Introduction

It also has some details that will impress even the most serious videophiles: an accessory shoe, headphone and microphone jacks, and a 40.5mm filter. It's the unconventional upright design (without a hand strap), cumbersome menu system, and lack of on-board AV ports that might scare off would-be adopters. If you can get past these flaws, you'll find a high definition camcorder at an affordable price that's well worth your consideration.

Design

Front

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Back

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Left

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Right

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Top

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Bottom

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Size & Weight Comparison

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In the Box

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Performance

Color

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In our testing, the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 produced very accurate colors in both bright and low light—putting it near the top of the pack amongst other HD models that have come through our labs so far this year. Recording in the 1080/60p mode (the camcorder's highest quality setting) the VPC-HD2000 measured a color error of 3.48 and a saturation level of roughly 107.6%. We also tested the camcorder's color capability using the 1080/60i record setting. The results were almost identical—3.99 color error with 111.4% saturation—with the main difference being a slightly darker image on the 60i footage. All of our testing on the HD2000 was performed using the 1080/60p mode (called Full-HR 60fps by Sanyo) unless otherwise noted. More on how we test color.

The VPC-HD2000 offers a few color modes that allow you to slightly tweak your image. Sanyo calls these modes Image Settings. (The feature is strangely quarantined in the Options menu rather than in the Recording menu with the rest of the manual controls.) Below we have frame grabs from video footage of our still life train display, taken from regular 60p and 60i footage as well as the three available image settings.

Looking at the images above, you should be able to see the exposure difference between the 60p and 60i footage. The 60i footage appears just a bit underexposed, even though both videos were taken in auto mode using the same lighting setup. The image settings, on the other hand, offer very little difference from one setting to the next. You'd expect the footage to look different (i.e. more saturated colors in vivid mode), but they really don't provide much of an enhancement on the VPC-HD2000. Other camcorders that have similar options (such as the Canon HF20 and HF S100), show a much greater difference in the various color modes. The Canons also allow for some user customization in the color settings.

Under bright light, there's very little noticeable difference between the colors produced by the four HD camcorders above. The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 has darker colors than the rest. The numerical saturation values recorded during testing confirmed what we saw with our eyes: the Sanyo has highest saturation levels of the bunch—by a good margin. The two Canons put on a good performance in this test, with the HF S100 measuring a color error nearly identical to the VPC-HD2000. (Though, at $500, we expect the HF S100 to perform as well as the HD2000.) The Panasonic HDC-SD20 had the least accurate color performance and the lowest saturation level in the group, but it still performed fairly well. Below is a sampling of color-square crops taken from the DSC chart images above.

While the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 had a very good color accuracy overall, it had trouble reproducing skin tones faithfully (as evidenced by the chart above). You can also clearly see the how much darker the HD2000 looks compared to the other camcorders—again, a result of its higher saturation levels. Overall, the four camcorders shown above each did a decent job producing accurate colors—with the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 and the Canon HF S100 both perched a notch above the Panasonic HDC-SD20 and the Canon HF20.

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Low Light Color

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Proving the VPC-HD2000's sensitivity score was no fluke, the camcorder also put up very accurate color scores in our low light color test. The HD2000 measured a color error of 2.84 and a saturation level of 104.9%. The most interesting part about this score is that it's actually better than the camcorder's bright light color test. This is simply more evidence of the VPC-HD2000's elite low light capabilities. More on how we test low light color.

In bright light, the VPC-HD2000 appeared to have a slightly darker-than-average image. When the lights go down, however, the camcorder outshines the competition. The Sanyo produced more accurate colors than both Canon models (each measuring average results) as well as the Panasonic HDC-SD20 (measuring the worst of the set with 7.91 color error).

Compared to the other camcorders, the VPC-HD2000 showed a bit of a warm tone in our low light testing. It also didn't have as much detail or sharpness as seen on the Canon HF20 and HF S100. You can get a better idea of this in the 100% crop images that follow in the low light noise section.

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Noise

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The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 had low noise levels, although it wasn't the elite performer we saw in our color tests. The camcorder averaged 0.6275%, which is a fairly typical score for this test. The HD2000 does have a manual noise reduction feature, which, when engaged, brought the noise levels down to approximately 0.585%. With consumer camcorders, however, we base our noise scores with any manual noise reduction turned off. More on how we test noise.

It's difficult to see the noise in the cropped images above, mainly because so little is actually present in bright light footage. The Panasonic HDC-SD20 had the lowest noise levels of the set, measuring only 0.4175%. Not surprisingly, the Panasonic also had the softest image and captured the least amount of detail—something that is clearly evident in the comparison table above. This blurriness makes noise less noticeable, while at the same time providing less detail and a lower video resolution. On the other hand, the two Canon camcorders recorded the sharpest image, but picked up the highest levels of noise. The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 sits right in the middle: its image isn't as crisp as the Canons, but it's definitely sharper than the Panasonic. As a result, noise levels are significantly lower than the Canons and higher than the Panasonic.

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Low Light Sensitivity

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Here's a surprise: the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 recorded the best low light sensitivity on any consumer camcorder we've tested so far this year. By a wide margin, it beat out each of the three competitors we're using as comparisons throughout this review. For those curious about the hard numbers, the HD2000 needed only 9 lux of light to peak at 50 IRE on our waveform monitor. The Canon HF20 and Panasonic HDC-SD20 required 22 lux and 23 lux respectively, while the high-end Canon HF S100 called for 16 lux of light to produce the same results. More on how we test low light sensitivity.

