Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 – combo camcorder-cum-digital camera
Thumbs Up:
Complete feature set for both still camera and camcorder; nice rotating display; 5x optical zoom; excellent 720p HD video quality.
Thumbs Down:
Comes without component cable; poor photo quality; slow still-camera performance and auto-focus.
The Whiz Kid Speaks:
Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 is a 720p high-definition camcorder that has 1/2.33” 10-megapixel CMOS sensor. It has inbuilt 40MB memory and SD memory card slot for external storage. The camcorder features wide-screen video capture, inbuilt flash, digital photo shooting mode, face detection, Electronic Image Stabilization, and 4lux minimum illumination. The flash has 4 guide numbers and 1.6-7.5 ft. flash range.
Minimum shutter speed is 2sec, whereas maximum is 1/10000 second. Flash Modes of Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 are Flash OFF mode, Slow synchro, Fill-in mode, and Auto mode. Light sensitivity levels are ISO Auto (50-400), ISO 1600, ISO 800, ISO 400, ISO 200, ISO 100, and ISO 50. Exposure compensation is ±1.8 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps.
3 inches LCD display is of Low Temperature Poly Silicon (LTPS). Aspherical lens has 6.8-34mm focal length with F/3.5-3.7 aperture that features 5x optical zoom. The VPC-CG10 camcorder has inbuilt neutral density filter, TTL contrast detection auto-focus and 5x optical zoom. Macro focus range is 1-100cm and minimum is 19.7-inch. The inbuilt stereo microphone features wind noise reduction.
Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 supports MPEG4 video format, AAC (stereo) audio format, and JPEG still image format. The video capture resolution options are MPEG4 640×480, and MPEG4 1280×720. In addition, image storage resolution options are JPEG 640×480, JPEG 1280×720, JPEG 1600×1200, JPEG 3648×2056, JPEG 3648×2736, and JPEG 4000×3000.
Special effects include Black & White, Cosmetic, and Sepia. Shooting programs are Night portrait, Portrait mode, Sports mode, Beach/Snow, Landscape, Fireworks and Lamp. Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 has three types of white-balance: Automatic, Presets, and Custom. The white-balance presets are Incandescent, Fluorescent, Sunlight, and Cloudy. Exposure metering options are Center-weighted, Multi-segment, and Spot. The exposure modes are Automatic and Program.
Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 has self time delay function of 2 and 10 seconds. The additional features are Display brightness control, Digital noise reduction, USB 2.0 compatibility, In-camera red-eye fix, Progressive scanning, 16:9 widescreen mode, Contrast control, Inbuilt speaker, Audio recording, Exif Print Support, Audio recording, Face detection, Direct Print, and DPOF support.
The connector set includes 1×USB and 1×composite audio/video output. The Xacti VPC-CG10 has 700mAH lithium ion Sanyo DB-L80 battery. Maximum operating temperature is 104°F and minimum is 32°F. Humidity operating range is 30 to 90 percent.
Razzle Dazzle:
Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 is 4.4 inches tall, 2.8 inches wide, and 1.5 inches deep and weighs 6.6 ounces. The CG10 camcorder has pistol grip design. Despite of having wide lens, the camcorder remains a pocket-friendly and lightweight device. Overall body is made up of glossy plastic except matte-finished LCD cavity.
Inside Dope:
Sanyo has dubbed its latest Xacti VPC-CG10 as dual camera to equally adopt good quality still captures and shooting videos. It costs $199.99 and offers 10-megapixel sensor, large battery life, good quality 720p HD video, good feature set, and 5x optical zoom. However, the auto-focus works slowly in still camera and photo quality is relatively poor. Also, the component cable does not come inside the box. If you need a combo device that works as both as good digital camera and better camcorder, then you can go for new – Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10.
Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 has large rotating display that can be used to shoot the videos above and below the eye level. You can easily handle the display with one hand. The stereo microphone sits on the back of LCD. It worked perfectly in our tests but did not handle wind noise efficiently. The compartment for SDHC expansion slot and power button is located on the LCD cavity. AV/USB jack and tripod mount is located on the bottom. The VPC-CG10 comes with a composite cable, and you have to purchase the component cable for additional $25. We are disappointed that HDMI option is not available in the Xacti VPC-CG10.
All the controls are well positioned for easy working with the thumb. At the top edge, you will find video recording button on right, spring-loaded zoom slider in middle, and shutter release button on the left. Menu button, play button, and five-way joystick for menu navigation are located beneath above three controls. You can set the Menu button to display all the options in a complete settings menu. You can also program the joystick to change settings like exposure compensation, flash, ISO levels, and options for standard, manual and macro focus.
We appreciate the Sanyo to round out shooting options for still capture and video recording. The basic still camera settings are included like ISO controls, exposure, focus, filters, scene modes, and face-detection AF. All these still capture options are also available for movies including manual as well as semi-manual controls. We are sure that these settings are not available on other pocket-sized camcorders.
Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 can record videos in 1280×720 pixels resolution at 30fps. Its recording time is 3 hours 51 minutes for the highest quality on a 16GB card.
The overall performance of Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 is slow. AF system and photo shooting performance is slow even in bright light. Average shot-to-shot time is also more than others. As it is a camcorder, its movie AF is also sluggish. The continuous shooting speed of the VPC-CG10 is 11fps. So, the Xacti VPC-CG10 can not be your primary pocket digital camera.
Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 provides good video quality overall that is on par as compared to other HD mini-camcorders in its class. The colors were looking natural during test, but dark areas appeared to be little trickier. The exposure was also good but there was average highlight clipping. The CG10 provided better low-light performance than others and controlled the noise/artifacts more efficiently.
The photo quality of Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 is average for 10-megapixel still camera. The photos appear soft and smeary due to noise reduction mechanism irrespective of shooting conditions. Sharpness and details remains good only up to ISO 200, while the CG10 has light sensitivity levels from ISO 50 to 1600. The colors look dull and overall the pictures are fine only for small size prints and Web usage.
The battery life of the Xacti VPC-CG10 is 70 minute continuous video recording.
Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 is good for both still picture and video capture. Its video quality is much better than still capture quality. In addition, the shooting performance is slow for still camera.
Nitty Gritty:
If you are looking for budget-friendly HD pocket camcorder that also works for average quality still capture and can work with still camera performance, then you can buy – Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10.
