees

From the Manufacturer

The new waterproof Sanyo Xacti E2 camcorder captures stunning digital video and beautiful 8-megapixel photos -- on land and even underwater!

Practically four cameras in one, the Xacti E2 allows you to shoot both photos and video at a park, birthday party, or virtually anywhere else on dry land. And, when the opportunity presents itself, you can also shoot both photos and video while snorkeling or while just playing around in a swimming pool. This means you can enjoy shooting at the beach, by the pool, or on the ski slopes without worrying about submerging the camera or getting it wet from rain or snow.

Shoot both video and photos underwater

This powerful little camcorder easily records both full 640x480 resolution video at 60 fields-per-second and high-resolution 8-megapixel digital still images, all of which are handily stored to a standard SD or SDHC flash memory card (sold separately).

Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 Highlights

Designed to IPX8 international standard for waterproof The Xacti E2 is capable of recording full-motion video five feet underwater for up to 30 minutes. Incorporating a water-tight design that can resist the pressure created when submersed at five feet, the Xacti E2 is capable of capturing dramatic photos and video footage underwater to share with less adventurous family members and friends.

Incorporates the highly advanced AVC/H.264 video compression This makes posting movies on the Internet or e-mailing them to friends and family easier by reducing the file size. In fact, the file size can be up to 25 percent smaller than that of typical MPEG-4 cameras. To accomplish the complexity of encoding AVC/H.264 in real-time on the E2, a H.264 video compression IC was incorporated into the camera that was designed specifically for portable consumer devices to achieve high video quality while simultaneously reducing the system power consumption. The result is high-quality video recording up to a total of 8 hours of full-motion video with an 8 GB SDHC memory card (in TV-HQ mode). The Xacti E2 can also record up to a total of 4 hours of video with a 4 GB SDHC memory card, up to 2 hours with a standard 2GB SD card, and up to 1 hours with a standard SD card.

Large, 2.5-inch Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) The display flips out from the camera and rotates up to 285 degrees on an axis that allows you to take great video or still images from otherwise-difficult-to-view positions, proving to be especially useful when shooting underwater or in small rooms.

Sophisticated photo face detection and video face chaser

Sophisticated photo face detection and video face chaser Using a proprietary Sanyo algorithm, the E2 automatically compensates for distracting up-and-down or side-to-side camera movement, keeping your subject steady and easy to follow. It accurately distinguishes between unintentional camera shake and deliberate camera movement. This handy feature operates in both wide-angle and telephoto modes, giving every shot a solid, professional-looking feel. It can detect faces and adjust the focus and exposure accordingly. Faces are sensed even when they move, allowing you to track up to 12 people at once. Automatic exposure is applied according to the area, while automatic focus captures the person at the center of the frame. During playback, you can zoom in and enjoy those facial expressions in detail.

Setting the E2 camcorder apart from other video cameras begins inside You can find an advanced 8.0-megapixel (total) CMOS image sensor inside the E2. The large sensor allows the E2 to capture high-resolution, 8-megapixel still images in addition to recording high-quality digital videos with full-range stereo sound.

Record up to a total of 8 hours of full motion video Or capture up to 2000 8-megapixel still images on a 8GB SDHC memory card, up to 4 hours of video with a 4 GB SDHC memory card, up to 2 hours with a 2GB standard SD card, and up to 1 hours with a 1GB standard SD card.

Import files directly into iTunes software Easy transfer to your video-capable iPod allows you to share a quick video the next time you are asked how the kids are doing!

E2 incorporates a digital image stabilizer

Shake control mechanism Used for still pictures, it cancels both rotational blurring that cannot be corrected by optical systems and blurring caused by moving subjects. The E2 also incorporates a digital image stabilizer for videos, which accurately distinguishes between unintentional trembling and intentional camera work such as panning and tilting -- a distinction that some systems have difficulty making -- so that shaking is corrected without sacrificing the natural look of your actual camera work.

Ever need to capture still images while you’re already shooting video? The E2 enables simultaneous shooting of both 8-megapixel still images and 640 x 480-pixel video clips with a simple press of the shutter button during the shooting of a movie clip. You will never need to miss another precious photo opportunity. (Depending on the mode used to take still images, simultaneous video clip shooting may be interrupted. While shooting video clips, using the digital image stabilizer may change the angle of view for still images.)