We noticed a drastic difference between the VPC-HD2000 and the Canon HF20 at 11 lux. It seems that with the rapid increase of effective pixel counts, many camcorders are actually showing weaker low light sensitivities when compared to models from previous years—the case for both Panasonic and Canon. This is not true for Sanyo, however, as last year's VPC-HD1010 required 13 lux to reach 50 IRE, which means Sanyo improved the sensitivity by 4 lux on the new model. This is an impressive performance by Sanyo and the VPC-HD2000 is the clear winner in this round of testing. The camcorder also proved to have killer low light color accuracy...

_**Editor's note**: Double-checking our results with the Sanyo VPC-HD2000, we noticed an error had been made in our low light sensitivity test. Previously, the camcorder's sensitivity had been tested using a slow shutter—a feature that is not supposed to be engaged during our low light testing. This resulted in the camcorder posting a better sensitivity score than we should have reported. We sincerely apologize for the error and have updated the article to reflect the new, correct test results.

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Low Light Noise

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The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 was in the middle of the pack for our bright light noise testing and things were generally the same here in low light. The camcorder produced very little noticeable noise and we measured the levels at 1.15%. This is nearly identical to the numbers put up by last year's VPC-HD1010. The Panasonic HDC-SD20 was the winner in this category as the camcorder measured a very low 0.455% noise. More on how we test low light noise.

In the crops above you can see how much detail each camcorder is capable of capturing in low light situations and how this relates to noise. The Panasonic HDC-SD20 has the blurriest overall image, yet it measured a minuscule amount of noise. This means the camcorder sacrificed detail and resolution to provide a less noisy picture. Since we score this section entirely based on measured noise levels, the HDC-SD20 earned the best low light noise score of the set. The Canon HF20 shows lots of noise— it measured 2.53%—but its picture is rather sharp and detailed. In the crops above, you may prefer the image produced by the Canon HF S100, despite the fact that it has higher noise levels and a darker image than the Sanyo VPC-HD2000. The HF S100 shows more detail thanks to its higher video resolution, and it has a crisp, sharp image in low light. All things considered, however, the VPC-HD2000 is the best low light performer of the bunch.

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Low Light Color

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Proving the VPC-HD2000's sensitivity score was no fluke, the camcorder also put up very accurate color scores in our low light color test. The HD2000 measured a color error of 2.84 and a saturation level of 104.9%. The most interesting part about this score is that it's actually better than the camcorder's bright light color test. This is simply more evidence of the VPC-HD2000's elite low light capabilities. More on how we test low light color.

In bright light, the VPC-HD2000 appeared to have a slightly darker-than-average image. When the lights go down, however, the camcorder outshines the competition. The Sanyo produced more accurate colors than both Canon models (each measuring average results) as well as the Panasonic HDC-SD20 (measuring the worst of the set with 7.91 color error).

Compared to the other camcorders, the VPC-HD2000 showed a bit of a warm tone in our low light testing. It also didn't have as much detail or sharpness as seen on the Canon HF20 and HF S100. You can get a better idea of this in the 100% crop images that follow in the low light noise section.

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Motion

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The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 is the first consumer camcorder that can record truly progressive 1080/60p video (called Full-HR 60fps by Sanyo). At first glance, it's difficult to see a distinct difference between 60i and 60p, but in our motion test, we noticed smoother motion and less blur in the 60p mode. The HD2000 can record video in regular 60i as well as 30p. It also has two slow motion settings (240fps and 600fps), but those modes limit video length to 10 seconds and resolution to 448 x 336 and 192 x 108, respectively. More on how we test motion.

Video Sharpness

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We've been seeing significantly higher video resolutions scores this year—likely due to the larger sensors and higher effective pixel counts being packed into the new HD models. The VPC-HD2000 measured a horizontal resolution of 650 lw/ph (line widths per picture height) and a vertical resolution of 700 lw/ph, both of which are strong scores. This is a big improvement over last year's VPC-HD1010, which measured 550 lw/ph horizontal and 575 lw/ph vertical. Still, it isn't as good as the video resolutions we measured on the Canon HF20 or the HF S100. The VPC-HD2000 is once again right in the middle compared to the competition; it doesn't have the best video resolution, but it still put up fairly good numbers and showed a significant improvement over last year's top-of-the-line Xacti. More on how we test video sharpness.

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Testing Samples

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Usability

Ease of Use

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The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 is an easy camcorder to use... as long as you only want to use the most basic camcorder functions. If you're hoping to access any of the more sophisticated options, you'll have to plumb the depths of the Sanyo's complex menu system. (See below) Sure, there is technically an easy mode, but all it does is lock you out of all but three features. There are camcorders out there that are much more beginner-friendly. A true Easy mode offers tool tips, shooting advice, and access to more automatic recording options. The Xacti, unfortunately, offers nothing but a confusing menu structure—or hardly any menu at all.

On the other hand, camcorders that record exclusively to SD/SDHC cards are typically easy for first-time users and the MPEG-4 file format makes post-production a snap.

