ProsSuperb low light response.
Excellent Mac compatibility
Reasonable price
Generally good set of options in the menu.
37mm threaded front lens so it it is compatible with a large assortment of attachments
Reasonable HD performance
Also functions as a pretty good and easy still camera
Cons
Zoom speed cannot be slowed or controlled in any way. (I stand corrected on this point read below)
No mic or audio line input.
General Discussion
All things considered, this is a fine product. If you are a Mac person this will save you many hours of work. The MPEG4 file format is very mac friendly. But there are a few things to keep in mind.
This camera has an unusually large sensor; as such this has some interesting consequences. On the positive side, this produces stunning low light capabilities. Furthermore, one can isolate the subject from the background very easily by carefully controlling ones exposure and focus; few other consumer camcorders have this ability. However this places great strain on the auto focus. If one is simply wishing to place it in an auto mode and leave it there, it tends to have a lot of focus problems.
The zoom speed is too fast. Aside from the fact that I feel, that it is aesthetically unpleasing, in every case except bright sunlight, the zoom is faster than the auto focus. Therefore almost any attempt to zoom in while shooting will yield out-of-focus pictures. Consequently you must consider the zoom on this camera to be essentially useless.
For some inexplicable reason, they chose not to include an external mic/ audio in jack. This severely limits its usability.
David Courtney
Houston, TX
I have not actually used the Xacti library feature myself so please refer to the manual (a pdf file you can google) before you make up your mind.
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I believe the FH1A is just the FH1 with the additional Apple iFrame video format (an odd format, smaller then 720p, so I doubt anyone would use it). So my review applies to the FH1 model as well. Btw, most of the camcorderinfo review on the VPC-HD2000 model applies to this one as well.
When this camcorder is on sale for $400 or below, it is certainly the best HD camcorder for the money.
Pros: -Many video resolution options, covering 1080p, 1080i, 720p, vga, and ultra-slow motion video. The 1080p (60fps progressive) is really detailed and smooth. I have read that someone may have problem playing back the 1080p video smoothly on an even quad-core windows (can be solved by choosing the right software). But video play back is quite good on my quad-core Mac (well it's an HP hackintosh).
-H.264 mp4 video format makes it very easy to work with, especially on Mac platform. Just copy the video onto the computer and you can start editing it in iMovie natively without converting, transcoding, etc. Saves tons of time. I have worked with 720p Motion Jpeg (MJPG) videos. Their quality is good but they waste too much disk space. The mp4 video from the sanyo has good compression without visible quality loss. Therefore, this camcorder should be at the top of one's shopping list if you are a Mac user.
-Excellent low light performance. Many camcorders/cameras suffer big time when shooting video at low light (such as in door at night with usual lighting). I have compared to 720p video my other camera, the video from the Sanyo is much cleaner.
-Comes with a lot of accessories (but as the video can be easily copied onto computer, one don't really need the video cables). Good build quality. Small but with large screen. Can be operated with just the thumb. Great battery life.
-Comes with remote controller, which is hard to find on even much more expensive camcorders.
-Great stereo sound quality.
-Can store video onto portable hard disk without using computers (Xacti library). This is a great feature as you can just bring a portable hard drive and the camcorder when traveling, off-load the videos when the card is full, and continue shooting. Portable HDD is cheap and can hold hours of videos. Without this feature, you either have to prepare multiple SD cards for the trip, or you have to pull out laptop from time to time.
-Ultra slow motion video, though at low resolution. It may be a gimmick for many but can be very useful and fun if you want to capture a special action.
-8M still photo. The quality is on par with most consumer level digital cameras (but a little over sharpened, nothing close to prosumer or DSLR quality).
Cons:-The only real complain I have is the lack of Optical Image Stabilization. It only has Electronic IS, which works a little when you are not moving the camera (the natural shaking of the hand can be countered). But as soon as you start walking, panning, anything involve intentional camera movement, the EIS has no use. For Optical IS, even some of those movement can be countered to certain degree so the end results are not as shaky. Anyway, good shooting techniques are always useful, and iMovie has a image stabilization function that can be applied on shaky video, and the results are pretty good (but time-consuming). I wish Sanyo could bring OIS to their next generation camcorders.
-The menu is just OK. Not really up to current standard. I've seen much better executed animated menus on other cameras. Well they all do the similar thing but make you feel better. I don't think processing power of this camcorder is the problem, it's a lack of development in this regard. Due to a lock of buttons, one has to remember lots of settings if you want to make quick change. Good thing is that some frequently used function can be set as shortcut to the joystick.
-Only provided software for windows, not for Mac; However I doubt there are good alternative to iMovie on Mac (at this price point) so it's OK forgivable.
-Lack of parameter adjustments for video and photo quality. Just three options (normal, vivid, soft) and don't really make a difference. On my computer when playing back, just a tiny bit of increase in saturation brings the video to a better level. I wish I can shoot the video like that at the first place.
-I find it too dark to my taste when left as automatic exposure, especially indoor night shot. Therefore I customized the exposure compensation on the 4-way toggle, and raise the exposure by 0.3 or 0.6 before shooting.
