Sanyo VPC-CS1 High Definition Camcorder and 8 MP Camera

by Sanyo

• Full HD 1080, 60i Video (1920 x 1080)
• 8 Megapixel Photos
• 10x Advanced Optical Zoom (video)
• 9x Optical Zoom (photos)
• 2.7-inch LCD Display

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6.5 x 2.5 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0032UWQSE
• Item model number: VPC-CS1
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,191 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 6, 2010

Product Description

Color: Silver

From the Manufacturer

World's Thinnest and Lightest Full HD Dual Camera with Optical Zoom

Full HD 1080 60i HD Video (1920x1080)
8 Megapixel* Photos
10x Advanced Optical Zoom (video)
9x Optical Zoom (photos)
2.7 - inch LCD Display
Exclusive Sound Zoom Audio Recording Mode
High Speed Sequential Shooting
Video and Photo Image Stabilizer
Video and Photo Face Detection
Object Chaser　
38mm Angle of View
Mini HDMI Output　
SDXC Memory Compatibility (over 64GB SD cards)
MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 Movie Recording Format
* 3MP effective CCD

Product Description
This ultra sleek design delivers amazing Full HD 1080 High Definition video and incredible 8 megapixel digital photos!  The Dual Camera CS1 packs high performance and cutting edge technology into a very small, stylish, easy to use camera.  Designed to fit perfectly in the palm of your hand, the CS1features an easy to navigate menu which make it a great choice for the beginner and the more advanced user.  It is the perfect blend of style, performance, and ease of use.  

The beautifully designed CS1 packs a ton of features which are sure to please the most discerning user. It offers amazing 10x advanced optical zoom, face chasing technology which automatically reads and corrects focus and lighting for multiple subjects, and dual position recording.  Its compact design makes the CS1 extremely portable and easy to use.  Recording videos, shooting photos and accessing settings in the menu can easily be controlled with the user's thumb.  The CS1's convenient design makes sharing videos and photos via social networking web sites, portable video devices like IPod's, TV's and computers, a breeze.

Ultra Sleek Design
The CS1 is an amazing 1.06" in width making it the world's smallest, lightest, full HD camera with optical zoom. The overall unit dimensions are 2.5" wide, 4.9" high and 1.1" deep.

8 Megapixel* Still Image Quality
In addition to Full HD 1080 Video the CS1 captures amazing 8 megapixel (interpolated) photos with a 3 megapixel (effective) CMOS image sensor.
* 3MP effective CCD

10x Advanced Optical Zoom (video)
9x Optical Zoom (photos)
While the CS1 measures in at just over 1" in width, it features a full10x Advanced Optical Zoom for video.  With Sanyo's 10x Advanced Optical Zoom Technology the field of view is dramatically increased. The photo zoom capability is 9x Optical Zoom.


Large, 2.7-inch Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
The display flips out from the camera and rotates up to 285 degrees on an axis that allows you to take great video or still images from otherwise-difficult-to-view positions, proving to be especially useful when shooting in confined spaces.

Sound Zoom
Audio is an important part of capturing life's most important moments.  The CS1 delivers Sound Zoom in three individual modes which focus the audio recording to match the relative location of the subject in the video. In wide mode, the CS1 allows the user to record very realistic audio with clear left and right channel separation.  

The Zoom Mic Mode produces enhanced audio clarity.  The audio recording is focused more on the camera subject.  The Zoom Combination Mode provides an automatic combination of the first two modes.  When the user is shooting a wider angle shot they will get the advantages of the wide mode setting.  As they zoom in on a specific subject, the audio will become much more focused and provide the benefits experienced in the Zoom Mic Mode.

All audio is recorded in AAC format which make it very compatible with multiple devices.

High Speed Sequential Photo Mode
Take 8 megapixel pictures like the pros with sequential shooting.  The perfect solution for action photography!

Video and Photo Image Stabilizer
The CS1 features a new photo stabilizer.  This technology actually takes two photos at the same time; one at a faster shutter speed and one at a slower shutter speed.  The camera combines the benefits of both of the shutter speeds, resulting in an image that has less blur and less noise.

Using a proprietary Sanyo algorithm, the CS1 automatically compensates for distracting up-and-down or side-to-side camera movement, keeping your video and photo subjects steady and easy to follow. It accurately distinguishes between unintentional camera shake and deliberate camera movement. This handy feature operates in both wide-angle and telephoto modes.