The menu system of the VPC-HD2000 is one of the more complicated systems you'll find on a consumer camcorder. For starters, Sanyo has implemented discrete 'Normal' and 'Simple' menu structures, which is the HD2000's equivalent of an easy mode. There is no pretending that easy mode offers anything more than the new menu structure. They've gone so far as to implement an entirely different design for the two menu types.

The problem with the Simple menus is that there just isn't enough there. They've taken away too much, including some options that would be very straightforward for even the greenest videographers. In record mode, the Simple menu consists only of video/photo size, focus method, and flash settings. In playback, it's just slideshow, playback volume, and delete. Focus method seems an especially odd choice, since we'd rather have easy access to the scene modes when we're on cruise control. What's nice about the Simple menus is that they utilize large, friendly icons and have clear descriptions explaining each of the features. It's a shame we only get such treatment on six functions in the whole camcorder. Beginners would love a little extra guidance on using the camcorder's plethora of manual controls.

It's in this respect that the camcorder becomes intimidating for first-time users. If you want to explore any of the large multitudes of additional options available, you'll have to step into the complex menu system that awaits. Though convoluted, there are some design features that help with navigation. For instance, all options are technically tucked into a single menu, rather than spread out across multiple menus. We don't like when manufacturers split options into a main menu (accessed by pressing the menu), a quick menu (access w/ the Q.Menu button or something similar), and a joystick menu or other specialized menu (accessed by pressing the joystick, d-pad, or control dial). This kind of organizational structure leaves you guessing on where to look for certain features. Why not pack them all into one convenient location?

Well, the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 does just that, but the results are a little clumsy. Camcorder settings are slotted into six different tabs: three for the Recording Menu and three for the Options menu. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to what goes in which tab, aside from some minor clustering. And even though it feels like you should be able to scroll through all the options like a great big list, you have to use the unwieldy thumbstick to move left and right, then up and down between tabs. It just doesn't feel smooth or intuitive. On the bright side, you don't have to scroll through a long list of options; everything within a single tab is visible on one screen.

The worst menu folly seems to be the complete inaccessibility of certain options, which are available only through the Shortcuts feature. Sanyo offers the wonderful ability to map certain functions to shortcuts on the joystick (up, down, left, and right), but fails to put these functions anywhere else in the menu. So, if you want to have access to any of these options, you'll first need to map them to your shortcuts (using the Option menu), then exit the menu and activate the shortcut. Options that you can assign to your shortcuts include:

• AF Lock
  
• AE Lock
  
• Focus (Standard, Manual, Super Macro)
  
• Flash (Auto, Forced Flash, Off, Red-Eye Reduction)
  
• Exposure Compensation
  
• ISO
  
• Self-Timer (Off, 2 seconds, 10 seconds)
  
• Exposure (Auto, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual)
  
• Display On/Off
  
• Sequential (Continuous Shot)
  

Of those features, four are nowhere else to be found: AF Lock, AE Lock, Exposure Compensation, and Sequential. If you assign these functions to the four shortcuts, then you essentially have a camcorder with a convoluted main menu, a separate joystick menu, and no customizable buttons. At least Sanyo is giving a choice; we just wish the main menu was a bit more navigable.

Auto Mode

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The Sanyo Xacti series has an interesting take on the concept of an 'auto mode.' On the LCD panel (to the left of the screen itself) is a small switch that toggles between Normal and Simple. This isn't so much an easy mode as it is a stripped down menu. Normal will activate the full menu structure, including joystick shortcuts. Simple will activate an entirely different menu design, where a scant few options are available. Lots of camcorders do the same thing, building an auto mode with no helpful tool tips or explanations, just a mode that locks you out of menu options. At least Sanyo is more upfront about what they're doing; two minutes with the camcorder and you can tell that Simple mode is just a different kind of menu.

The Simple menu setting limits the user to zoom, video/picture size, focus method, and flash settings. If you want to delve any further, you'll need to enter Normal mode and navigate the intimidating menu structure there.

The good news is that Sanyo seems to have improved the automatic image adjustments in this year's VPC-HD2000. So, you may have an easier time of just cruising in Simple mode without traversing the complicated landscape of the Normal menu. On last year's VPC-HD1010, auto exposure was a choppy, abrupt affair, especially when trying to accomplish a slow pan. Happily, the HD2000 offers nice even fades from one exposure level to the next, even in tricky backlit situations. The camcorder still reaches for the 1/30 shutter speed in brighter scenarios than necessary, but even that problem seems tempered compared to last year's model. If you want to change the way the camcorder handles metering for automatic exposure adjustments, you can choose from multi, center, and spot metering.

Automatic white balance is about as mediocre as it was on last year's HD1010. On that camcorder and the current model, indoor shots often appear to have a yellowish tint, while the outside world is dark, oversaturated, and a little cool. The indoor white balancing issues are status quo for a consumer camcorder. (Has a camcorder ever come through our labs that can expertly handle incandescent or fluorescent lighting?) The trouble with white balance outdoors isn't out of the ordinary, but it's a little troubling. Fortunately, the VPC-HD2000 has a good range of white balance presets and an excellent one-touch manual white balance. It's too bad the manual white balance can't be assigned to one of the joystick shortcuts.

