Sanyo Xacti VPC-CA65 review

If you're planning a late summer holiday, chances are you'll spend some of it by the pool or on the beach.

While you're having a quick dip, you might want to take a few photos or some video to show the folks back home. Fortunately, Sanyo's Xacti VPC-CA65 is waterproof, so you can lark around in the pool without worrying about getting your camcorder wet.

The CA65 is very much designed for fun. Its pistol grip and 236g weight makes it easy to use with one hand, leaving the other free to paddle or hold a cocktail. It even comes in three colours - blue, yellow and white - so you can coordinate it with your favourite swimming costume.

The CA65 captures both video and stills photos. Video is recorded at a maximum resolution of only 640x480. The results look poor on a big HD TV, but it's ideal for sharing video on the web. With this in mind, it uses H.264 video compression, so file sizes are small. Video quality is acceptable in bright conditions but suffers badly from compression artefacts in low-light conditions. Stills are acceptable, thanks to the 6-megapixel CCD, but close examination reveals a lack of detail. You would certainly get better pictures from a proper compact camera.

You can use standard SD memory cards or the newer and bigger SDHC cards to store your video and photos. As video is limited to standard definition, you'll get plenty of footage on your card. Roughly 80 minutes of video will fit on a 2GB SD card. The small battery lasted for a respectable 99 minutes of continuous recording. Both the battery and SD card slot are easily accessed behind a watertight door on the rear of the pistol grip.

We tested Sanyo's waterproofing claims thoroughly. The CA65 is fully resistant to splashes, and running a tap on it caused no problems. It even works underwater to a depth of 1.5m, which is fine for use in the swimming pool or while snorkelling. A wrist strap is provided to ensure it doesn't end up on the sea bed. It is limited to 60 minutes underwater in any given stint. We doubt this would be a problem for most users.

One complaint is that the joystick control feels rather spongy, making it difficult to use. The LCD screen is large and fairly bright, but as there's no viewfinder, you'll be forced to squint at it on the brightest days. Surprisingly it comes without a lens cap, but there's a soft pouch to protect the lens and camera while you're not using it.

If you're looking for a waterproof holiday camera, the Xacti CA65 is more convenient than using a stills camera with a waterproof case. Alternatively, the high-definition Xacti VPC-HD1 is available for around the same price. Just don't try to take it underwater.

Author: Seth Barton