The writeup shows that it has a built-in stereo microphone with built-in speaker. That sounds pretty neat.
Does this mean it’ll pull audio from all around you? If so, does that produce a lot of background noise when shooting in public places? The main purpose for me would be to take video of of traveling in cool places.
Thanks!
Here’s some video with IS off, 1080p, and electrical tape over the mic’s to keep out wind noise.
I’m not happy with it overall, mostly because it randomly stops recording after 30 minutes-ish and it does not record while charging which rules it out for me in the race car.
Remember to choose 1080p to see it as it was recorded.
Curious about this item to record my wedding. I have a couple of questions regarding it though. It lists as only being able to record for ~65 mins at full 1080. That would not be long enough for my whole ceremony even and I was wondering if it would be possible to have it plugged in (it will be stationary on a tripod) the whole time and charging while recording? Or does it only charge and can’t record while charging? Also I was wondering if the tripod hole on the bottom was a standard size screw in tripod socket or if it was a specific peripheral from Sanyo? Thank you for your guys’ help.
-Rhaen-
This unit will NOT record while plugged in. Biggest drawback IMO.
And yes, its a standard tripod mount hole/
Thanks for the response. That is a big drawback in my opinion too. How accurate is the 65 minute estimate in 1080 quality? Does that time frame go up if it is in 720? If so, how long would that last? Thanks again!
-Rhaen-
Are you sure? The common term, Full HD, is used to define devices capable of up to and including 1080p video. The website says its 1920x1080, which is 1080p:
Do you have an older model?
got it at the last woot. in the menu options are 720p or 1080i. dont have it with me to double check, but pretty sure.
Trust me, in 5 years all you will watch is the people walking in and out so you can say how much younger they looked or remember when they were still alive!
Excellent demos. It would be nice to see before and after footage with the video image stabilizer. A car ride is perfect for that.
Others have mentioned that it does not shoot while plugged in, but all you need is a spare battery or two - just swap 'em out. You can do that while it’s still on the tripod.
Tripod mounts are standard (and it also looks like oe in the photo). link
Image stabilization isn’t magic - you’ll get better video with a tripod.
Still, video image stabilization does improve things a lot. And you can get software that stabilizes existing footage.
I bought one on the last Woot and am happy with it. I think the price point and features make it a great value. the stereo mics and 3x optical zoom are good features.
re: record time, if I recall correct the unit can only record 30 minutes at a time. so a memory card may have capacity for multiple 30 minute recordings, but I believe there’s a hardware limitation of 30 minutes per recording. This would not be an issue for most people recording plays at a soccer match for a few minutes at a time, but may be a limitation for some.
not surprisingly, quality degrades in low light situations, but not more than any other camera its size I suppose.
anyone looking at this unit should be aware of its minimalist design. the menu options are very limited which makes it intuitive, but gives the user less control. for example, you cannot disable digital zoom like you can with most cameras.
LOL that’s a bit paranoid.
No, wiretap laws apply to secretly recording audio of a conversation in California. This is recording video, not audio.
California’s recording law only covers intentional, covert audio recordings, such as you hiding a tape recorder when being disciplined by your employer.
I won’t get into all the other aspects of the law, but since I have been involved in these kinds of cases (prosecution) I assure you this type of “in the open” recording is perfectly legal.
Sidenote: I assume you are aware that there’s millions of cameras in the open that watch and listen to everything you do, save using the restroom. 
How do you know these are with the Sanyo, did you record them?
I’ll post my SD card speed comment:
With the demise of camcorders that use tape and all camcorders now using SDHC chips, you need to pay attention to a chip’s speed rating.
If you are intending to use your current SDHC (or microSDHC chips with an SD adapter) make sure the chips are:
Class 4 or Class 6.
An SDHC’s “Class” rating is its performance rating, based on how fast a chip can transfer digital information on or off the chip.
Why is this important? In layman’s terms:
Basically, for HD recording Class 2 chips are too slow. Class 2 SDHC chips cannot transfer video information fast enough. Your video will record, but if the chip is too slow playback will show the recording is choppy and will play with lag.
Transfer rates (“speed ratings”) for the current chips are:
Class 2 = 2MB per second.
Class 4 = 4MB per second.
Class 6 = 6MB per second.
Class 10 = 10MB per second (Class 10 are fairly new and expensive).
All chips have the Class rating imprinted on the chip label. It’s the letter “C” with a number inside it (2, 4, 6, 10).
Surprisingly, many owner’s manuals do not clearly disclose the chip speed requirement for video recording and playback.
Now I know some of you have just now looked at all your chips and have seen they are all Class 2, even the 16GB SDHC ones. Well sorry for your “loss.” You are going to have to buy at least Class 4 chips.
The good news is that Class 4 chips are cheap, Class 6 chips are not too much more.
8GB Class 4 chips are about $15 to $20. On sale they are even cheaper.
8GB Class 6 chips are about $20, cheaper on sale.
16GB Class 6 range from $25 to $40.
Bonus Tip: On eBay there’s thousands of sellers in China selling counterfeit chips (estimates are that 90% of eBay chips are counterfeit. Chips that are labeled SanDisk when they are not, Class 6 when really Class 2, labels that say 8GB are really 2GB when you load them into a reader, etc.)
So I would buy chips from an established seller on Amazon, someone who sells only chips and has been doing so for a long time, and who has great reviews, or buy from your local retailer. More expensive, for sure, but that’s better than the 90% chance you will be getting a fake chip on eBay.
If you do buy on eBay, NEVER buy chips from Hong Kong sellers, even the ones who post a fake U.S. address.
Bonus Tip: The “HC” in “SDHC” has nothing to do with speed. The “HC” designation came out when chips went over 2GB. It stands for “high capacity.”
All chips over 2GB are designated “high capacity.”
Bonus Tip: Class 2 chips will in fact record video (AFAIK few manufacturers include a warning ON THE DEVICE to use fast chips.)
Owners’ manuals will sometimes warn that you need to use Class 4 or above chips.
The way you will find out that your camcorder needed a Class 4, 6, or 10 MB/s chip is when you play the video. It will be choppy (and some videos won’t even play).
If you get poor playback, the culprit is usually the Class 2 chip. (Also, poor playback can happen if you are playing the video on your PC directly from the chip, that is, rather than transferring the file to your PC then playing it from there.)
Bonus Tip: Ideally always buy Class 6 chips. More expensive, yes, but the performance is outstanding.
Bonus Tip: Many computers will not initially play videos recorded in 720p and 1080p, the player software has yet to catch up to high speed HD video formats. (Video will be choppy or laggy.)
So make sure that whatever video player you are using (such as VLC) is up-to-date.
I read over at Amazon in one of the reviews that you can not edit the video before uploading. Does any know if that is true?
Do you mean that you can’t edit the video with the camera itself? That’s pretty standard.
Or are you saying that it doesn’t come with editing software? There’s all sorts of god free stuff, such as VirtualDub.
The reviewer said uploading to facebook and other sites is easy but there is no way to edit video or photos prior to upload. That would be disapointing. Because I think this little Sanyo would work for me being a novice.
You can download the vids to your computer and edit them there before uploading to vid sites. Again, that’s standard (that’s how I do it).
edit: BTW I only threw VirtualDub out there because I use it - there are also fancier programs.