Sanyo XACTI SH1 And CS1 Hands-On

Sanyo's two newest XACTI Full HD camcorders only saw their official reveal a short while ago, but we persuaded some executives from the company to demonstrate the VPC-SH1 and VPC-CS1 to us ahead of schedule.  The most impressive aspect of the pair is the amount of bulk which Sanyo have been able to shave off: the CS1 (the upright model) is particularly narrow at just 1.06-inches wide, despite being able to capture HD footage.Updated with video after the cut

Head-on (and in Sanyo's own press shots) the VPC-SH1 doesn't look so skinny, but view it from above or below and you can see how much of the barrel the company have removed.  The end result is a camcorder that fits snugly into the palm of your hand, something which makes supporting the large LCD preview display without shaking a little more straightforward.

We'll have to spend a little more time with the two camcorders to know how well they perform in terms of recording.  Unfortunately both use digital rather than optical image stabilization, something that has been criticized in previous XACTI models for introducing odd juddering and artefacts.  Smaller chassis also mean less space for optics, especially in the case of the CS1.

Still, there's a lot to be said for a camcorder you can comfortably slip into your jeans pocket, and there's no doubting that these are two of the most attractive XACTI models to date.

Sanyo XACTI VPC-CS1 demo:

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