Sanyo Xacti E1 Waterproof Camcorder Review (page 2)
Under the Sea
Our real world underwater tests left us feeling confident that shooters will enjoy the Xacti E1 waterproof camcorder. There's something exciting about submersing a camcorder underwater and exploring a new world. However, playback of our footage revealed a lot of noise and artifacts in extremely low light at the highest quality setting. This probably won't be your likely underwater shooting environment, but we thought it important to note. In fact, our trip to the creek reveals that in shady, mid-day, outdoor light, there will be very little noticeable noise in the shadow areas. That's good news. But spelunking is out of question. (Try to resist.)
The details also hold fairly well at the highest quality for an MPEG-4 camcorder recording at 640x480 pixels at 3Mbps. Compared to other formats, say Mini DV, the Xacti E1 is pale in comparison. With that said, we thought that for 3Mbps, which is about 12% of the data rate for Mini DV, the E1 waterproof camcorder packs quite a punch. Using the Advanced Video Codec, the camcorder can make the most of its data rate limitations, and it looks good on playback with a standard definition television. The Xacti E1 records H.264 QuickTime files with AAC audio. On our Mac Pro (two 3GHz Duo Core Intel Xeon processors and 8GB of RAM), we found a little drawback with the audio compression, but nothing a quick render couldn't resolve.
We were most impressed with the Xacti E1's color production. Colors were vibrant, which will give most underwater scenes a necessary boost in saturation and allow wildlife a chance to pop out at the viewer. Out of the water, the color wanders slightly out of the realm of reality, but not enough to be distracting. This is a consumer-level camcorder, after all, and we suspect we’ll see some enhancements in this department.
Crashing Waves
We don't feel it's fair to call the on-board mic a weakness, considering it's hampered by being covered with a waterproof housing. You should know that its frequency response is fair at best. This is not the camcorder we’d suggest for recording a piano recital, unless you're sitting in five feet of water. But that doesn't sound too practical. And that's just the problem with the Xacti E1 waterproof camcorder. It can fool you into thinking it’s practical for all occasions. This camcorder works best at its specialty task: shooting video in wet environments without hassle or worry of destroying your camcorder. In its environment, the addition of audio creates a surreal experience. Rushing water, bubbles escaping, crashing waves, echoing voices can all be heard beneath the surface, and the viewer will experience all that. We feel it's worth taking the bad along with the good, in the case of the Xacti E1 camcorder.
Crossing the Bar
The Sanyo Xacti E1 waterproof camcorder is a great tool for watersport enthusiasts looking to capture video of their adventures. For professional underwater video, the Xacti E1 is more of a toy. Its simple operation and relatively low price tag also make this a great camcorder for any video enthusiast looking for the next innovative shot or just good old-fashioned fun. We certainly had our fair share of fun. For normal day-to-day shooting above surface, the Xacti E1's on-board mic is a fish out of water.
Overall, the Xacti E1 camcorder made it incredibly difficult for us to go back to shooting video on land. If only we had gills...
TEST FOOTAGE
To view underwater footage shot with the Sanyo Xacti E1, click here.
