Sanyo Xacti VPC-C40 4MP MPEG4 Digital Camcorder with 5.8x Optical Zoom | 
| Brand: Sanyo
This item is no longer available
Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 20260
Media: Electronics
Batteries Included: No
Optical Zoom: 5.8
Display Size: 1.8
Maximum Focal Length: 33.8
Minimum Focal Length: 5.8
Maximum Resolution: 4
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 2.5 x 8.2
MPN: VPC-C40
Model: VPC-C40
UPC: 086483059384
EAN: 0086483059384
ASIN: B000E1HW6K
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| Features:
| • | High-quality MPEG-4 video recording to SD memory card | | • | Captures 4.23-megapixel stills | | • | 1.8-inch LCD display | | • | High-speed USB 2.0 connection for footage and stills transfer to PC | | • | Wind noise reduction system helps cut out unwanted microphone noise |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Product Description
With the innovative Sanyo Xacti VPC-C40, the days of digital tape are over. Pop in an SD card and start recording high-quality MPEG-4 video, or take stunning four megapixel stills--all with a device that fits easily in the palm of your hand and runs on a rechargeable battery. At the heart of the C40 is a 4.23-megapixel CCD that records MPEG-4 digital video at 30 frames per second. The lens offers a 5.8x optical zoom and a 12x digital zoom, and to keep those shots steady, the unit features an image stabilization system. The C40's 1.8-inch LCD display flips out from the camera and rotates up to 285-degrees on an axis for taking great video or still images from otherwise difficult-to-view positions. And when not in use, the screen tucks securely back into the side of the camera for a pocket-sized portability and convenience. As with all of Sanyo's previous digital media cameras, the C40 can record still images in addition to video. While conventional digital camcorders can often snap stills, they are usually low quality. And while conventional digital cameras can record short video, they are frequently grainy with a slow response speed. The Xacti C40 can do it all, recording both still images and digital video on the same unit. You can even snap a still image while recording digital video with the simple press of the shutter button. When recording video you'll get an hour of footage on a one gigabyte SD card (sold separately). And because audio is important, too, the C40's wind noise reduction system helps cut out unwanted microphone noise while the unit records audio in high-quality AAC-format. The C40 lets you choose from several automatic exposure modes including auto, sports, portrait, landscape, night view, fireworks, lamp. Meanwhile, a built-in three-mode flash makes getting still images in low light situations easy, while 15 adjustable manual focus settings let you get creative with your compositions. There's also a super macro shooting mode that lets you focus down to a distance of one centimeter. With convenient, menu-based settings, the C40 has been designed from the ground up for ease of use. There's even a talking navigation guide for first-time users. And when you're ready to connect the camera to your computer, you can use its high-speed USB 2.0 connection to quickly transfer footage from the camera's SD memory card. Software is included for video editing and there's also an S-video output for viewing footage directly on your TV. Printing stills from the memory card is a breeze, too, as the camera is PictBridge compatible, meaning you can print directly to a photo printer that supports the PictBridge standard. What's in the Box
VPC-C40 camcorder, li-ion battery, AC adapter/power code, AV cable, USB cable, lens cap, hand strap, and Sanyo Software Pack 7.4 CD-ROM.
Product Description
Record VGA size, MPEG-4 videos and 4.0 megapixel images anytime, anywhere. So that you can enjoy that kind of fun, the Xacti C40 Series packs only the necessary features into its tiny body. Simple one-thumb operation increases the excitement with every image captured.PRODUCT FEATURES:Affordable price and friendly style, entry model of digital movie camera;Taking high resolution 4-megapixel photo, when taking movie;VGA movie;Smooth movie (30 - 60 fps);Compact design and lightweight;Super-efficient 4.23-megapixel CCD;5.8x optical zoom lens;Built-in charging feature.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 Superb compact digital still and video camera February 18, 2006
Dr. Barnes (New York)
24 out of 26 found this review helpful
Weighing a mere 6 ounces, this very solid feeling camera takes excellent 4 megapixel digital still images with clarity and detail. The camera also doubles as a full-fledge digital video camera capable of capturing 640x480 @ 30 frames per second. For those of you not sure what that means...it means it is a real video camera and not just an added feature. The little Xacti C40 can actually capture both stills and video at the same time. The video quality is great. Image stabilization helps control the 5.8x lens from hand shake. The camera features a swiveling 1.8" LCD viewer that when closed puts the camera into a sleep mode. Opening it returns it from sleep and the camera can actually begin recording digital video in less than 2 seconds. This camera is totally tapeless and records to SD memory cards. Although cards are sold separately, they are available everywhere. 1GB cards are generally $50-80 today and can hold a full hour of digital video.
Hope you found this helpful, I love my Sanyo Xacti and I love the looks I get from people when I use it! I feel like 008.