Video and Photo Face Detection
The CS1 recognizes up to 12 faces for videos, still pictures and optimizes focus / aperture settings to ensure all subjects are in focus.  

Eye Fi Compatibility
The CS1 features enhanced Eye-Fi compatibility.  This Dual Camera will automatically recognize the Eye-Fi wireless SD card when it is inserted.  The CS1 also has "smart power" on board which allows the cameras to control the Eye-Fi function and provide power management, automatically shutting the card off when not in use.

Windows 7 Compatible
The CS1 is fully supported by the latest Windows OS, "Windows 7", further expanding its capabilities. The video files are displayed in the same thumbnail format as still picture files. They can also be played back directly with Windows Media Player, are editable with Windows Live Movie Maker, and are Device Stage compatible. This makes the files even more convenient for use on computers.

Easily Follow Moving Objects with Object Chaser Technology
The CS1 is capable of "object chasing"; a feature which allows you to maintain proper lighting and focus on objects in motion. This is a great way to capture video of family members and pets on the move!

Easy Playback of Recorded Video Directly on a TV
The CS1 camera features a mini-HDMI output which makes connecting it to a Digital TV or DVD Recorder a breeze.  The CS1 can also easily be connected to a computer to back-up copies of recorded content via the handy USB 2.0 connection. Still images and video clips are played back continuously and in chronological order.  When connected to a PC, simple drag-and-drop operation makes it easy to save recorded video clips and still images onto a computer's hard disk for emailing, editing or archiving.

Includes a High-Capacity Sanyo Brand Lithium-ion Battery
The DB-L80 is a high capacity battery designed to work with the Dual Camera CS1 camera and delivers approximately 60 minutes of video record time.  High-energy density design minimizes the battery size and weight, making it perfect for use in the CS1.  Designed to resist memory accumulation so it provides a full charge every time.

SDXC Memory Compatibility (over 64GB SD cards)
While the CS1 works with standard SD memory, and more high capacity SDHC memory cards, it is also fully compatible with the next generation SDXC memory cards.   The CS1 can record to more than 64GB of content to SDXC memory cards. This dramatically improves your ability to record and transfer hours and hours of Full HD 1080 videos to a computer. You can also play CS1 Full HD 1080 videos stored on SDXC cards on your high definition TV.

Highly Advanced MPEG4 AVC/H.264 Video Compression
This feature optimizes the file size and makes sharing movies on social networking sites, or emailing them to friends and family, even easier.  In fact, the file size can be up to 25 percent smaller than that of typical MPEG-4 cameras.

To accomplish the complexity of encoding AVC/H.264 in real-time on the CS1, a dedicated H.264 video compression IC was incorporated into the camera that was designed specifically for portable consumer devices.  This achieves high video quality while simultaneously reducing the system power consumption.

Capture still images while you're shooting video
The CS1 enables simultaneous shooting of video clips and still images with a simple press of the shutter button during the shooting of a movie clip. You will never need to miss another precious photo opportunity. (Depending on the mode used to take still images, simultaneous video clip shooting may be interrupted. While shooting video clips, using the digital image stabilizer may change the angle of view for still images.)

Super-fast Start-up
Reduce your chance of missing the perfect shot. The Dual Camera CS1 is designed for super fast start-up and shooting. With its tapeless design, the CS1 eliminates the need to queue up a video tape, allowing it to begin shooting in as little as 1.7 seconds.  When the CS1 is powered on, closing the LCD display puts it in standby mode. Simply open the display and the CS1 automatically powers up and can begin immediately recording in as little as 1.7 seconds.

Galvanometer method structure, Auto focus: 9 groups, 12 elements (3 aspheric elements, 6 aspheric surfaces), Built-in neutral density filter, Photos: f=38-342mm (=35mm) 9x optical zoom Videos: f=38-380mm(=35mm) 10x Adv. Zoom,  Low-light sensitivity - 15 lux (AUTO mode, 1/30 seconds) 4 lux (Lamp mode 1/15) Sensitivity - Auto (ISO 50-400 when LED is off), ISO50-800 when LED is on, Manual (ISO 50/100/200/400/800/1600), AV output (HDMI / Video - Composite video, NTSC/PAL, Audio - Stereo sound) USB 2.0 (high-speed mode compatible) Dimensions - Width 1.06" x Depth 2.5" x Height 4.9" Weight, 5.61 ounces including battery and SD card.