Buy Sanyo VPC-FH1A Full HD Video and 8 MP Digital Photos (Black) Now
Pros:1. Records in iFrame format. iFrame is just a specification made up by Apple for recorded movies to be more iMovie friendly. It uses the standard H.264 video codec and AAC audio codec. However, it's not HD as the resolution is only 960x540 (although it's still higher than 480p), but the bitrate is set at 24Mbps. That's a lot, considering even the 1080p mode on this camcorder only has a bitrate of 16Mbps. Another plus of the iFrame format is that it's progressive. I'm getting sick and tired of camcorders recording interlaced video. I can't see the point. Interlaced video looked horrible, and requires extra processing time/quality loss due to transoding during editing to de-interlace it. Most consumer HD camcorders, even the expensive ones from Sony and Canon, records in 1080i. Try importing/editing that 1080i clip on your computer, it's more difficult than it should. iFrame clips recorded by this camcorder can be scrubbed smoothly on my 2008 iMac with iMovie09. Out of the box, iFrame is the default recording setting.
2. Records in 720p. As nice and iMovie friendly the iFrame format is, the higher resolution of 720p video is just amazing. You can see details that you won't normally see on 480p/480i videos recorded by standard def camcorders. Now, you must be asking why I put 720p as a pro, considering this camera can do 1080p. Well, that's because other HD camcorders, even more expensive ones from Sony/Canon, cannot record in 720p. Most HD camcorders by other manufactures only record in 1080i. I already pointed out that I hate interlaced video. I'd rather have 720p than 1080i. On my iMac, iMovie 09 choked a little bit with the 720p video. Scrubbing is not as smooth as the iFrame format, buy boy the extra resolution is just nice.
3. Price. I got this camcorder when Amazon had it for $329, which is an awesome deal. Even at $399, this camcorder is still cheaper than the competitors. Most other camcorders at this price range have smaller sensors than this Sanyo.
4. High speed recording/slow motion. Basically the camera records the video at a much faster frame rate than the standard 30/60 fps, and when played back at 30fps, you get a smooth slow-motion effect. Alas, the resolution is greatly reduced. You only get 448x336 on the 240fps mode, and a measly 192x108 resolution for 600fps, too small to be practically useful. Still, a nice feature to have for some fun/creative things, and unlike the Sony CX110 that only supports 3 seconds of slow-motion, the FH1A doesn't have that limitation.
5. Comes with a remote.
Cons:
1. No optical image stabilization. The FH1A only has digital image stabilization, which doesn't really say much. Videos can be quite jerky during movement and panning. However, considering the price, you would have to spend $600+ for camcorders with optical IS. Even the low end Sony/Canon HD camcorders don't have optical IS, and they're more expensive than the FH1A.
2. No built-in lens cap. Can be annoying to remove it and put it on the side of the handstrap if you need to record video quickly. Even Samsung cheap camcorders have the lens-cap built-in albeit with a manual slider.
3. Doesn't come with a pouch. It's nitpicking, but I bought a cheapo Samsung camcorder a while back, and it comes with a soft pouch. I kinda expect a bit more goodies.
4. Annoying instruction voice. Really, I don't need the camcorder telling me to insert an SD card. Good thing it can be turned off.
5. The power adapter. Instead of a compact battery charger, or a compact power adapter that has the prongs built-in, Sanyo's power adapter requires two cables. One goes to the camera, the other is the power cable.
I want an HD camcorder that is iMovie friendly where I can import the videos without transcoding/de-interlacing. The Sanyo FH1A delivers. However, the lack of optical IS kinda hampers the overall video recording experience. Still, you can't beat the features for the price. Here are some video comparisons I took, comparing the FH1A with various other devices with video recording capabilities:
Edit: Arrgh, Amazon caught the urls for my video comparisons. Go to youtube dot com slash pata2009.
Read Best Reviews of Sanyo VPC-FH1A Full HD Video and 8 MP Digital Photos (Black) Here
Let me preface this by saying I am not a Professional. I do however take pride in my work as a hobbyist. I have had several cameras, and my specialty is dSLR's and still photography.I was looking for a decent camera to shoot sports and this is it: 1080p at 60fps is perfect.
Yes the image quality is very good as good as if not better than anything I have seen under 1000.
Low-light is very good, although it has some trouble focusing while zooming in low-light.
Image Stabilizing is pretty good for a camera at this price, obviously its digital.
The camera is fast to turn on and start video/pics.
The camera is very small and portable, I can put it in cargo pants pockets
I love the fact that it is SD card with no hard drive
You can put the pics directly onto a flash drive w/o a computer (cam must be plugged in) This is great option to have
HDMI out is awesome as well.
Macro is very good for a camera this price.
I actually have no remorse in buying this camera and would have done it for 200 dollars more as well.
The 240fps is just a cool feature to have.
I use a monopod often, which, coupled with the digital image stabilization, works great.
Highly recommend this camera to anyone looking for anything under 1000.
EDITED: updated to 1 star because the camera died October 2011, meaning one day it decided to never turn on again and that was it. After I babied it and never dropped it or exposed it to moisture it died on me. I always kept it in the same padded camera bag as my Canon Rebel XT it dies. My canon is still going strong. I know its a DSLR, but build quality is build quality, and this one is not very good. After a year and a half, should have gotten that warranty.
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Forget all the negative reviews of this camera. For the money this camera can't be beat. It is easy to use and the HD and HR movies have incredible detail. Also, you only have to carry one camera since it takes pictures. Don't let the image fool you, this camera is very small! Also, the battery life is excellent. My dad has two newer HD Cannons and he said mine is better. Lastly, it works very well indoors. I would recommend a 16 GB chip as well, but an 8 GB chip will be sufficient for most people and will save money if your budget is tight.
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