Sanyo VPC-FH1A Full HD Video and 8 MP Digital Photos (Black)

by Sanyo

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.1 x 2.3 x 4.1 inches ; 11.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002Q4VC9G
• Item model number: VPC-FH1aBK
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (100 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,691 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 16, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Take stunning Full 1080p High Definition video at 60fps and amazing 8 megapixel digital photos! The Sanyo FH1A Dual Camera is also the world’s first camcorder that is compatible with iFrame. The new iFrame video format can dramatically speed the process of importing, editing, and sharing your videos. The FH1A delivers high performance results with multiple features normally found on much higher priced video and photo cameras. The FH1A packs tons of features which are sure to please the most discerning user; including 600fps slow motion mode, face chasing technology which automatically reads and corrects focus and lighting for up to 12 different subjects, and 16x optical zoom for video. Its compact design makes the FH1A extremely portable and easy to use. Videos, still photos and the various settings and menus can be easily accessed with the user’s thumb. The FH1A’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.

World’s First Camcorder to Provide Compatibility with iFrame
Shooting, editing and sharing high quality video has never been easier. SANYO’s new FH1A is the world’s first camera to adopt the new iFrame video format. This computer-friendly video format is designed to dramatically simplify the process of working with video with your camera. With iFrame, the video in your camera is the same format you’ll edit, so importing video is fast and file sizes are small. You’ll be able to start editing and sharing your movies right away across multiple platforms and devices. Because it’s based on standard technologies such as H.264, AAC, MP4 and QuickTime, iFrame can be used with Mac and PC applications.

Sanyo Xacti FH1a Highlights 

High Performance and Stylish Design Made Simple The Dual Camera FH1A packs high performance, cutting edge technology into a small, stylish, easy to use camera. Designed to fit perfectly in the palm of your hand, the Dual Camera FH1A features 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.

Large, 3.0 -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.

8 Megapixel Still Image Quality In addition to Full 1080P HD Video the FH1A takes amazing 8 megapixel still photos. With an 8 megapixel (effective) CMOS image sensor the still images can be interpolated to reach 12 megapixel quality.

16x Optical Zoom (video) & 10x Optical Zoom (photos) The FH1A features an amazing 16x Advanced Optical Zoom for video. With Sanyo’s 16x Advanced Optical Zoom Technology the field of view is increased to approximately 44 millimeters (vs. 77mm for more conventional zoom). The overall zooming range is F=41.7-666.9mm (35mm equivalent). The photo zoom capability is 10x Optical Zoom with an F=35.7-357mm range (35mm equivalent).

12 Subject Face Chaser Technology The FH1A recognizes up to 12 faces for videos, still pictures and optimizes focus / aperture settings to ensure all subjects are in focus.

Up to 600 fps Slow Motion Sanyo’s FH1A features increased slow motion capability. Shooting in SHR mode (448x336) the FH1A can reach an amazing 240 frames per second. In UHR mode (192x108) it can reach an astounding 600fps slow motion capability.

Three-Dimensional Noise Reduction (3D-DNR) SANYO’s 3D-DNR technology offers a significant improvement in video clarity by reducing random signal noise. This improvement in bit rate allocation will result in a highly accurate video image.

Sophisticated image stabilizer Using a proprietary Sanyo algorithm, the FH1A automatically compensates for distracting up-and-down or side-to-side camera movement, keeping your subject 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.

Sequential photo mode shoots up to 12 frames per second Take pictures like the pros with sequential shooting up to 12 frames per second. The perfect solution for action photography!

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 FH1A, 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.

Easily transfer video and still images to your video capable iPod Import video and still image files directly into iTunes software and then port them to your video-capable iPod. Share your latest masterpiece with friends and family.

Record over 5 hours of full motion video Using a 16GB SDHC memory card users can capture over 11 hours and 6 minutes worth of video in standard definition or approximately 1 hour and 28 minutes in full HD video mode.