Product Description

World's Thinnest and Lightest Full HD Dual Camera with Optical Zoom Full HD 1080 60i HD Video (1920x1080) 8 Megapixel* Photos 10x Advanced Optical Zoom (video) 9x Optical Zoom (photos) 2.7 - inch LCD Display Exclusive Sound Zoom Audio Recording Mode High Speed Sequential Shooting Video and Photo Image Stabilizer Video and Photo Face Detection Object Chaser.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent little camera March 30, 2010

By A. Petrov

Color Name:Silver|Amazon Verified Purchase

Before it arrived, I was a bit sceptic about such a feature-rich camera being so small and cheap. I've had a few cameras, including Sanyo and Sony and this one surprisingly came out on top with respect to picture quality for both video and still images. Handles outdoors and indoors shooting very well. Adjusts to changes in light conditions very quickly and effectively, resolution is just what they promise in its specs. Screen is excellent - you can actually appreciate HD picture quality on it somehow. Did not expect that on a pocket camera. Movie trasfer is very simple with Windows 7 - you just take the card out and plug it into your PC. They also managed to squize all connection ports right into the camera - no need for a docking station, when connecting to a TV. But you do need to take the battery out to charge it, as it was noticed in other reviews. Not a big problem for me though. Video slot cover, battery cover and SD slot cover feel rather thin and you are afraid to break them when taking them out or putting them back, but so far they turned out to be pretty solid, actually. And you need to look very carefully at the camera to realize where all the slots are hidden, but, hey, Sanyo had very little space to play with when designing such a little camera - can't blame them. One somewhat serious drawback is the location of recording buttons, as it was pointed out in earlier reviews. Can't push them without shaking the camera and auto-stabilization does not compensate for that much (especially annoying for still shots). But you get used to that after a while (just hold the camera with both hands when starting/stopping the recording).
Overal, great experience. My girlfriend never liked taking video cameras with us to vacation trips as they where too bulky to carry around and distorted her "style" :). This one, however, she loved and uses it all the time. So I guess it's a stylish little camera...

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice Compact Camcorder April 17, 2010

By Stevo Fish

Color Name:Silver|Amazon Verified Purchase

For the price, the small compact size, and having HD on top of that made this my choice to get as my compact camcorder for vacations, etc. This is what I found in my short month of testing and using the camcorder: Because of it's small lens (I'm assuming), it does not let enough light in for indoor shooting so some shots may be darker indoors or it may take time to adjust to the indoor lighting so the subject being shot becomes more clear. Outdoors, the video comes out really well! I noticed that because of it's small size and the shakiness of one's hand, the video comes out shaky/jerky and does not look like the image stablization can compensate for this. If you have a steady hand and scan the scenery slowly, it looks pretty awesome. It could have used better gripping material and a little change in the shape to grip onto the camera better as others have said. To zoom I have to use my other hand as it is too hard with the grip the way it is but that is not a problem for me. I'm not sure about the 8 megapixel claim on the still pics, but that is why I have a digital camera where 5-6 megapixels is good enough for me.

Overall, I guess I couldn't have expected much more (but was hoping) for the price and size of the camcorder. As I use it more, I'll comment on it later. I love the size of the camcorder and using the SDHC memory cards and it will make it easier for vacations, etc. I also have not used other compact camcorders so maybe they have the same issues as this one. I got the Sandisk Ultra II per Amazon's recommendation that turned out to be the renamed Sandisk Ultra per Beach Camera - see my review on that.

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars I had high hopes but this camera let me down April 30, 2010

By Nathan Dean

Color Name:Silver|Amazon Verified Purchase

I waited 2 months for this camera to come out. The look and feel is wonderful. The pictures are no good. Sanyo advertises that the pictures are 8mp, but once I started reading through the manual I found the camera is take 3mp pictures and converting them to 8mp size. End result you get grainy pictures that you can do nothing with. It defeats the purpose of the camera feature all together.

The videos are very good when playing them back on the camera. When trying to play them back on my PC or television I was dissappointed with the grainy videos. Even at Full HD 1080, I can say I was disappointed.

The one thing I thought was amazing was the 3D sound. I was amazed at how the audio playback came across when playing it on my surround sound.

I also noticed the video skips when trying to playback in Media Player. Using the software that came with the camera things played fine. That was extremely irritating.

I kept this camera for 50 days before I had to send it back.
With all that said I had to send the camera back. I will probably go with the Kodak Playsport which is $150 cheaper and is waterproof.