Sanyo offers a good selection of autofocus options, including two different autofocus ranges (standard and super macro) and two autofocus modes (9-point auto and spot focus). The default of standard, 9-point auto works quickly and well. And since the lack of a focus ring makes manual focus a chore on most camcorders these days, we suggest you stick with the auto focus. It's more than up to the task. For a little bit of extra help in the focusing department, there's also Sanyo's 'Face Chaser' feature, which is exactly the same as the face detection technology we see on most cameras and camcorders these days.

Low Light Modes - The special low light mode on the VPC-HD2000 is called High Sensitivity mode. It allows the shutter to drop to 1/15 of a second and boosts ISO to a maximum of 1600. The image certainly appears brighter, but any motion within the frame will look blurry and exhibit gobs of motion trailing. There is also a mysterious 'Lamp' mode nestled within the scene mode options, but we're not sure how this might be any different from High Sensitivity mode. Neither 'Lamp mode' nor High Sensitivity mode can be engaged while any of the manual exposure modes are active.

Scene Modes - The HD2000 includes the usual smattering of scene modes. Each one will disengage whatever manual exposure settings you might have active, in favor of the camcorder's programmed settings for the appropriate scene. Choose from Sports, Portrait, Landscape, Night Portrait, Snow & Beach, Fireworks, and the aforementioned Lamp. We don't know what Lamp does, but ever since we saw Sleeping Face mode at PMA, we've given up on deciphering the scene modes of camera manufacturers.

Other Auto Features

Handling

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The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 can be an unsettling experience for anyone accustomed to the more traditional horizontal camcorder design. For starters, there's no hand strap, so you'll be grasping the HD2000 the same way you would a pistol—except that a pistol has a more ergonomic grip. Without even a small strap to secure your hand to the body of the camcorder, you have to strain a bit more to keep your hold.

The nice thing about these upright camcorders is that a lot of your shooting can be done with one hand, while more and more of the traditional consumer cams require two hands for most operations. On the HD2000, you have a shutter button, Record button, Play/Record mode switch, Menu button, Photo View button, Zoom toggle, and joystick are all on the back of the camcorder and easily accessible with the thumb of your right hand. Even better news: you can easily shoot video with your left hand if you are so inclined.

Despite the convenient control layout, there are a couple of frustrating aspects. The joystick is somewhat imprecise: we found ourselves accidentally hitting up or down instead of left—perhaps a result of the grip more than the joystick itself. All manual controls and menu navigation comes down to just the four cardinal directions, but the joystick itself moves and responds equally in all directions. It's just not an intuitive control. There's also a good deal of sluggishness in some of the interfaces. In particular, we noticed a full one-second delay each time we tried to switch the aperture or shutter speed.

The VPC-HD2000 is neither a dream nor a nightmare in the handling department. We can see ourselves getting used to the easy, upright design... if only Sanyo would improve some of the individual controls.

Portability

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The VPC-HD2000 is a portable camcorder, but don't let the upright design fool you: it's really no more portable than traditional horizontal camcorders. The thick lens barrel means that you can't really squeeze the camcorder into a pocket or purse the way you would an ultra-compact like the Pure Digital Flip Mino or any of its many clones. The Xacti is really just like any other high-end consumer cam, only the barrel has been shortened and a pistol grip has been added to the bottom.

A small camera bag will go a long way towards extending the camcorder's lifespan. Sanyo actually includes a nice carrying pouch, which is better than the ones that usually come with camcorders. This one actually has a little bit of padding to it. Still, there are no extra pockets for carrying spare memory cards or batteries—two items that you'll want to pick up if you plan on shooting for two or more hours.

That's still a nice, small package for toting about, until you consider the added bulk of the docking station. Sadly, there is not a single AV output to be seen on the body of the camcorder itself. In fact, even the USB port is on the docking station. So, if you want to play footage on a TV, you'll need to carry around the docking station and appropriate cables. If you want to transfer footage to a computer, you'll need either a built-in card slot on your PC, a card reader, or the dock and a USB cable. Something else to consider? The VPC-HD2000 doesn't have a built-in lens enclosure, so you'll want to keep that little cap tethered to the camcorder if you want to protect your lens during travel. Keep all of this in mind if you're looking for a camcorder that's easy toted from one place to another.

Battery Life

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The battery on the VPC-HD2000 lasted a hearty 1hr, 51m, 36s (112 minutes), which is a good result for a high definition camcorder. This isn't much, however, compared to the standard definition competition—even among hard drive camcorders. High performance obviously comes at a price. Keep this in mind if you're accustomed to the 2+ hours that a lot of standard def camcorders last. More on how we test battery life.

We should also point out that the HD2000 has a fully enclosed battery compartment (located within the 'handle' of the camcorder). You can buy all the spare batteries you want, but it's not possible to purchase a larger size.

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LCD

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The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 does not come equipped with a viewfinder—though we think it would be pretty interesting to hold one of these upright camcorders up to our eye like a magnifying glass. Without a viewfinder, you're left to rely on the Xacti's 2.7-inch LCD. The screen has a resolution of approximately 230,000 pixels and is mounted on a traditional swivel panel that flips out from the body of the camcorder and can be rotated up to 285 degrees. The LCD brightness can be adjusted to one of seven different levels from within the menus, but we recommend that you leave that setting at the default, since changing the brightness of the screen can change your perception of what your final footage will look like.

