Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 Digital Camcorder and 8 MP Digital Camera (Blue) by SANYO
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Digital camera reviews of Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 Digital Camcorder and 8 MP Digital Camera (Blue)
Digital camera Review: DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA; SANYO IS THE WORST
Summary: 1 Stars
I purchased this camera for my son who has gotten to be quite good and making short films, etc. Within 2 months it malfunctioned. It took several e-mails to Sanyo to figure out where to send it to get assessed and fixed and we have not seen it since. I have made several phone calls to the servicing center who stated they were waiting on a part from Sanyo but they had no idea when it would be coming and they noted their recurrent issues with the company. I TRIED to contact Sanyo's "customer service" department and got multiple voice numbers. I even tried putting in random extensions in an effort to get a live person. When I finally got to someone he said he would call the servicing center and call me "right back". 5 hours later a got a message and when I called him back, he told me that the part was going to be shipped but he had no idea how long it was going to take. When I asked hime to just send me a new camera and keep the one "waiting for the part", he told me he couldn't do that. When I asked to speak to his supervisor, he sent be to another extension and guess what ? Yes, another voice mail. I left my message asking for a call ASAP but of course no came.
So, if you want to roll the dice, then go ahead and get this camera but I wouldn't do it. I have never written a review like this but like people at the town hall meetings across the country, I couldn't take it anymore and my only recourse against this complany is to let the word out about how poorly this company treats it's customers. I will tell anyone I know: "Never buy a Sanyo product !!!"
Digital camera Review: Decent
Summary: 4 Stars
I got this to use with my son. Being watermen, and rough on gear, it is great to get something that could possibly fit the bill for both. I am not sure of its durability, this will be my second one, I bought my first one refurbished, big mistake. Sent it back and got this one. It is not the best quality you can buy for digi, but I have already dropped it, flown with it, and got it wet, and it is still going at the same quality.Digital camera Review: Decent value if you don't actually get it wet...
Summary: 2 Stars
I had the previous model (VPC-E1) and even though it crapped out after owning it just over a year, I bought the VPC-E2, and it crapped out after 4 months. I bought the VPC-E2 because there really is very little competition out there for a decent quality flash memory camcorder that is supposedly "waterproof". I am a kayaker and I bought the VPC-E1 to be able to take the occasional video of my friends running rapids. I kept the camera in a waterproof bag, and took it out occasionally to take some video, then put it back. It would get wet, but rarely soaked. If it got splashed, the microphone would cut out, but after drying the camera for a day or two, it would work again.
After 13 months of ownership, the VPC-E1 started to do funny things with the display - it showed the image on the LCD upside down for a few days, then it started to fade and eventually went to black. I had always stayed within the requirements - less than 5 feet deep underwater (I never went more than 1 or 2 feet actually), never wet for more than 30 minutes before drying it off. I also never used it in salt water, never dropped it or banged it, or used it in dusty conditions. I did use it in low temperatures, but never below freezing, probably never below 40 degrees. The funny thing, is that the rest of the functions of the camera continued to work fine, you just couldn't see what you were doing because of no display.
I wasn't happy with the camera failing, but I sold it on ebay for parts and put my $40 towards a VPC-E2. It was even better than the E1 with 60 fps and a better sensor (although I thought the video image on both was just fine), and the E2 seemed to have a better microphone, which worked fine after getting splashed. Neither camera takes as nice still photos as a basic sony camera, but they are acceptable - this camera takes good video, and tolerable stills.
So, after 4 months of ownership (and careful use) the VPC-E2 also started to do funny things with the display. After using it last week, I noticed that the display was upside down! However, when I tried to show my wife what was happening, it had corrected. Several days later, I used it again, and then it started showing the display upside down again. And yesterday, it was fine again, but while shooting some video, it suddenly powered off. I knew the battery was fully charged, and when I tried re-starting, the power-on light didn't even flicker, which it will always do when the batter is low. I swapped for another battery which I knew was fresh, and it didn't even try to power on. I hooked it up to the USB just in case, and it didn't do a thing. So, another dead Sanyo Xactic waterproof digital video camera in less than 16 months. I had been careful with it, not gotten it that wet, never more than 2 feet underwater, never for more than 10 seconds underwater, never dropped or banged or in dusty conditions.
So, I'd recommend that if you want to shoot some video but really want nice stills, get a basic sony (with the Zeiss lens, is only about $150 right now) and a waterproof case ($30). Other cameras that come in waterproof versions include the Fujifilm FinePix, Olympus Stylus, Canon PowerShot, Pentax Optio. They all shoot decent video (640x480 at 30 fps) although there is some differences in how well they handle low light and motion, but its really hard to know unless you try them. I've owned an older model of the Olympus Stylus that was alright for stills, but the video was a bit grainy, especially with motion or low light. Maybe one of these companies will make a decent digital flash memory video camera that will actually work in the conditions it is advertised to be able to handle.
Digital camera Review: Died after less than a year
Summary: 1 Stars
This camera worked great for the first few months of use. Here is the bad part: I put it away for about 3 months and took it back out and now it will not turn on any more. I thought maybe a bad battery so I purchased a new battery, charged it completely and still no power. Some times I get a flashing green light, some times a flashing red light, but most often I get nothing and the camera will not power on. Documentation on the Sanyo site is nonexistent. Very disappointed in this camera. I never thought I would spend $160+ on a disposable camera, but that is what this has become.Digital camera Review: Disappointing
Summary: 2 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I had some very high expectations about the VPC-E2 that were mostly based on the glowing Amazon reviews. Let's start off with the good stuff:
-Well built
-Solid door on the card/battery compartment which is very rare
-Water resistance makes it easy to use in places you wouldn't use another camera
-Switching between photo and video is very easy
-Flipout LCD means you can get some angles that are difficult otherwise. Not very many P&S cameras (read on to see why I compare it to a P&S and not a camcorder) have LCDs that flip out and rotate.
On the downside... let's start with the minor annoyances....
-Custom USB cable
-It's water resistant/proof but only at very shallow depths so forget scubadiving or snorkeling
-It's a little too short for most hands so it's tough to reach the photo/video buttons when holding it in a grip style
-The shutter release button is very hard to depress and often sticks. I don't think that this was unique to my unit since other reviewers also complained.
-Zoom buttons are hard to reach and very small
-No lens cover
-Long shot-to-shot delays and shutter lag. Very, very pronounced in poor lighting
-Horrible LCD quality, even outdoors under ideal conditions
But what it comes down to is this.... the video quality is absolutely horrible except in ideal outdoor environments. The photo quality is decent but not as good as a P&S camera at half the price.
So basically what you're paying for, in my opinion, is the water resistant/proof feature and the vertical style/flip out LCD. Apart from that the video quality is not any better than what your average P&S can produce and the picture quality is worse.