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(MPG4) Sanyo Xacti (all models)
A compact 720p MPEG4 digital media camera recording to SD Card.

 
 
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Old April 20th, 2007, 04:13 AM   #1
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video footage

Have a look at this:

http://one.revver.com/watch/140159/flv

can you guess what camera I used for it???

:-)

Andrea
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Old April 20th, 2007, 06:34 AM   #2
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GREAT video edit !!
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Old April 20th, 2007, 07:53 AM   #3
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I second that!

Take that video to the "low light performance" complainers.

And I also have to say that creatively the video is excellent. Are your other viedeos on that site also made with an hd2?
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Old April 20th, 2007, 05:20 PM   #4
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hd1

thanks.. and thanks ...

this video wasn't done with the HD2, but with the first model of HD1...
i can't wait to get the new HD2..soon
any way, i think this camera is fantastic for what it is..


and ..
to all the complainers about the cons of this camera:
sanyo has a little cool device out there, just start using it... and have fun...:-)

A
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Old April 20th, 2007, 08:11 PM   #5
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After a year of constant whining about these tiny cameras, along comes this video and it just blows all those negative viewpoints out the window!
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Old April 22nd, 2007, 06:19 AM   #6
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WOW Andrea, i was not erxpecting such a great video...

i guess it might have taken you so many time to edit !

i would like to know which software you used to do it

cause i really like the effect where you have different screens of different sizes at the same time on your screen...but of course you can't do that with cheap (and free) Windows Movie Maker !!
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Old April 22nd, 2007, 05:12 PM   #7
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well,
i wasn't expecting people to ask about the edit.
I was trying to show the quality you can achieve with the sanyo HD1.

To answer your question, well this is Final Cut Pro.

:-)
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Old April 22nd, 2007, 08:08 PM   #8
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HD1a - for what it is...

Andrea, fantastic! I have two HD1a's and I love them. Indeed there are quite a few hurdles to get over, especially if you're used to pro cameras, but the potential is awesome. I had been shooting with the JVC DV5000u for years but I sold it and bought two HD1a's and a Canon HV10 with xtra batteries for a fraction of what I paid for the JVC and I am not disappointed.

Again, great work.
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Old April 23rd, 2007, 05:23 AM   #9
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Frank, that's an interesting move on your part--going from the big professional JVC with all its bells and whistles and detachable zoom lens to the Sanyo. I'm curious, did you make that move because you're no longer doing the same sorts of jobs? Or did you simply continue in your same line of work but with tiny cameras instead (for perhaps another advantage to be gained from its portability)? The reason I ask is I have the same JVC and I find it hard to part with its professional look, if for no other reason. For fear that showing up on a job with a Sanyo or a Canon HD10 I might be laughed at!
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Old April 23rd, 2007, 09:17 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrea Giacomini View Post
well,
i wasn't expecting people to ask about the edit.
I was trying to show the quality you can achieve with the sanyo HD1.

To answer your question, well this is Final Cut Pro.

:-)
thanx..of course the quality is good and everything....this is a great proof of the capabilities of the Sanyo...but i couldn't help but asking about the program you used ,)
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Old April 23rd, 2007, 05:33 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lynne Whelden View Post
Frank, that's an interesting move on your part--going from the big professional JVC with all its bells and whistles and detachable zoom lens to the Sanyo. I'm curious, did you make that move because you're no longer doing the same sorts of jobs? Or did you simply continue in your same line of work but with tiny cameras instead (for perhaps another advantage to be gained from its portability)? The reason I ask is I have the same JVC and I find it hard to part with its professional look, if for no other reason. For fear that showing up on a job with a Sanyo or a Canon HD10 I might be laughed at!

Hi Lynne,

I've closed my business and am semi-retired so I pick and choose my projects now. I loved my DV500u but it was heavy and all the accessories were costly as well. It up converted nicely but I wanted a native HD format. I also like by-passing tape drives altogether. I can ingest all my footage at a fraction of real time.

As for camera envy; I don't care anymore, I rather enjoy being seen as an ametuer in the crowd. I can use it to my advantage and people tend to leave me alone. I also keep a tripod in the car at all times and frequently take the camera with me when I go anywhere.