Stabilization

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In brief, the stabilization system on the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 is terrible. In both our low and high-shake testing, the camcorder showed little improvement with its stabilization feature engaged. The HD2000 is equipped with a digital image stabilization system, which is the same IS feature offered on last year's VPC-HD1010. Digital image stabilization systems often result in loss of image quality, as they use extra pixels outside the video frame to smooth out motion during recording. The rest of the camcorders we tested in this set (the Panasonic HDC-SD20, Canon HF20, Canon HF S100) all offer optical image stabilization features. More on how we test stabilization.

The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 showed no improvement with its stabilization feature turned on. The camcorder actually produced a shakier image with its stabilization system engaged than it did without the system turned on. Sanyo also includes a photo stabilization feature on the HD2000, which we did not test for effectiveness with stabilizing still photos (the photo stabilizer also uses a digital image stabilization system).

In comparison, the Panasonic HDC-SD20 had very good image stabilization using its optical stabilization feature. The Canon HF S100 showed disappointing results with its OIS systems, although the camcorders was still much better than the Sanyo VPC-HD2000.

Manual Focus

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Manual Exposure

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Miscellaneous Controls

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Sanyo includes a robust offering of the traditional manual controls, but we were surprised to see that the HD2000 doesn't have some of the tools that serious videographers like to see, including zebra striping, guide frames, or histograms.

Noise Reduction

On, Off (separate noise reduction for still photos)

Super Macro

Allows you to focus on items close to the camcorder
(focal distance is approximately 1cm to 1m)

Audio Controls

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Even though it's a small camcorder, the VPC-HD2000 includes an external microphone port and a headphone jack. Both are located just under the lens on the front of the camcorder. The HD2000 also allows for a small amount of audio level control over the external microphone (5 increments of gain), but you cannot control the levels for the on-board microphone.

Speaking of the on-board microphone, its placement is somewhat unusual for a consumer camcorder—on the outside of the LCD panel, near the top. This is good placement if you're shooting with the LCD screen extended regularly, but if you're recording yourself or tucking the LCD screen inward, then the microphone is positioned in the complete wrong direction to pick up sound. Coincidentally, the last camcorder we reviewed—our first impressions of the JVC GZ-X900 at this month's Photo Marketing Association trade show—had the same peculiar microphone design.

There is a cold accessory shoe on the VPC-HD2000 as well, although it is somewhat hidden by its large plastic port cover. The shoe is located on the top of the camcorder, just behind the pop-up flash. It's difficult to imagine someone connecting a large microphone to the top of the tiny HD2000, but you can't fault Sanyo for making room for an accessory shoe.

Hidden away in a confusing menu is a wind cut feature that limits wind noise picked up by the VPC-HD2000. You'd think this setting would be grouped with microphone sensitivity or with some other audio control, but no, it's instead listed under noise reduction. What makes this confusing is the other two features under the noise reduction header are meant to reduce image noise, not audible noise. Is Sanyo playing a joke on us, or is this just poor menu design?

Editing

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It is unclear exactly what editing software will ship with the VPC-HD2000. Last year's VPC-HD1010 came with the Sanyo Software Pack 9.3, which included Nero 8 Essentials, Xacti Screen Capture 1.1, and an Instruction Manual. It is likely Sanyo will include the same software with the VPC-HD2000.

Video recorded on the VPC-HD2000 is saved as MP4 files and can be transferred directly from a memory card to your computer desktop. The advantage of this is you don't need to use any editing software to get files onto your computer. The disadvantage, however, is that some editing programs (like Final Cut Express) must render the MP4 files before it is able to play them. This rendering can take a very long time, thus turning the editing process into a tedious affair. For an overview of the software that ships with this and other camcorders, see our article: Video Editing Software For Your Camcorder{{product.brand.name}}-Included-Software.htm.

The VPC-HD2000 also includes an internal editing system that can be accessed in the playback menu. The system is difficult to use, requires long processing times, and only allows for very minor edits (trimming, splitting, and joining video). It is doubtful anyone would have much use for this internal editing feature, but it doesn't really hurt for Sanyo to include it.

Features

Compression

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The Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2000 records primarily in high definition, with one regular standard definition format and two slow motion options. Sanyo certainly isn't skimping on the options here.

This year's model offers a bit less in the standard definition department and 1280 x 720 video can only be recorded at 30fps—no 60fps option, as was available last year. And now you can play around all day with two different slow motion options (to replace to single 300fps option on the HD1010). Slow motion is only available in low resolution, 10-second clips, but it's a crowd pleaser if you capture just the right moments.

The real star of the show is this year's full 1920 x 1080 60p video, which is the first of its kind in a consumer camcorder. Most high definition camcorders shoot 60i, also known as 60 interlaced fields per second. This top-of-the-line Sanyo shoots 60 progressive frames per second, which results in smoother overall video (see Motion). Of course, the 60p shooting mode is also the only way you can reach the 24Mbps bitrate. If the bevy of recording options on the VPC-HD2000 is overwhelming you, we recommend you just stick with the highest setting. You can always reduce the quality later with editing software, but you can never retroactively increase quality.

Regardless of the size, the video clips are encoded in the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 codec. This is an easy file type to drag and drop onto your desktop. Some software programs will play it right off your desktop, while others might require a plug-in or rendering before you can view the file. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various high definition compression types.

Media

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The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 records exclusively to removable SD/SDHC memory cards. It's certainly flexible and convenient, but high capacity cards can be expensive and are easy to lose. Of course, it's a much better alternative than tape or DVD and it's more stable than the moving parts of a hard drive camcorder. Throw in some internal flash memory and we'd be sold.