Capture still images while you’re shooting video The FH1A 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 FH1A is designed for super fast start-up and shooting. With its tapeless design, the FH1A eliminates the need to queue up a video tape, allowing it to begin shooting in as little as 1.7 seconds! When the FH1A is powered on, closing the LCD display puts it in standby mode. Simply open the display and the FH1A automatically powers up and can begin immediately recording in as little as 1.7 seconds.

Includes a high-capacity Sanyo brand lithium-ion battery The DB-L50 is a high capacity battery designed to work with the Sanyo Xacti FH1A camera and delivers approximately 135 minutes of video record time. High-energy density design minimizes the battery size and weight, making it perfect for use in the Sanyo Dual Camera FH1A. The DB-L50 is designed to resist memory accumulation so it provides a full charge every time.

Easy playback of recorded video directly on a TV The FH1A camera features a HDMI output which makes connecting it to a Digital TV or DVD Recorder a breeze. The FH1A can also easily be connected to a computer to back-up copies of recorded content. 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. Galvanometer method structure, Auto focus: 9 groups, 12 elements (4 aspheric elements, 8 aspheric surfaces), Built-in neutral density filter, Photos: f=35.7-357mm(=35mm), Optical 10x zoom, Videos: f=41.7-666.9mm(=35mm) 16x Advanced zoom, Low-light sensitivity - 6 lux (AUTO mode, 1/30 seconds) 2 lux (Lamp mode 1/15) Sensitivity - Auto (ISO 50-200), Manual (ISO 50/100/200/400/800/1600/3200) AV output (HDMI / S-video / Composite video, NTSC/PAL, Audio - Stereo sound) USB 2.0 (high-speed mode) Dimensions - Width 2.1” x Depth 4.13” x Height 2.25” Weight, approximately 12.1 ounces including battery and SD card

Product Description

Take stunning Full 1080p High Definition video at 60fps and amazing 8 megapixel digital photos! The Sanyo FH1A Dual Camera is also the world's first camcorder that is compatible with iFrame. The new iFrame video format can dramatically speed the process of importing, editing, and sharing your videos. The FH1A delivers high performance results with multiple features normally found on much higher priced video and photo cameras. The FH1A packs tons of features which are sure to please the most discerning user; including 600fps slow motion mode, face chasing technology which automatically reads and corrects focus and lighting for up to 12 different subjects, and 16x optical zoom for video. Its compact design makes the FH1A extremely portable and easy to use.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

126 of 128 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not perfect, November 18, 2009

By 

David R. Courtney (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sanyo VPC-FH1A Full HD Video and 8 MP Digital Photos (Black) (Electronics)

Pros
Superb low light response.
Excellent Mac compatibility
Reasonable price
Generally good set of options in the menu.
37mm threaded front lens so it it is compatible with a large assortment of attachments
Reasonable HD performance
Also functions as a pretty good and easy still camera


Cons
Zoom speed cannot be slowed or controlled in any way. (I stand corrected on this point - read below)
No mic or audio line input.


General Discussion
All things considered, this is a fine product. If you are a Mac person this will save you many hours of work. The MPEG4 file format is very mac friendly. But there are a few things to keep in mind.

This camera has an unusually large sensor; as such this has some interesting consequences. On the positive side, this produces stunning low light capabilities. Furthermore, one can isolate the subject from the background very easily by carefully controlling ones exposure and focus; few other consumer camcorders have this ability. However this places great strain on the auto focus. If one is simply wishing to place it in an auto mode and leave it there, it tends to have a lot of focus problems.

The zoom speed is too fast. Aside from the fact that I feel, that it is aesthetically unpleasing, in every case except bright sunlight, the zoom is faster than the auto focus. Therefore almost any attempt to zoom in while shooting will yield out-of-focus pictures. Consequently you must consider the zoom on this camera to be essentially useless.

For some inexplicable reason, they chose not to include an external mic/ audio in jack. This severely limits its usability.