Sequential Shooting The E2 is capable of high-speed continuous shooting at 5 frames per second (for up to 10 frames) in [2M] mode, ensuring that you won’t miss that perfect shot. It is also capable of continuous shooting at 1 frame per second (for up to 10 frames) in [8M] mode.

E2 is capable of high-speed continuous shooting at 5 FPS

5x optical zoom with a bright maximum aperture of f/3.5 Consisting of 9 groups and 12 total lenses, the E2’s lens provides a fantastic field-of-view with a 38-190 mm range (35mm equivalent). Combined with the 12x digital zoom, the E2 provides up to 62.5x zooming capability.

Super-fast start-up Reduce your chance of missing the moment. The Xacti E2 media camera is designed for super fast start-up and shooting. With the tapeless design, the E2 eliminates the need to queue up a tape deck, allowing the E2 to begin shooting in as little as 1.7 seconds! When the E2 is powered on, closing the LCD display puts the E2 in standby mode. Simply open the display and the E2 automatically powers up and can begin immediately recording in as little as 1.7 seconds.

Includes a high-capacity Sanyo brand lithium-ion battery The DBL-L20U is a high-voltage, 3.7-volt battery designed to work with the Sanyo Xacti E2 camera. High-energy density design minimizes the battery size and weight, making it perfect for use in small, portable cameras. The DBL-L20 is designed to resist memory accumulation so it provides a full charge every time.

Easy playback of recorded video directly on a TV Connect the E2 to a VCR or DVD Recorder to back-up copies of recorded content. Still images and video clips on the Xacti E2 are played back continuously and in chronological order. The Xacti E2 offers convenient connection to a PC. With simple drag-and-drop operation, it's easy to save recorded video clips and still images onto a computer's hard disk for emailing, editing or archiving.

Easy video sharing Video recording on the E2 employs highly efficient MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 compression. This keeps high-quality files small, so you can upload videos to websites and blogs or share them via podcasts or online social networks. Conveniently, these video files don’t require format conversion before being uploaded to websites. If you know that you are filming for your blog, you can record at a smaller file size that's suitable for website use. You can then upload the file as-is, without needing to resize it.

On or off, the E2 is a true work of art Ergonomically designed to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand, most video and still functions can be easily accessed with the thumb of the hand used to hold the camera. Available in Blue and White and the E2’s design is likely to get as much attention as your videos.

Customer Reviews

E2 - a worthy update to E1
Before purchasing E2 I was torn between E1 and E2 but decided to go with a new model. There were no reviews on E2 other than a single one for Euro/Japanese/Canadian version of E2 called CA8 and that review blasted the camera's new sensor. Nevertheless, with Amazon's liberal return policy, I decided to take my chance and to get E2 instead of E1. After all, it is a second generation of this waterproof camera, and I thought the second generation is typically better.

If you are trying to decide between E1 and E2, here are the major differences:

The most obvious is a change of sensor.
E1 uses 6MP CCD 1/2.5 sensor
E2 uses 8MP CMOS 1/2.5 sensor.

E2 adds a 60 frames per second movie option (E1 was limited to 30 frames per second)

E2 adds face recognition mode. E1 has no such face detection mode

E2 adds a dedicated 'underwater' mode among several others. E1 did not have a specific 'underwater' mode.

First, I tried both the new 60 frames per second mode and the old 30 frames per second mode and I decided that I will be using 30 frames per second, I actually like the quality of 30fps mode better.

I then tried the photography mode. I took most photographs inside in tricky low-light incandescent and florescent light conditions, because I know these give ANY camera, including DSLRs such as my Canon 40D $1300 camera, the most problems. I upped the ISO to 200 and then to 400. You can see samples I posted here. BTW the macro mode on this baby goes to 1 cm!!!! I don't know if E1 had such super-macro to 1 cm. I found the photo quality acceptable and similar to that of other point-and-shoots using the same 1/2.5 and similar sensors. I felt that ISO400 was acceptable. I have not tried ISO 800 and 1600 yet.

E2 has following ISO range: in photo mode 50-1600
in video mode: 100-3200 in high sensitivity mode (3200 I don't believe you can select, but it does it).

The image stabilization feature is tricky, it is EIS, Electronic Image Stabilization, not Optical Image Stabilization, so when you use it, it crops a little bit on sides of your video and photographs, depending on which mode of EIS you use.