As it is, you'll want to get several backup cards for a long day of shooting and you'll probably be transferring footage quite often. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various media types.

Slow Motion Modes

Still Features

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The Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2000 has a healthy range of options in the still photography department. It hits up a lot of the obvious necessities, like a self-timer that can be set to two or ten seconds and a flash with optional red-eye reduction. There's also a Sequential feature, which is the equivalent of continuous shot found on most still cameras. This feature, however, is hidden away. You can select it from the bottom of the photo size option in the main Recording menu or as one of the four options only accessible through the camcorder's shortcuts tool.

There's a large variety of photo resolutions to choose from, including a large 12-megapixel option, though this size is interpolated during recording. The native maximum resolution photo size available is the 8-megapixel 3264 x 2448 size, which is available in standard or low compression. You also have access to all of the camcorder's manual controls, including exposure compensation, aperture and shutter adjustments, scene modes, etc. (See Controls.) Though there is no separate Photo mode, some manual settings are only available when taking stills; ISO 3200 and all the shutter speeds slower than 1/30 of a second will only take effect if you're taking a photograph. Those looking for a video-still hybrid will be especially interested to see the breadth of ISO options—a given on most still cameras, but a rarity on camcorders.

The VPC-HD2000 didn't fare quite as well with color accuracy in its still photos as it did with its videos. At best, the camcorder measured a color error of 4.14 with 82.23% saturation. While this is close to the color accuracy produced by the camcorder in our video testing, the saturation level measured roughly 20% lower for stills. These are still strong numbers and it suggests the VPC-HD2000 is one of the better video/photo hybrid devices on the market.

The VPC-HD2000 has a blue, cool tone in its still images, which is odd because it appears to have a warm hue on most of its video footage. Even though the camcorder registered decent color accuracy, we expected to see a more uniform appearance between the video image and stills. As far as the competition is concerned, the Canon HF20 measured far less accurate colors in its still images with a 5.36 color error. The Panasonic HDC-SD20 scored 3.39 and the Canon HF S100 a 3.96—putting them both ahead of the VPC-HD2000.

The VPC-HD2000 measured average levels of noise in its still images—0.7675%. We expected this number to be a bit lower, especially since the camcorder did rather well in our video noise tests. Looking at the other camcorders, the still noise numbers mimic what we saw with our video noise tests. The Canon HF20 and HF S100 both measured the highest noise levels (roughly 1.64% each), the Panasonic HDC-SD20 had the lowest (0.39%), and the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 landed in the middle.

The VPC-HD2000 takes very large photographs for a camcorder. Its 8-megapixel capability is one of the highest on the market, although we expect to see lots of camcorders in the near future with this kind of still image proficiency. In our still image testing, the HD2000 recorded a horizontal resolution of 2275 line widths per picture height (lw/ph) and a vertical resolution of 2000 lw/ph. These are very high resolutions, but it should be noted the camcorder also oversharpened the image a lot. The HD2000 had 24.3% oversharpening on its horizontal resolution and 10.5% on vertical.

The Canon HF20 (3.31-megapixels) and Panasonic HDC-SD20 (1.7-megapixels) don't have nearly the still resolution of the VPC-HD2000, so it doesn't make sense to compare their numbers. The Canon HF S100, however, also takes 8-megapixel still images. It produced a still resolution of 2821 lw/ph horizontal and 1380 lw/ph vertical—excellent numbers as well, although the disparity between horizontal and vertical is shocking. The HF S100 registered only 0.5% oversharpening.

Lens & Imaging System

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The lens on the VPC-HD2000 features a 10x optical zoom and an aperture that can open all the way to f/1.8. The lens does not have an integrated cover, which makes the HD2000 a rarity in the consumer HD camcorder market. Instead, Sanyo opts for a removable lens cover that attaches via a strap to the side of the camcorder. We can see positives and negatives to both: you can't lose a lens cap that's built into the camcorder, but the small moving parts of an integrated cover are more likely to break. We'd probably rather have the mindless ease of an automatic lens cover, but the detachable one gives the HD2000 a bit of old school flavor.

Speaking of old school flavor, you can also attach a 40.5mm diameter filter, in case you want to throw on a wide angle lens or specialized filters for particular shooting environments.

LCD

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The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 does not come equipped with a viewfinder—though we think it would be pretty interesting to hold one of these upright camcorders up to our eye like a magnifying glass. Without a viewfinder, you're left to rely on the Xacti's 2.7-inch LCD. The screen has a resolution of approximately 230,000 pixels and is mounted on a traditional swivel panel that flips out from the body of the camcorder and can be rotated up to 285 degrees. The LCD brightness can be adjusted to one of seven different levels from within the menus, but we recommend that you leave that setting at the default, since changing the brightness of the screen can change your perception of what your final footage will look like.

Connectivity

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The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 has lots of connectivity options—unfortunately many ports are relegated to the camcorder's dock, which makes things more of a hassle than they should be. The big problem stems from the fact that there's no video output port on the camcorder itself. This means you always need to bring the dock along with you if you want to view your videos on a television. The same goes for connecting the HD2000 to a computer—the camcorder's only USB port is also found on the docking station.

