Sanyo VPC-CA6 Hyprid Camcorder/Camera

Summary: Don't buy this gadget, very poor design compared to the previous Sanyo Xacti model I used.

My first Sanyo Xacti camcorder was the C40 which I had for about one year, and proved to be a very reliable, versatile and useful little digital camcorder with the added advantage of it taking very good quality photographs. Having used the Sanyo Xacti C40 digital camcorder for over a year filming various movies including my african bicycle adventure, my driving school video podcasts and my hang glider blog photographs, I was very upset when the little silver Sanyo Xacti C40 digital camcorder disappeared into thin air. I don't know if it was stolen, or I just lost it.

A few months latter, and I really needed another small digital camcorder to replace the Sanyo C40, as my Sony Digital 8 TRV camcorder was too big to carry around with me all the time.

I wanted to buy another Sanyo Xacti C40, but it was no longer available to buy, so the next model that came up was the Sanyo Xacti CA6 digital camcorder. I needed a replacement really fast, and having been totally satisfied with my first purchase from the Sanyo stable of Camcorders, I didn't think twice about buying the Sanyo CA6. What a big mistake.

When the Sanyo package arrived, I eagerly opened the box, and as I took the digital camcorder out of the wrapping, the first thing I noticed was the plastic casing of the Sanyo CA6 digital camcorder as opposed to the metallic silver casing of the Xacti C40, that was not the only disappointment.

I opened up the camera lcd view finder to find out that the camcorder viewfinder does not swivel around and therefore I can't record video blogs with it! The other problem is you can't charge the battery while it is in the camera, which rules it out it being used as a webcam. Finally the VPC-CA6 does not have a tripod mounting hole as did the Sanyo Xacti C40, so I can't take professionally stable shots!

On the whole a big disappointment when compared to the excellent Sanyo Xacti C40.

I would have returned the Sanyo Xacti VPC-CA6 back to the place I bought it from, but I was just too lazy packing it up and then arranging a courier to take it back, especially when I would have to pay for delivery charges.

So my advice to you is don't buy the Sanyo Xacti VPC-CA6 Digital Camcorder!

Hitachi HD Digital Video Camera

Some of you have been wondering if I was going to do a full review of the Sanyo Xacti C40 digital camcorder that I've been raving about recently. Well why do it when someone else has already done a full and comprehensive review, so check the link below:

Steve's Sanyo Xacti C40 review

Here is a clip I recorded during my trip to Nigeria using my compact Sanyo Xacti C40 camcorder.

Sanyo Xacti CA6 Negative review

Hitachi HD Camcorder

I bought the Sanyo Xacti C40digital camcorder for my trip to Nigeria because I needed a small digital camcorder that was inconspicuous, had good image quality, easy to use and very portable.

At first I was considering the Nokia N93 mobile phone instead of the Sanyo Xacti C40, as it was having rave reviews for the included camera, but I could not justify the price (almost £500), and was not prepared to enter into an expensive year long contract to get it for free. The Nokia N93 would have been idea for the purpose I needed the camcorder for, with the added bonus of a mobile phone which would certainly mean that I would take it everywhere and thus have a fair quality camcorder with me always, however having had the Sony Ericsson K750i for over a year, I knew the novelty would wear off after a while, so I was not going to waste my money just for the sake of having the latest gadget when there was a cheaper product to fulfil my needs.

Having found out about the Sanyo Xacti C40, I knew this was the product for me. The specs meant it was superior in quality to the camera in the Nokia N93, was cheaper and fitted my needs perfectly. Having had this camcorder for over 3 months, I can report that it was the right choice for me, and the quality of videos produced by the camera is very good indeed. As a filmmaker, I was never expecting this camera to beat or rival my Sony DCR-TRV-355E digital camcorder, but for its weight and size, it is a very good compromise.

The Sanyo Xacti C40 served me well during my trip to Nigeria, and has been very useful since I returned to the UK as well, and the other 2 good things about the camera is that it produces excellent photos, and uses secure data cards, so I don't need to carry tapes about, as well as there is no long capture process when transferring from camera to computer for editing, as all clips are recorded in high quality MP4 format.

Find below a selection of video clips and a photo taken by my faithful Sanyo Xacti C40 digital camcorder.

Sanyo Xacti CA6 Negative review

Hitachi Digital HD camcorder

Here is a picture of me 'playing' with my Sunday church gadgets, the Sony PD170 camcorder being used as a VCR, the CMX07 video mixer and some PMR radios being used for talkback.

I am in charge of the Video team at my local church, and have access to some good equipment.

Not shown is an additional Sony PD170 camcorder on a tripod used for wide shots and a Panasonic 3 CCD S-VHS camera also on tripod providing the main shot of the stage.

I will do a review of the Sony PD170 camcorder in a future post.

I usually act as the director, but can also operate either of the 2 cameras, with other team members capable of directing as well.

Hitachi SD card HD Camera

Dixons one of the UK's largest retailers of home consumer products/gadgets today announced they will no longer stock 35mm cameras as they now wanted to concentrate on Digital Cameras only.

This further shows that the Digital gadgets revolution has almost conquered the average UK home.

First it was the CD, now it includes the DVD and MP3 player, Digital camera, camcorder, TV and Radio and the humble telephone. While Dixons have already stopped selling VCRs, it will still be a few years before they totally disappear from the scene, and the same can be said for the 35mm camera, as it still has its own advocates who still swear by celluloid or film.


The end of an era for film cameras? 35mm and APS cameras, digital gadgets reign!

The Hitachi Digital HD Camcorder