Great little camera/video camcorder December 26, 2006
BCL Beatnik Roaster (Vancouver, WA)
21 out of 21 found this review helpful
I own this camera and have to say it is a very good with stills and video. It doesn't compare with a 3CCD camera or even to a mid-grade MiniDV camera but the portability and ease of use is fantastic! This unit can easily fit in your pocket/purse and within seconds can be turned on to capture video. I cannot do this with my regular MiniDV camera as it is too big to haul around. In low-light the unit performs okay but not crystal clear. I am able to easily capture Christmas lights, etc. with the unit @ night time. There are add-on lights you can purchase. If you are into archiving video, such as converting footage to DVD, the MP4 video codec it uses allows for easy editing; only if your video editing program supports MP4 format (I use VideoStudio 10). Most important is that when you convert your video to DVD the quality is still very good for viewing on a TV. I had tried Aipteks, Samsumg, etc. but always during DVD conversion the video quality degraded substantially. Not with this unit. When converting remember MP4 to AVI then to DVD.
There is the C6 model to always consider. I choose this one instead since the difference in price between the two models doesn't justify.
One note, if purchasing this unit, make sure you have no bad pixels on the CCD sensor. A simple test is to put the lenses cap on and take a picture. Then examine the picture on your computer screen and look for any visible white or pink dots- hint boost zoom up to 300%. Google this topic if you have any concerns.
Cheers,
Great video - lousy sound August 21, 2006
Brian Taylor (Melbourne, Australia)
18 out of 20 found this review helpful
Buy the Xacti-C40 for quick, convenient web-cast quality video. This camera is great for making 640 x 480 videos but it is no substitute for a conventional DV camera in terms of image quality.
Low light performance is barely acceptable, nothing like as good as my Sony or JVC DV cameras and the image is quite contrasty, so bright, flat lighting is needed for good exposure. Outdoors under cloud or bright indoors works well.
Colour quality, grain, smear, etc are all acceptable. Stills are very good with some slight barrel distortion on wide angle.
The big failing is the sound. The microphones are virtually useless and I have to almost shout to get any narration recorded while I am filming. Subjects talking to the camera at 1 metre are all but inaudible. There is no external microphone jack so you are stuck with lousy sound unless you have an exceptionally loud subject to film or can separately record sound and add it in post-production.
HTH
Brian
Best camcorder at this price point January 18, 2007
TechGeek (Los Angeles)
16 out of 18 found this review helpful
Purchased this camera to replace my old digital camcorder. Still picture quality is above average which is a bonus since you don't need to carry both a camcorder and still image camera on trips. The 4 megapixel shots should be just right for most casual photographers. Higher resolution just makes it harder to manage and share photos since the picture files become too large to email and don't really add anything in terms of quality to anything smaller than a 5X7 print. Great video performance except in low light conditions. When capturing video in low light, the color fades and turns brownish. Other than that, performance far exceeds what you would expect for the price.
Where this camera excels is in value. What most people don't realize is your true cost doesn't stop at what you pay for the camera. For my first camcorder (which was also a Sanyo), I had to purchase an extra high capacity battery for about $40. The standard battery lasted only about 45 minutes and the extended battery lasted about 90 minutes. Plus, countless mini DV tapes which run anywhere from $5-7 each or more for 60 minutes of recording time. With the xActi, I was able to find 2 extra batteries online for $30 (for a total recording time of 3 hours), plus cheap and readily available 2Gb SD cards for $15 each (each card can hold 2 hours of video or over a thousand stills). So not only do you get a great value with the camera, the add-ons are reasonably priced, and reusable for the life of the camera. Total investment was under $300 which you would be hard pressed to beat with any other digital camcorder on the market if you included the accessories and tapes.
Picture this....you go on vacation overseas with a full-sized camera bag. In the bag you have your camcorder, still camera, tapes, film or memory media, chargers, and anything else you need to take video and stills. All this probably weighs at least a few pounds, plus the headache of packing it with your luggage or carrying it on a plane and to your sightseeing destinations. Or, you can carry the xActi, plus batteries and extra memory all in your purse or pocket. Travel light and be ready to take the picture at right moment.
So if you fall into the 99% of casual shooters out there, this is definitely the camera to buy. First rule of technology, unless you have money to burn, never buy the "cutting edge" products. You'll pay through the nose and it will be half the price you paid for it within a year or two. For convenience, ease of use, features, and total investment cost, you can't go wrong with this camera.
LOVE This Camera! Best $[...] I've spent! October 20, 2006
Mom of 3 Great Kids
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
After our Canon took a [...] from the dreaded E18 error code, we decided to replace our digital camera and our camcorder. Ultimately we wanted a camera that took pictures and video; one that took great still pictures and decent video. We found both and more in this little gem. I am a novice when it comes to photography but it's very important to have a camera that takes great pictures of my kids since you can never recover a lost shot. I have not been disappointed at all by this camera. Not only can you shoot video and take still pictures, you can take still pictures while you're recording video!! Also if you're playing a video back and want to capture a still picture, you can do that, too!!
As far as the quality, when we first got it, we set it to the automatic settings and the first video we shot was less than stellar. I read the manual and re-set the settings and the next video we shot was perfect. Clear as day. Some of the other reviewers mentioned low lighting and I would agree that it's not the greatest in low light situations. One other thing I read was about the voice/microphone. I haven't experienced any problem with ours, if anything I'd say it's very sensitive - especially of the person recording.
So, to sum up, if you're looking for a great digital camera and a great video camera, definitely look to the C40. Make sure you read the manual and adjust the settings as needed and you should have NO problems!!
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