Sanyo Brings New Xacti Camcorders to U.S.

Sanyo is bringing its Xacti CG6 and CG65 low-cost digital video cameras to the U.S., including H.264 recording capability and a special model for Wal-Mart.

Sanyo has unveiled pricing and release information for its Xacti CG6 and Xacti CG65 digital video cameras in the United States; although the units still won’t be available for a little while, their features and price points may make them attractive to would-be videographers looking to be the next big thing on YouTube.

The Xacti CG6 sports a 6 megapixel resolution and 5× digital zoom, plus low-light sensitivity which offers to capture images with illumination as low as 2 lux…although we’d bet those images are pretty grainy. The CG6 sports “blur correction with gyro sensor” image stabilization and automatic frame rate adjustment capability in “Lamp” mode which assists with low-light shooting. The CG6 also offers a 2.5-inch LCD swivel-out viewfinder, and stores video on SDHC cards, meaning you can record as much as 8 GB of video. The CG6 will take 3.8 megapixel still images, charges via USB, offers in-camera video editing along with red-eye correction, a voice recorder, and a Super macro Focus setting which enables it to get close-ups of objects as little as 1 cm from the camera. Look for the CG6 for a suggested price of $329.99 at the end of March; a “stylish” blue version will be available from Wal-Mart.

The CG65 might set digital video enthusiasts’ hearts beating a little faster, since it arguably qualifies as the first digital video camera to offer H.264 video compression, meaning its movies can be up to 25 percent smaller than equivalent MPEG4 captures without an appreciable loss in quality. Sanyo says the CG65 incorporates a Qpixel H.264 IC to handle real-time video compression without devouring battery life; Sanyo’s a little cagey in the details, but it looks like the CG65 captures VGA-resolution movies at 30 frames per second, while being able to manage 6 megapixel still images at ISO sensitivities down to 1600—in fact, Sanyo touts the camera as being able to capture video and 6 megapixel stills simultaneously. The camera sports a 2.5-inch swiveling LCD viewfinder, USB connectivity, SDHC media card storage, in-camera video editing and red-eye reduction, along with Sanyo’s Gyro Sensor shake-resistance system. The CG65 will be available in silver, black, and green this April at a suggested price of $399.99.