The folks over at Sanyo went announcement crazy today, offering up a plethora of new Xacti models for 2009. Personally, I’m a huge fan of the Xacti line and I use an Xacti HD 1010 almost daily. Without going into a full review I’ll just say that the ease of use, quickness of startup, image quality, size and feature set are what sets it apart in it’s price range.
On to the new models! The first is the full HD, DMX-HD2000 model (pistol grip style at left) and the FH11 (a horizontally oriented model) which will be offering 60fps video at 1920 x 1080 resolution. The 60p video will allow for vivid and smooth progressive quality HD video. It will also be able to take 8 megapixel photos even while shooting video at the same time. The lens has a 16x zoom.
Next up is what Sanyo dubs to be the world’s first waterproof HD cameras- models DMX-CA9, DMX-WH1. They can be submerged in water up to 5-10 feet deep and still function properly. While clearly not a scuba diving camera, the ability to shoot HD in damp, snowy or rainy weather without fear of damaging the equipment or needing a special covering is huge! The DMX-WH1 will have a massive 30x zoom.
Sanyo will also be selling the DMX-CG10 which is pistol grip style model but ultra compact and slim. Obviously they are looking to compete somewhat with the pocket cameras like the Flip Mino and Creative Vado but it offers a 3 inch foldout screen and many more features than the Flip such as 10 megapixel stills and anti-shake mechanism.
Price has not yet been set on any of these new Xacti models and release dates are throughout February, March and April beginning with the DMX-HD2000 on February 6th. Click here for the full press release from Sanyo.