Sanyo - Xacti WH1 Water-Resistant High-Definition Digital Camcorder w/2.5" LCD Monitor - Yellow

I've been using this camera for about two months, and so far I really love it. I was a little concerned at first about purchasing it because there have been a lot of bad reviews, especially in relation to dealing with Sanyo when things go wrong, but I decided to take the chance and am very glad I did. The image quality is not the best on the face of the earth, but it's really good for the price and it gets the job done (to be fair, the camera quality I'm comparing it to is that of my Canon Vixia HF S21, which is stunning). The only reason I don't say it's great is you have to be a little careful with fast moving shots. It deals well with fast moving objects within the frame, but as the camera's automatic focus is a little slow, it's bad for fast panning. The underwater video is really nice. The quality is good and all features are accessible while underwater. The sound is decent, but not amazing. It's about what you'd expect for a camera like this. I like that this camera is very compact, and so far seems to be very sturdy. It'd easy to take places and you don't have to feel bad about getting a little rough with it. the menus could stand to be a little more user-friendly, but they don't take long to get used to, and then they're pretty easy to navigate through. A couple things to be aware of: A lot of people seem to be having serious issues with the camera leaking and dying on them shortly after purchasing it, which most people are interpreting as a fault with the camera itself. I have noticed that a lot of these people are testing their cameras in swimming pools. The seals around the hatches are rubber gaskets. Rubber and chlorine really do not get along. If you plan to film in a swimming pool or any other body of water that has similar levels of chemicals, this is not the camera for you. It is, however, fantastic for normal fresh and salt water, and can take all of the pond slime and mud you care to bathe it in (though the instructions suggest to rinse the camera before opening the hatches after getting it really dirty to keep particles out of the seals). Also, Sanyo’s warranty on this thing sucks. They don’t really cover much, and won’t cover anything unless you get the camera from a “Sanyo-approved outlet” or something like that. I got (and would strongly recommend) the Best Buy warranty for it, so if anything at all goes wrong with it, it’s covered. They’ll also replace the gaskets (the manual also suggests that you replace the gaskets once a year, but I’m not sure how necessary this really is). Bottom line: I’ve only had this camera for two months, but I’ve been pretty hard on it in that time. The image quality is quite good but not incredible, but the underwater feature is fantastic. Read the instructions and limitations for using the camera in water (they’re very short and it’s mostly common sense), don’t rely on Sanyo to fix any damage, and you’ll be good to go.

Every critisism of this camera you must follow up with the statement "but it goes underwater and shoots HD" For this amount of money your not going to do any better. Most any camcorder your going to need a tripod, and this one is no exception. The features including the talking menu and easy to navigate menus are great. The picture is good.. not great, but then again.. IT GOES UNDERWATER... The image can become shaky eventhough the zoom is quite smooth. The still pictures are worthless, but still IT GOES UNDERWATER... It is a nice color, (I got yellow) and using SD cards is the way of the future. HD 720 Video is awesome. You will need to weigh the pro of being able to shoot underwater with other factors, however, your not going to do any bettr in HD video even if it doesnt go underwater for this price. So you might as well get the one THAT you guessed it GOES UNDERWATER. If your considering any camcorder in this price range, I would recommend this, for having all the right features and underwater HD video is just unreal!! A Great deal, glad I bought it, Everyone loves it and everyone can use it. It has not only an easy mode but the settings most wanna be pro videographers want as well. I SAY put it on auto and go, however I have friends who just insist on using manual settings because it makes them feel more like a pro. Gettng the shot makes me feel like a pro and within a second of turning it on your ready to go. Did I mention the battery lasts an amazing three hours?? It is truly solid and the waterproof feature makes it a solidly built piece of equipment. I recommend this for anyone who wants something that is #1 going to last and #2 is very trendsetting nd unique. Not like the other Sanyo "gun" models, this one can sit on a table. It will also shoot pictures fast. I am glad I bought it and think it is worth beyond the price. Even if your not going underwater, shooting in the rain, water rafting or even snow, you should get this for piece of mind! If your even considering an HD camera or a SD camera or an underwater camera or even just a yellow camera. THIS IS THE ONE TO BUY!

I bought this camcorder because of the waterproof feature. I will be using it in full sunlight in a wet environment. I doubt that I would really take it under water for more than a minute or two. If I did want to say, snorkel with it. I would use silicon grease on the seals to help keep the water out. sanyo put three watertight doors on this thing when they should have and could have gotten by with two. I don't know if it would hold out the water for long. Do you think Sanyo would replace it if it leaked and died ? I doubt it. If you want it to float, you will need to add a float. also the low light quality of the video is horrid. I would not use this camcorder for general video recording. by low light I mean, indoors. the camcorder is very easy to use, I like the menu management. the single image quality is very poor by todays standards. For my use this camcorder is great, and I am glad Sanyo built it. For the price I think it is a good deal. you just need to realise that it is a specialised recorder and not for everyone.

I knew nothing about camcorders when i bought this, only what i learned from 2 days of internet research. I am very very pleased with this purchase. The camera is smaller than I thought it would be...very compact which i love. Very easy to use, turns on and off with the flip of the screen. The underwater capability is great, better than expected. HD is pretty nice on it too. I ordered an mini HDMI attachment and plug it right into the LCD, it cost about $4 i think. Overall I'm happy with the purchase and I would recommend for someone just having fun.

Sanyo VPC-WH1: Sanyo has low quality and does not stand behind product. Bought for a beach vacation and to record kids’ baseball games (husband works out of state). No longer have vacation video and can’t record games. First time used in water (snorkeling) camera leaked, ruined memory card (images lost) and camera no longer functions. We had made sure all covers were completely closed, wore a wrist strap and did not “jerk.” 30 minutes later bubbles escaped from camera. Followed “wash” instructions per manual. No luck. Contacted customer support and supervisor. 90 day warranty on labor no exceptions. Emailed sanyoservice@custhelp.com and mailed corporate headquarters further clarifying our position - no response. The fact that Sanyo only warranties for 90 days says they know their product is low quality and they have to set a very short warranty period or lose money. They also obviously don’t care about customer satisfaction.

Great camera for the price. After reading other reviews about bad picture quality, I found it to be good and sharp. Even low light video was good and only needed a little extra lighting to film indoors. I like the the micro picture function. You can manually focus, too take real close up pictures. I recommend getting the high speed SD card. The regular card works OK, but the HD video is sharper with the faster card.

I purchased this camera for light recreational use in wet environments. Beach, Pool and Snorkeling. On the very first time in the water it failed to holld a seal. Even though all of the directions were followed to exact specifications the camera leaked. The water got in through the Lens area and caused the camera to fail. When I returned to a dry spot I checked inside the Battery compartment, Chip housing and Charge port all were DRY and properly sealed. Yet water got in. When I sent the Camera for service the repair facility claimed it was due to user misuse since they assert the Seals held in their test. I would NOT reccommend this Camera, save your money. Sanyo customer service extremly unresponsive.

What a poor excuse for a HD video quality camera. I purchased this for a trip I am taking to Hawaii (for underwater purposes). Anyways I realize you probably would have to pay much more for a real quality underwater camera, but figured I'd try it anyways. Videos from the 1980's on my dads old video camera surpass the quality of this camera. The only videos that even look remotely acceptable are the ones shot outside in bright daylight. I plan on returning this camcorder and getting one with actual quality video recording capabilities. If I really need it to be waterproof, I can always buy one of those clear plastic pouches. I have not tried this camcorder underwater yet, but highly doubt the video quality would be any better than what I have already seen. What a disappointment.