New Sanyo Cam: 720p HD & Waterproof for $350

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

Hmmm, time to pull the trigger and get one of these?

http://i.gizmodo.com/5136345/new-sanyo-hd-camcorders-comes-in-three-flavors-super+cheap-1080p-waterproof-and-compact

Blue · Since 03 Jul 2007 469 Posts I used to be Obsessed

Price point for the features claimed looks very attractive. I am curious about hd reliability in a small device that is likely to be tossed around.

kyle.vh · Since 11 Jul 2007 713 Posts city of angels Addicted

says they can shoot underwater up to 3m--without separate housing. Shocked

that'd be pretty useful.

shred_da_gorge · Wed Jan 21, 09 1:42 pm

I think by "HD" they don't mean hard drive, they mean High-Def, or 1080 progressive scan. The specs say they use SD/SDHC cards (SD->2G, SDHC=SD High Capacity, up to 16G IIRC).

I've been looking into a helmet-cam setup and these seem like they'd be great, if they have an external camera jack. I've had 2 Sanyo cell phones for the past decade and they were both super reliable so I've come to trust the Sanyo name.

Thanks for posting this Phil! If I get one I'll post a review.

broadbandito · Since 26 Apr 2005 342 Posts CSO headwaters WheatHead

Get back to work, PKH!

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

shred - 720p is considered HD, though not as cool as 1080p... most broadcast HD is either 1080i or 720p... Also it records to flash (solid state) memory not a hard drive.

This stuff is just going to keep getting cheaper and cheaper! Sure the quality won't be as good as a camera for twice the price, but consider no water housing is huge. Most water housings are expensive and very bulky.

Can't wait to get one of these and strap it to my kite! Very Happy

shred_da_gorge · Thu Jan 22, 09 11:46 pm

Phil, thanks for clarifying, 720p is High Definition too.

SD is the form factor and electrical spec, but beware that only newer cameras and MP3 players support SDHC cards, which is a superset of the spec that handles capacity bigger than 2 Gigabytes. Also be careful of the card's access speed, as faster cards are required to record at 60 frames per second. (If you can set the recording speed to 30 fps it's often fine for viewing and you save memory). Many cheaper SD cards are slower and have more factory bad blocks (i.e. less 'real' storage).

As Phil points out these cams record to (NAND) flash memory. You want to stay away from hard drive cameras as they're bulky and prone to head crashes, just like the drive in my laptop did when I got pissed off and beat on it last month...

Does anyone know where to get straps/pouches designed to hold cameras to kites around here, and/or a clever way to trigger them remotely? I've seen one and it didn't look homemade. I once found a site on Google dedicated to kite-based photography but it's name escapes me and they weren't specifically kiteboarders (or local).

Maybe a niche product opportunity for Airtime or DaBong?

gorgebob · Since 25 Jun 2007 259 Posts Portland, OR Shop Owner

Check out the GO PRO cam the we sell for $159. Water proof and many easy ways to attach.
Video for 1/2 hour or photo every 2 seconds. Link at Gorge Performance .com. Or drop by and check it out.

Bettyboarder · Fri Jan 23, 09 9:16 am

Bob....do they have a HD - Go Pro?

wjb · Since 14 Aug 2007 223 Posts Nor Cal Stoked

Inept_Fun · Since 14 Apr 2005 1417 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

gusty · Since 13 Aug 2007 46 Posts Â

GoPro Hero, great cam!

http://www.kitesurferstore.com/accessories

arehn · Since 24 Mar 2008 166 Posts Hood River, OR Stoked

does anyone know where you could buy one?

shred_da_gorge · Sat Jan 24, 09 11:03 am

Cole135 · Since 26 May 2008 61 Posts Â

I have the older version of Sanyo its water proof and works well i like it a lot, but its only 6 mega so the picture isn't to amazing. Overall its a great cam but I'm sure the HD one would have a lot better picture. Here is a little movie i made with it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th9zJ7u7Lm0

K4L · Since 19 Jan 2009 483 Posts Obsessed

Anyone decide to spring for one of these ?
What is the difference between 30fps and 60fps in the video capabilities?

gorgebob · Since 25 Jun 2007 259 Posts Portland, OR Shop Owner

I have both the gopro and the sanyo. The wide angle on the go pro is nice but not adjustable, sound is really muffled since the camera is in a little closed housing. The attachment system on the gopro is the bonus. Uses standard aaa batteries too.