David Courtney
Houston, TX

71 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best HD camcorder for the money, April 8, 2010

By 

Zhiyong Sun "Forry" (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sanyo VPC-FH1A Full HD Video and 8 MP Digital Photos (Black) (Electronics)

* Questions from the comments (I can't reply the post for some reason so I have to update the review here): No. An adaptor cable comes with the camcorder (one end goes to the camcorder, the other end connect the USB cable of your external drive). The drive has to be in FAT32 format (not NTFS, which is the current format standard for vista and win7 system). FAT32 is format for older windows. The limitation is file on it can not be larger than 4GB (this is why the sanyo camcorder can not record file larger than 4GB, though I don't know why you would have one file that large, not reliable at the first place). Also a note by a comment that the harddrive may have to be self-powered, according to the manual.

I have not actually used the Xacti library feature myself so please refer to the manual (a pdf file you can google) before you make up your mind.

===========================
I believe the FH1A is just the FH1 with the additional Apple iFrame video format (an odd format, smaller then 720p, so I doubt anyone would use it). So my review applies to the FH1 model as well. Btw, most of the camcorderinfo review on the VPC-HD2000 model applies to this one as well.

When this camcorder is on sale for $400 or below, it is certainly the best HD camcorder for the money.

Pros: -Many video resolution options, covering 1080p, 1080i, 720p, vga, and ultra-slow motion video. The 1080p (60fps progressive) is really detailed and smooth. I have read that someone may have problem playing back the 1080p video smoothly on an even quad-core windows (can be solved by choosing the right software). But video play back is quite good on my quad-core Mac (well it's an HP hackintosh).

-H.264 mp4 video format makes it very easy to work with, especially on Mac platform. Just copy the video onto the computer and you can start editing it in iMovie natively without converting, transcoding, etc. Saves tons of time. I have worked with 720p Motion Jpeg (MJPG) videos. Their quality is good but they waste too much disk space. The mp4 video from the sanyo has good compression without visible quality loss. Therefore, this camcorder should be at the top of one's shopping list if you are a Mac user.

-Excellent low light performance. Many camcorders/cameras suffer big time when shooting video at low light (such as in door at night with usual lighting). I have compared to 720p video my other camera, the video from the Sanyo is much cleaner.

-Comes with a lot of accessories (but as the video can be easily copied onto computer, one don't really need the video cables). Good build quality. Small but with large screen. Can be operated with just the thumb. Great battery life.

-Comes with remote controller, which is hard to find on even much more expensive camcorders.

-Great stereo sound quality.

-Can store video onto portable hard disk without using computers (Xacti library). This is a great feature as you can just bring a portable hard drive and the camcorder when traveling, off-load the videos when the card is full, and continue shooting. Portable HDD is cheap and can hold hours of videos. Without this feature, you either have to prepare multiple SD cards for the trip, or you have to pull out laptop from time to time.

-Ultra slow motion video, though at low resolution. It may be a gimmick for many but can be very useful and fun if you want to capture a special action.
-8M still photo. The quality is on par with most consumer level digital cameras (but a little over sharpened, nothing close to prosumer or DSLR quality).

Cons:-The only real complain I have is the lack of Optical Image Stabilization. It only has Electronic IS, which works a little when you are not moving the camera (the natural shaking of the hand can be countered). But as soon as you start walking, panning, anything involve intentional camera movement, the EIS has no use. For Optical IS, even some of those movement can be countered to certain degree so the end results are not as shaky. Anyway, good shooting techniques are always useful, and iMovie has a image stabilization function that can be applied on shaky video, and the results are pretty good (but time-consuming). I wish Sanyo could bring OIS to their next generation camcorders.

-The menu is just OK. Not really up to current standard. I've seen much better executed animated menus on other cameras. Well they all do the similar thing but make you feel better. I don't think processing power of this camcorder is the problem, it's a lack of development in this regard. Due to a lock of buttons, one has to remember lots of settings if you want to make quick change. Good thing is that some frequently used function can be set as shortcut to the joystick.

-Only provided software for windows, not for Mac; However I doubt there are good alternative to iMovie on Mac (at this price point) so it's OK forgivable.

-Lack of parameter adjustments for video and photo quality. Just three options (normal, vivid, soft) and don't really make a difference. On my computer when playing back, just a tiny bit of increase in saturation brings the video to a better level. I wish I can shoot the video like that at the first place.