I will admit, there are some simple things that I took for granted that this camera would have that it doesn't. Very important things. You can't adjust focus once record is engaged- you have to trick the camera in order to see a real time view of the exposure- you can't lock iris while in record- the manual focus is not continuous but incremental. But... one camera I bought new for $599.00 and the other for $349.00 on eBay.

If Sanyo were so inclined, they could easily create a modified version of this camera that would be a serious contender. Bump up the data rate, reverse the problems I listed and you'd have a great start.

I use the HD1a way more than the HV10. The HD1a's are rugged and even more compact. The HV10 looks great though!

P.S. The biggest problem as you might guess is the dynamic range. You have to watch exposure and I like to tweak the gamma and chroma in post. It's a little challenging but it gets easier as you gain experience with the camera.
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Old April 23rd, 2007, 07:11 PM   #12
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Well, I'm alot like you in that regard. And camera envy is a great descriptive term. I think I've pretty much gotten over it. It's all about being secure in your own head as to what you can do. And like you say, what great advantages to blending in the crowd as a tourist! Little do they know that you're probably the only one who really knows how to shoot.
I'm more into capturing realism now than the staged stuff that a big camera dictates. And tiny cameras have the corner in that arena. But I'm still not quite ready to jump to the Sanyo. The reasons you mentioned are just some of the reasons why not. Even today, I called B & H to ask about the Sanyo and the salesperson without prompting discouraged me from getting one. I was asking if there was a high def wide-angle lens that worked with it and he said no. Then I asked if he knew of any light portable HDs to use for downloading footage and he didn't know of any. Then we got cut off and I didn't bother to call back, as it seemed like I should stick with the Sony HC-3 for now for those jobs requiring lightweight gear. Oh well.
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Old April 23rd, 2007, 07:18 PM   #13
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Well, I'm alot like you in that regard. And camera envy is a great descriptive term. I think I've pretty much gotten over it. It's all about being secure in your own head as to what you can do. And like you say, what great advantages to blending in the crowd as a tourist! Little do they know that you're probably the only one who really knows how to shoot.
I'm more into capturing realism now than the staged stuff that a big camera dictates. And tiny cameras have the corner in that arena. But I'm still not quite ready to jump to the Sanyo. The reasons you mentioned are just some of the reasons why not. Even today, I called B & H to ask about the Sanyo and the salesperson without prompting discouraged me from getting one. I was asking if there was a high def wide-angle lens that worked with it and he said no. Then I asked if he knew of any light portable HDs to use for downloading footage and he didn't know of any. Then we got cut off and I didn't bother to call back, as it seemed like I should stick with the Sony HC-3 for now for those jobs requiring lightweight gear. Oh well.
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Old April 24th, 2007, 10:28 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lynne Whelden View Post
I called B & H to ask about the Sanyo and the salesperson without prompting discouraged me from getting one. I was asking if there was a high def wide-angle lens that worked with it and he said no. Then I asked if he knew of any light portable HDs to use for downloading footage and he didn't know of any. Then we got cut off and I didn't bother to call back, ...
Hi Lynne,

I would say that the B & H "sales" person might not be the source to place your confidence in. This decision is not black and white, you might consider that there are many deciding factors to be addressed. To dismiss the choice out of hand would send me a red flag. To be sure, there are many limitations to this camera, but only you can make the final decision based on your criteria. To do this with any degree of accuracy would be time consuming for the "sales" person. I would press the "sales" person to give you comparative recommendations and then hang up and do the research yourself.

If you set the HD1a (or2) to a basic auto program of choice, you're going to get fairly good video in most cases. Critical choices might include your selection of focus sampling area, iris sampling area, and perhaps weather to use auto-white balancing. I would say focus and iris are probably the places where you'll see the biggest impact.

The smallest focus selection area setting can allow you to fake some rack focus effects but can cause focus hunting in the wrong environment. The iris may pump in the spot setting in the wrong environment. If you have plenty of time to set up shots it's a different story, you can experiment.

Incidentally, the trick to see your exposure and settings live in the viewfinder is to partially depress the still photo button. Another rough spot for me is the lack of a proper view finder- my near sightedness has really taken a dive since turning forty.

I too am looking for a decent wide angle lens that won't cost half as much as the camera. I'll be watching for suggestions.
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