The sound is stereo and the quality is acceptable. The camera is tiny btw, I fit mine in case logic case I had from my Canon A75 camera.

I tried this camera underwater in my pool, both video and photographs. All worked fine, even shoots photographs with flash underwater, which makes for very freaky results.

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Finally, some people complained that Sanyo has their own unique USB cable which is a pain if you lose it or don't have it with you, and cannot read it in ordinary card reader. WRONG. I did not even bother taking the proprietary Sanyo USB cable from camera packaging. The card works easily in my HP (windows vista) desktop's card reader. I downloaded PICASA 3 which I recommend. Picasa 3 will find, download, and play all photos and every video you shoot with this camera easily and quickly, just take the SD card, put it in your card reader and Picasa will do the rest. Very easy, so don't need to bother with this cable that comes with it.

Problems: Battery life is not impressive. Battery is tiny. I am used to Fuji F30's 500 shots per charge. This battery sucks. I charged the battery fully. I then took 80 photographs (some with flash), 4 or 5 2-minute videos and my battery showed 70% gone. You need a second battery, and hopefully there are some with more juice in it that the Sanyo one that comes with the camera.

I also wish the lens would start at 28mm and not 38mm as it would make easier to take pictures/videos of oneself without need to stretch your body away from the camera. Also my belief is that the flash only operates in photo mode and not in video mode. However, it is much better than its only competitor, Panasonic SW20, which does not have any flash at all

I will add more photos later.

Pretty good overall
Before I start, let me mention that I am a professional photographer and I teach photography for our local college. When I look at a new camera, that background plays a role. You may be looking for something completely different in a camera than I am.

My first impression of the Sanyo Xacti VCP E2 was all about its size. It slips right into my shirt pocket. Once I got over the size (and got the battery charged up) I was ready to go. Oh, and install a memory card. The E2 takes the popular SD cards, and it does not come with one. That's probably not a bad thing. Most people who have had a camera or two have a few of these cards lying around. If you don't, get one with the camera. I installed an 8gig card.

I was first trying to hold the camera in one hand. That didn't work very well for me. Your hands may vary. The best hold for me turned out to be with the camera in my right hand, and my left thumb and index finger on the top and bottom of the LCD, which steadies things nicely. The controls, located on the top rear of the camera, are designed to be thumb operated.

The two buttons at the very top take still photos and movies, respectively. They are easy to operate, and the still photo button does the usual "press halfway to lock everything in" function. Below these is the usual four way rocker with the button in the middle. When you are making pictures, this area is used mainly to zoom.

There is also a menu button on the back, and many functions, like turning the flash on and off, can only be accessed through the menus. If you have used digital camera menus before, these will be easy to follow.

So, how well does it work? Pretty well, actually. The macro ability of the lens is outstanding in a camera of this type. It focuses at 1 cm. That's less than a half inch, if you are metric challenged. In addition, it has a full range focus mode that will go from 1 cm to infinity without putting it into a special macro mode. I like to get in close, so that's important to me.

The camera has all the usual settings for ISO, light balance, etc., and will go as high as 3200 ISO. If you get higher than 400, buy a good noise filter plug-in for Photoshop. Once I apply that, even photos shot at 1600 look pretty good. The 8 megapixel stills are 3264 by 2448, and print nice 8x10s. You can grab stills while shooting a movie. If you do that, the stills will be 1600x1200. With 2 megapixels, you could still print an 8x10, but a 5x7 will be better. The 5X zoom works fine. There is also a 12 megapixel setting, but the sensor is 8 MP, so I assume it is simulated. I didn't use it.

Videos are either 640x480, which is plenty for display on a TV, or 320x240, which is perfect for UTube or similar services. You can record at either 30 or 60 frames a second, and I didn't see much difference. At the lower resolution, you can also record at 15 FPS, which makes a small file that's easy to email or upload.

The waterproof feature is interesting. It is supposed to be safe to 5 feet, and it seems to be. I tried it by holding it under water in my backyard pond and bothering my goldfish. Water's a little chilly this time of year!!! Anyway, it worked fine. For many people, the main advantage of this would be that you don't have to worry if you are getting rained on, and you can use it by the pool with no issues.
This camera won't replace your DSLR, but it might replace both your point and shoot still camera and your camcorder.