-I find it too dark to my taste when left as automatic exposure, especially indoor night shot. Therefore I customized the exposure compensation on the 4-way toggle, and raise the exposure by 0.3 or 0.6 before shooting.

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent camcorder for the price, April 25, 2010

By 

pika2000 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sanyo VPC-FH1A Full HD Video and 8 MP Digital Photos (Black) (Electronics)

Pros:
1. Records in iFrame format. iFrame is just a specification made up by Apple for recorded movies to be more iMovie friendly. It uses the standard H.264 video codec and AAC audio codec. However, it's not HD as the resolution is only 960x540 (although it's still higher than 480p), but the bitrate is set at 24Mbps. That's a lot, considering even the 1080p mode on this camcorder only has a bitrate of 16Mbps. Another plus of the iFrame format is that it's progressive. I'm getting sick and tired of camcorders recording interlaced video. I can't see the point. Interlaced video looked horrible, and requires extra processing time/quality loss due to transoding during editing to de-interlace it. Most consumer HD camcorders, even the expensive ones from Sony and Canon, records in 1080i. Try importing/editing that 1080i clip on your computer, it's more difficult than it should. iFrame clips recorded by this camcorder can be scrubbed smoothly on my 2008 iMac with iMovie09. Out of the box, iFrame is the default recording setting.
2. Records in 720p. As nice and iMovie friendly the iFrame format is, the higher resolution of 720p video is just amazing. You can see details that you won't normally see on 480p/480i videos recorded by standard def camcorders. Now, you must be asking why I put 720p as a pro, considering this camera can do 1080p. Well, that's because other HD camcorders, even more expensive ones from Sony/Canon, cannot record in 720p. Most HD camcorders by other manufactures only record in 1080i. I already pointed out that I hate interlaced video. I'd rather have 720p than 1080i. On my iMac, iMovie 09 choked a little bit with the 720p video. Scrubbing is not as smooth as the iFrame format, buy boy the extra resolution is just nice.
3. Price. I got this camcorder when Amazon had it for $329, which is an awesome deal. Even at $399, this camcorder is still cheaper than the competitors. Most other camcorders at this price range have smaller sensors than this Sanyo.
4. High speed recording/slow motion. Basically the camera records the video at a much faster frame rate than the standard 30/60 fps, and when played back at 30fps, you get a smooth slow-motion effect. Alas, the resolution is greatly reduced. You only get 448x336 on the 240fps mode, and a measly 192x108 resolution for 600fps, too small to be practically useful. Still, a nice feature to have for some fun/creative things, and unlike the Sony CX110 that only supports 3 seconds of slow-motion, the FH1A doesn't have that limitation.
5. Comes with a remote.

Cons:
1. No optical image stabilization. The FH1A only has digital image stabilization, which doesn't really say much. Videos can be quite jerky during movement and panning. However, considering the price, you would have to spend $600+ for camcorders with optical IS. Even the low end Sony/Canon HD camcorders don't have optical IS, and they're more expensive than the FH1A.
2. No built-in lens cap. Can be annoying to remove it and put it on the side of the handstrap if you need to record video quickly. Even Samsung cheap camcorders have the lens-cap built-in albeit with a manual slider.
3. Doesn't come with a pouch. It's nitpicking, but I bought a cheapo Samsung camcorder a while back, and it comes with a soft pouch. I kinda expect a bit more goodies.
4. Annoying instruction voice. Really, I don't need the camcorder telling me to insert an SD card. Good thing it can be turned off.
5. The power adapter. Instead of a compact battery charger, or a compact power adapter that has the prongs built-in, Sanyo's power adapter requires two cables. One goes to the camera, the other is the power cable.

I want an HD camcorder that is iMovie friendly where I can import the videos without transcoding/de-interlacing. The Sanyo FH1A delivers. However, the lack of optical IS kinda hampers the overall video recording experience. Still, you can't beat the features for the price. Here are some video comparisons I took, comparing the FH1A with various other devices with video recording capabilities:

Edit: Arrgh, Amazon caught the urls for my video comparisons. Go to youtube dot com slash pata2009.