The little camcorder does feature a 3.5mm microphone input and a headphone output, both of which should be included on every high-end consumer camcorder. Hidden under a flap of plastic above the lens is a cold accessory shoe, and on the back of the camcorder is the SD/SDHC card slot and DC-input. Thankfully Sanyo decided to at least put the DC-input on the camcorder itself, instead of requiring the use of the docking station every time you want to charge the little bugger. We should also note that all of the port covers felt somewhat flimsy and frail, although they each provided a decent amount of protection for the jacks and plugs.

On the docking station you'll find the rest of your ports: HDMI, Component/S-Video/AV-out, USB, and an extra DC-input. It's not that we don't like the docking station—it fits the camcorder snugly and it is relatively small—it's just that we don't like not being able to connect the camcorder to a TV or computer without the aid of an extra device. Not to mention the fact that the Component/S-Video/AV cables are proprietary—you can't use standard AV cables to connect the dock to your television. Plus, this lack of on-board ports makes it impossible to connect the VPC-HD2000 to a tripod and output it to a television simultaneously. None of the other camcorders we used as comparisons throughout this review utilized a docking station, but last year's VPC-HD1010 from Sanyo came with an identical dock.

Battery

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We should also point out that the HD2000 has a fully enclosed battery compartment (located within the 'handle' of the camcorder). You can buy all the spare batteries you want, but it's not possible to purchase a larger size. Find out how the product:model/product:model performed in our battery life test.

Media

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The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 records exclusively to removable SD/SDHC memory cards. It's certainly flexible and convenient, but high capacity cards can be expensive and are easy to lose. Of course, it's a much better alternative than tape or DVD and it's more stable than the moving parts of a hard drive camcorder. Throw in some internal flash memory and we'd be sold.

As it is, you'll want to get several backup cards for a long day of shooting and you'll probably be transferring footage quite often. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various media types.

Still Features

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The Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2000 has a healthy range of options in the still photography department. It hits up a lot of the obvious necessities, like a self-timer that can be set to two or ten seconds and a flash with optional red-eye reduction. There's also a Sequential feature, which is the equivalent of continuous shot found on most still cameras. This feature, however, is hidden away. You can select it from the bottom of the photo size option in the main Recording menu or as one of the four options only accessible through the camcorder's shortcuts tool.

There's a large variety of photo resolutions to choose from, including a large 12-megapixel option, though this size is interpolated during recording. The native maximum resolution photo size available is the 8-megapixel 3264 x 2448 size, which is available in standard or low compression. You also have access to all of the camcorder's manual controls, including exposure compensation, aperture and shutter adjustments, scene modes, etc. (See Controls.) Though there is no separate Photo mode, some manual settings are only available when taking stills; ISO 3200 and all the shutter speeds slower than 1/30 of a second will only take effect if you're taking a photograph. Those looking for a video-still hybrid will be especially interested to see the breadth of ISO options—a given on most still cameras, but a rarity on camcorders.

The VPC-HD2000 didn't fare quite as well with color accuracy in its still photos as it did with its videos. At best, the camcorder measured a color error of 4.14 with 82.23% saturation. While this is close to the color accuracy produced by the camcorder in our video testing, the saturation level measured roughly 20% lower for stills. These are still strong numbers and it suggests the VPC-HD2000 is one of the better video/photo hybrid devices on the market.

The VPC-HD2000 has a blue, cool tone in its still images, which is odd because it appears to have a warm hue on most of its video footage. Even though the camcorder registered decent color accuracy, we expected to see a more uniform appearance between the video image and stills. As far as the competition is concerned, the Canon HF20 measured far less accurate colors in its still images with a 5.36 color error. The Panasonic HDC-SD20 scored 3.39 and the Canon HF S100 a 3.96—putting them both ahead of the VPC-HD2000.

The VPC-HD2000 measured average levels of noise in its still images—0.7675%. We expected this number to be a bit lower, especially since the camcorder did rather well in our video noise tests. Looking at the other camcorders, the still noise numbers mimic what we saw with our video noise tests. The Canon HF20 and HF S100 both measured the highest noise levels (roughly 1.64% each), the Panasonic HDC-SD20 had the lowest (0.39%), and the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 landed in the middle.

The VPC-HD2000 takes very large photographs for a camcorder. Its 8-megapixel capability is one of the highest on the market, although we expect to see lots of camcorders in the near future with this kind of still image proficiency. In our still image testing, the HD2000 recorded a horizontal resolution of 2275 line widths per picture height (lw/ph) and a vertical resolution of 2000 lw/ph. These are very high resolutions, but it should be noted the camcorder also oversharpened the image a lot. The HD2000 had 24.3% oversharpening on its horizontal resolution and 10.5% on vertical.

The Canon HF20 (3.31-megapixels) and Panasonic HDC-SD20 (1.7-megapixels) don't have nearly the still resolution of the VPC-HD2000, so it doesn't make sense to compare their numbers. The Canon HF S100, however, also takes 8-megapixel still images. It produced a still resolution of 2821 lw/ph horizontal and 1380 lw/ph vertical—excellent numbers as well, although the disparity between horizontal and vertical is shocking. The HF S100 registered only 0.5% oversharpening.

