Recently, Sanyo announced its new line of Xactis. Sanyo pushed the concept that these products were “Dual Cameras” — devices capable of producing good HD video and good still images. Traditionally, there was a trade off when it came to devices that did both and Sanyo is trying to change that.

Gadgetell spoke to a Sanyo representative about this concept. The idea is simple, carry one device that can do more. They’ve placed serious still camera technology into their Xacti handheld camcorder line. The company believes that more and more camcorders are going to build in powerful photography elements. They do not think that regular cameras will branch out into HD video as much. Any one else remember the backlash when the first DSLR included HD video capture? Maybe Sanyo’s right about this.

What is the future for Sanyo’s camcorders? Keep reading.

How I wish I was in Tokyo right now to get a first taste of any one of the five new models of the Sanyo Xacti. The five new models of the Sanyo Xacti dual cameras are the Xacti DMX-FH11 and DMX-HD2000 which are both HD 60p cameras, the waterproof DMX-WH1 and DMX-CA9, and the ultra-compact DMX-CG10. Keep reading for a rundown of the new cameras.

Sanyo is updating its ultra-compact Xacti E-series camera with the release of the Xacti E2 camcorder to the North American market. This palm-sized camcorder can capture 640×480 H.264 video at up to 60fps. Perhaps the most notable feature of the Xacti E2 is of course its resistance to water even if you subject the camera more »

Sanyo has announced its latest Xacti camcorder, the 8-megapixel touting DMX-HD800 which is sort of an upgrade from the previously released Xacti HD700. Aside from its 8-megapixel high-speed CMOS sensor with 5x optical zoom, the HD800 features video recording with a maximum of 720p (1280 x 720) high-definition resolution and a 2.7-inch TFT display. We more »

Unlike the recently released Xacti DMX-CA camcorder, the HD1010 is not waterproof. However it certainly is packed with powerful features that you wouldn’t expect a tiny gadget such as this one to have. Boasting of a 4-megapixel camera with 10x optical zoom, the Xacti HD1010 combines both the functionality of a digital camera and a more »

Sanyo has upgraded their Xacti CA-65 waterproof camcorder with the new Xacti DMX-CA8. The DMX-CA8 retains much of the same features as its predecessor except for the addition of an 8-megapixel CMOS sensor and a “Face Chaser” function.

The DMX-CA8 is JIS IPX5 and IPX8 certified, which means that it can withstand one hour of being submerged into water up to 1.5 meters (just under 5-foot) deep. The DMX-CA8 can record video at 60fps with MPEG-4 AVCH/H.264 compression. Like its predecessor, the DMX-CA8 also sports a 5x optical zoom lens. To make the camcorder special, Sanyo threw in a “Face Chaser” function which can track six faces when filming a video or twelve faces when the camcorder is used for still images.

Sanyo has released a new model for their Xacti handheld camcorder series, the Xacti CG9. Boasting of a 9.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, 40MB of internal memory, a 5x optical zoom and H.264 video codec. Sanyo is touting the Xacti CG9 as an entry level video camcorder. Hence the move from the usual Xacti CCD to CMOS, probably to enable Sanyo to put a competitive price to the Xacti CG9 since they are targeting the entry-level video camcorder users. But still, the CMOS sensor will produce decent quality videos and high quality still images as well. The Xacti CG9 also boast of 60/fps video recording capability.