Sanyo Xacti CG10 review Part 1 of 2

Thanks for watching. (Part 1 of 2)

Note: I did not use the CG10 to film the review. Oddly enough, it was from a "higher end" digital camera that does not capture in HD. The sample video clip as well as pictures [in part 2] were all taken with the Xacti CG10, however, being in a mixed video environment (with and without HD, I believe youtube converted it all into non HD.)

Here are the pros and cons:

PROS
-Comprehensive printed manual included.
-Outstanding 3.0" screen - which can be rotated up to 285 degrees.
-Pretty decent CMOS sensor.
-10 Mega pixel photos / 720 HD 1280x720 30 fps video clips.
-Has 5x Optical Zoom with flash Similar in class models sometimes are only fixed focal length or less than 5x optical zoom. Plus you can zoom in during video shooting.
-Good placement of the two microphones located on the back of the flip screen.
-Marginally better low light performance vs. similar models in its class.
-Relative low noise in images but I think you lose a little of the sharpness in photos.
-Overall good color reproduction without over saturation.
-Option to choose from simple to more detailed setup screens.
-Can change the shortcuts keys to go to some of the popular options available.
-Good amount of manual controls for a lot or users.
-Good macro focus capability (less than ½).
-Good amount of features for the price point.
-Lets not forget the cool factor.

CONS
-Slightly heavier and bulkier than some models in the same class.
-Not a CCD sensor. But for the intended purpose of these cameras, CMOS is fairly sufficient.
-The camera needs to improve on its ability to capture images and video in low lighting. Currently, its decent, however, the focus is a little slow.
-When capturing images, I noticed that the captured image is usually not zoomed in onto the subject as much as what was displayed on the screen. (Its from the perspective of being a little bit further.)
-Only digital image stabilization offered. (Not optical.)
-Flash location tends to be more prone to red-eye problems.
-Have to remove the battery in order to charge it. (And the battery charger does not have the standard prongs built onto the charger, there is the additional cord you must have.
-Little built-in memory (40MB). But can use optional SDHC up to 32GB.
-Lens cap should be built in. As is, the cap can get easily miss-placed.
-No imaging editing software provided.
-A component cable should've been provided as well. (Only because the connector at the bottom of the camera is proprietary. If it was a standard HDMI plug, then it would be different.)

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Xacti
• Sanyo
• cg10
• black
• camera
• camcorder
• review
• what's
• new
• hot
• mp4
• mpeg4
• avc
• h.264

[AlanChunkyMunky]

kool, this is the most in-depth review of the xacti that ive seen by far. great job! question though, when u upload the footage taken with the sanyo xacti, what format is it in? and can u edit it with windows movie maker vista hd? i was able to use this program to edit with the flip ultra hd camcorder which records in mp4. if not, what program do u use? any help will be greatly appreciated.

[takeachancelook]

Glad you found it helpful!

If you want to edit and keep the HD formatting, you can also use programs like Sony Vegas to edit. (Just save it using the mpeg2 format (*.mpg, *.m2v, *.m2t, *.mpa). And choose the HDV 720-30p template. Then upload!

You can also use an avi converter to convert the mp4 file from the xacti cg10 to an avi file, then you can use Windows Movie Maker.... Otherwise I could not get WMM to recognize/ use the mp4 format files from the CG10.

Hope this helps.

[takeachancelook]

I think the value is in the CG10.

You get a bigger screen, 3" vs 2.5".

And The CCG10 offers slightly higher resolution than the CG9. The CG9 I believe is 9MP and the CG10 is 10MP...

However, the CG9 is "waterproof"... so if you are looking for a camera that you are planning on getting extremely wet while filming, the extra cost may not be warranted.

[directorstu]

i use this camera all the time to shoot family events. great size for keeping handy in a pocket. Its good for sound and good at low ish light indoor shots. Editing footage i use adobe premier cs3. the raw camera files are mp4 so need converting to avi. this can be done easily using free software such as "Mpg stream clip mp4 to avi - SQ5". Other vid editng software might handle mp4 these days. Get a 8gb SD card and spare battery. Only bad point is lens cap which is a flimsy afterthought.

[askthesmartguy]

The tripod was actually from an older digital camera/webcam that used the same standard tripod threads as the Sanyo does... very convenient... I have not really seen an others quite like it around...

[bignos29]

where you get that tripod ?

[ryanbrownnew]

where do you get the stand from? is it one especially for the Sanyo Xacti CG10?

[SpitpodNetwork]

@aild65 hey mate you can get a way round it. just download k lite codec pack off the net , this will allow you to put mp4 into wmm

[askthesmartguy]

Interesting. Of course, the quickest way to "screen capture" is to just use the CG10 as a camera/camcorder mounted on a tripod for a more stable picture.

Other than that, the camera can only be hooked up to a computer via USB and then the CG10 can go into web cam mode. But I don't think the 360 will recognize the CG10 as a valid device. If you remove the computer out of the equation, then the CG10 can only output images/videos...(there's isn't an input option...)

[JDazeed]

is there a way to screen capture with this camera for an xbox 360?

[askthesmartguy]

If you plan on editing your raw video files, I don't think there is a way to edit them directly in movie maker. You would have to convert the mp4 files into wmv using a conversion application like total video converter.. But by converting it to wmv, you will "lose" your HD when you upload it to youtube.

But, if you edit your file directly with a program like Sony Vegas, then you will retain the HD quality.

[aild65]

i need help with this camera!! Is there a way to change the file format to WMV or somthing?? cause I cant upload mp4 to windows movie maker :S there for i cant upload to youtube

help please?

[pcpowerful]

it gets good at 7:00