Pros: Size, easy to use, great macro ability, and very acceptable photo and video quality, with the waterproof feature a plus.

Cons: Not many - Uses a non standard USB cable (included) and battery life is around 100 or so stills if you are using the flash - more if the flash is off. Figure an hour of video.

But I could rated it ONE star as well
OK, first the important disclaimer: my other two cameras are SLRs. And had you ask me a week ago, I'd say Sanyo makes great batteries. Sanyo camcorders? What camcorders?
I have an antique Canon A70 with a waterproof case that is good down to depth of 120 feet. This A70 is used in places where I would not risk using an SLR or where the weight restrictions are too high. So as you may guess VPC-E2 is a replacement for that "adventure" mode camera/camcorder.
To be frank, I can give this little Sanyo marvel either four stars or one. You see, when a company enters the market where the smallest gorilla weighs at least eight hundreds pounds, they can only hope to win with a niche product. And this is the one. So the question is - do you belong to this niche?
First, the camcorder is waterproof. Well, not exactly in the sense that I used to define this word; it is only rated for five feet. Snorkeling is OK, but not diving. On the other hand, snow, rain, dangerous edges of a pool, and spilled beers do not bother this gadget. Also, it shoots movies in H.264 which means your IPhone plays them and you can post them up on YouTube faster than I can explain what H.264 stands for. It can shoot movies at 640x480 with 60 frames per second - definitely not HD, but much better than your average compact camera in movie mode. Oh, and when somebody asks you how many of those ergh... megapixels this camera has, you can shock him or her with a lazy reply, "Ah, eight...". Yeah, right! We will talk about this a little bit later. It also features 5x optical zoom with fair wide-end (38-190 in 35mm equivalent), electronic image stabilization, EV shift, macro mode, and even manual focus and face-recognition that works when lightning is good. The LCD screen is large and bright, and can swivel in two dimensions. It supports SDHC cards and the 8 GB card can hold up to five hours of video.
Controls are minimal, but well designed. There are only ten buttons to choose from: four arrows with a central "set" button, a menu button, two dedicated triggers - one for video and other for pictures, as well as an on/off button and a play/record button behind the screen. A well organized menu almost compensates for the lack of dedicated buttons. Left and right buttons can be assigned shortcuts for recording mode (up and down is always assigned to the zoom function) and many functions are easy to select. The menu can be switched to "easy" mode, which limits choices only to necessary basics.
So why I would give it only four stars? First, there is no viewfinder. Second, the flash is extremely underpowered (guide number 3); it is only good at very close ranges. Third, the battery capacity is insufficient; it allows you only about 200 shots or 75 minutes of video (twice as less in real life). Fourth, there is no lens cover, so usage of the included soft case is a good idea. Fifth, this soft case does not have either a handle or a clip, so every time the camcorder is removed, there is a problem - where to put the case?
What else? Proprietary USB cable, no AC power in the box (sold separately). I also have problems accessing up/zoom-in button: it is too small.
Now we get to "out of the niche" one star rating. Yes, one star and I insist on it.
This gadget has a tiny sensor and it is crippled with severe noise. Video is OK, though I can see a lot of noise there as well. However, still image noise is on the brink of disaster. I do not know how many real megapixels this unit has because object contours simply disappear in the ocean of color dots as I try to zoom into the picture. A black line on a white background looks OK, but my attempt to take a picture of Lillet Blank's red-on-yellow label produced huge amount of red specks far away from the edge of red letters. I suspect some sort of processing error here. In terms of resolution it is safe to assume this unit has somewhat around 3 honest megapixels (and your typical cell phone probably has just one half of megapixel being rated on the same scale). Oh, and do not even think of using ISO above 400, unless you want to produce a parody on Claude Monet paintings. Unfortunately in automatic mode unit happily sets ISO above 800 in low light conditions, so I assigned one of the shortcuts to change ISO manually to fight this problem.
What it all means? It means this gadget better not be used for any prints bigger than 4x6. Its video played on HDTV does not look too crisp either.
Despite of all these drawbacks, I like this little gadget. I will never use it to capture beautiful landscape or even a portrait. This thing is for ski slopes, water motorcycles, snowmobiles, mountain bikes, hikes, pools, beaches, outdoor parties - for all those places where action means more than perfect image quality. Finally, it is interesting to notice I made more movies last week using Xacti than I made with my "big" DV camcorder in the last season.