Other Features

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Slow Motion

You could probably get endless entertainment out of the HD2000's two slow motion options. You can record 448 x 336 video at 240 fps (8Mbps bitrate) or 192 x 108 video at 600fps (8Mbps bitrate). Slow motion is only available in these low resolutions and in 10-second clips, but it's a crowd pleaser if you capture just the right moments.

NTSC/PAL Outputs

The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 lets you output to either a standard NTSC or PAL television. Every American television is NTSC-compliant, but if you're traveling to Europe, it wouldn't hurt to be able to watch your footage on televisions over there. Native PAL camcorders usually record at 50fps or 25fps, but the HD2000 records at the usual 60p or 30p, then translates your footage for PAL televisions.

Filter

Known as 'digital effects' on most camcorders, the Filter option lets you select from Cosmetic, Monochrome, and Sepia. Cosmetic is simply the digital effect you see on a lot of digital cameras, which will smooth out facial blemishes to give faces a 'cosmetic' enhancement.

Panasonic HDC-SD20 Comparison

In our tests, the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 trounced the Canon HF20 in nearly all performance categories—except for video resolution. The HF20 is a new camcorder from Canon that records to 32GB of internal flash memory. The camcorder is set to be an entry level HD option as it is cheaper than both last year's HF11 and the new HF S100. Still, with an MSRP of $899, the model isn't the most reasonably priced option on the HD market. While they share many of the same features, the Canon HF20 lacks some of the elite specs present on the VPC-HD2000. It has a smaller sensor, fewer effective pixels, and doesn't record natively progressive video. The HF20 does have optical image stabilization, a more traditional design, and a larger optical zoom. A better comparison for the VPC-HD2000 is probably the Canon HF200, which is identical to the HF20 except it only records to SD/SDHC cards. The HF200 retails for around $750.

Canon Vixia HF S100 Comparison

The HDC-SD20 isn't Panasonic's top-line HD camcorder. It has a modest MSRP of only $549 and lacks many of the features that help make Panasonic the favorite of manual control aficionados. Like the VPC-HD2000, it too records only to SD/SDHC memory cards. The SD20 is very lightweight and is roughly the same size as the VPC-HD2000, although with a completely different design. It also features an optical image stabilization system. In our testing, the Panasonic HDC-SD20 appeared to be a step behind the rest of these camcorders—it couldn't capture the detail, resolution, or color accuracy that we saw from the VPC-HD2000, Canon HF20, and Canon HF S100.

COMP 3

The Canon HF S100 and the HF S10 are Canon's top-line consumer HD camcorders. The HF S100 goes for approx. $1300, which is more than double the street price of the VPC-HD2000. So, these two products aren't probably the best comparison. It is interesting, however, to see how well the HD2000 stood up to this titan of a consumer camcorder. The Sanyo had better low light scores in every category and was able to match the HF S100's performance in most bright light testing. The HF S100 does have a better design and it features a control dial that is as smooth as a traditional lens ring. Even so, it says a lot about the VPC-HD2000's capability that it is able to stand with a high-end camcorder like the HF S100.

Conclusion

Longtime videographers might not be accustomed to the upright configuration of the Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2000, but this camcorder is certainly worthy of consideration among the top dogs in high definition camcorders. With the HD2000, you'll get strong color and noise performance in bright light, excellent low light sensitivity and color, and a robust selection of manual controls. You also have an impressive selection of still photo features, including 12-megapixel interpolated stills and an adjustable ISO. For accessory nuts, there are microphone and headphone jacks, an accessory shoe, and the ability to attach a 40.5mm filter.

So what might scare you away? The form factor might be daunting for traditionalists and with no hand strap, it isn't the most comfortable camcorder for a long day of shooting. Battery life and card-only memory are certainly limiting factors as well. The biggest stumbling block is probably the unintuitive menu with its hidden features and unresponsive joystick navigation. Or the reliance on a separate docking station for USB and every single AV output.

So, HD2000 surely comes with its share of setbacks. If you're comfortable with these deficiencies, this latest model from the top of the Xacti line is bargain. The expected retail price is only about $600, which is a great price for a camcorder that can compete with all the mid-range models from the major manufacturers. In fact, we expect the VPC-HD2000 to give any high def consumer camcorder a run for its money this year.

_Editor's note: Double-checking our results with the Sanyo VPC-HD2000, we noticed an error had been made in our low light sensitivity test. Previously, the camcorder's sensitivity had been tested using a slow shutter—a feature that is not supposed to be engaged during our low light testing. This resulted in the camcorder posting a better sensitivity score than we should have reported. We sincerely apologize for the error and have updated the article to reflect the new, correct test results._

Photo Gallery

{{photo_gallery "Front Photo", "Left Photo", "Left Open Photo", "Back Photo", "Right Photo", "Top Photo", "Bottom Photo", "Lens Photo", "Lens Photo 2", "3D Lens Photo", "Media Photo", "Easy Mode Photo", "Manual Controls Photo", "Zoom Photo", "Zoom Photo 2", "Ease of Use Photo", "Battery Photo", "LCD Photo 1", "LCD Photo 2", "EVF Photo 1", "EVF Photo 2", "Mic Photo", "Mic Photo 2", "Ports Photo 1", "Ports Photo 2", "Ports Photo 3", "Ports Photo 4", "Ports Photo 5", "Ports Photo 6", "Handling Photo 1", "Handling Photo 2", "Handling Photo 3", "Handling Photo 4", "Box Photo"}}