Confusion over Sanyo Xacti VPC-FH1(A) component cables! Or recommend...

[sincostan45]

...another camera. (Sorry, I couldn't make the title anymore precise.)

Anyway,

I'm in the market to get a high definition camera. With that being said, what I am looking for is

• 1920 x 1080p at 60fps OR 1280 x 720p at 60fps (none of that interlacing crap)
• Have either a microphone jack OR have component video output* (if it can output what the camera is picking up, not simply for playback)
• Good low-light performance is a plus
• A macro mode option would be nice
• Far (or large, however you want to think about it) optical zoom is another plus, but not totally necessary
• Cost to be < $600

Most important points are italicized.

*I know these two are unrelated, but I need one or the other. The reasoning is explained at the bottom of this post.

Then I found Sanyo Xacti VPC-FH1 and the newer VPC-FH1A. And I was happy... for awhile. But then I started to look closer.

I'm hoping there are some owners of these cameras on these boards so I can be set straight.


First of all, why is the newer version only $400 when the older version is $600? Doesn't make any sense, especially considering that the newer version has all of the features the older one does. So obviously, one would purchase the newer model...

Second, when the camera is hooked up to a television through the A/V out ports, does it continually feed the television whatever it picks up in the lens, even if it's not recording anything, but simply turned on? I've seen other cameras do this before, so I would assume this one would too.

Third, is it possible to set the resolution and framerate of the output to 720p (at 60fps)? A lot of reviews on Amazon implied that this is possible.


As I said, I was convinced that these two cameras met my criteria, until I took a closer look at the product specifications. No microphone jack, but I already knew that before.

AV output (Video: HDMI/D/ S-Video/ Composite video(NTSC/PAL) Audio: Stereo sound)

The reason I was convinced was that in the reviews of the older version on Amazon, multiple people said they had received component cables for it in addition to the things above. Then, after I Google searched around to find some straight answers, I found somebody posting on some other forum board about the camera, saying they had only received component cables, no HDMI cable.


So what the hell? Does it come with component cables or doesn't it? Or is it just the older version that comes with component cables? (Not gonna spend an extra $200 for a set of component cables.)

(Too bad I can't find a place where these component cables could be purchased separately, or find a .pdf scan of the camera's manual, or a picture of the ports this camera uses. Any one of those three would have been so helpful...)

---------

If component cables no longer come with this camera and/or it's not possible to have a constant live feed from the camera's output and/or not possible to set the output to 720p (60fps), then...
Could somebody recommend me a camera that meets at least the italicized points above? The Sanyo Xacti VPC-FH1A came SO close...



If anybody has ANYTHING they can tell me about this issue, I would appreciate it VERY VERY much!

Thank you!




Why I'm so adamant about getting component cables:

As per this thread, one of the things I plan on using my camera for is to record footage from my Nintendo DS. (Yeah, I know it might sound a bit silly, but I work with video game footage a lot.) The problem is the audio. "Through-the-air" recordings of the system's audio are unacceptable to me. So, if the camera had a microphone jack, I would just plug the system's headphone jack directly into it, problem solved.

Unfortunately, that's not an option. So, the next best thing is to take the output of the camera and hook it into my capture device, Hauppauge HD PVR 1212, while the headphone jack of the DS is hooked to the audio ports of the capture device. (The HD PVR has no HDMI inputs and can capture up to 1080i using component cables.) Then turn on the camera (without recording), set the appropriate output format, 720p, and begin capturing with the capture device. Of course, this is running on the assumption that the answers to the second and third questions above are "YES."

One other good thing doing it this way is that if I'm recording something in my living room, and can set the camera down, like during a New Year's Party or something, then I can just turn the camera on and capture with my capture device. I don't have to have the recordings in 1080p, and I could record for as long as I still have disk space.

[pjandreu]

Hi there!

Same problem here (Components output).

You can see it here: http://vimeo.com/groups/sanyo/forumthread:16757

No hope for us.

[jagabo]

Sanyo's manuals show what's included with the cameras and what's output on the component output and when. It says the component cable is included and that the video is output on the component output when in recording standby mode, but not when actually recording. For both models.

Note that the Hauppauge 1212 can't record 1080p60. You'll have to use 1080i30 or 720p60.

I doubt you'll get clean recording this way though. There is no way to sync the refresh of the TV with the camera shutter. You'll get double exposures most of the time. You'll probably have problems with moire patterns when shooting a TV screen too.

[pjandreu]

Sanyo's manuals show what's included with the cameras and what's output on the component output and when. It says the component cable is included and that the video is output on the component output when in recording standby mode, but not when actually recording. For both models.

Yes. The manual shows it. But I get de manual with the videocamera at home, I never thought that Sanyo had that defect in their VPC-FH1, and I can't understand the sense of the Sanyo's A/V output. I want my camera to be connected always to an external monitor, no matter if it is live image or recording, and with the Xacti VPC-FH1 I can't, and I can't understand the Sanyo's reasons for including that limitation. I asked Sanyo about it, and they say that is what is. There is no firmware update and no intention to fix it. What that it means? Well it means that I'll never buy Sanyo products again, and I will never recommended them.

This is what I get and this is what they get.

greetings.

[jagabo]

Yes, their output options seem odd but look like they'll work for the OP.

[pjandreu]

Excuse me, but my english is very bad. I dont understand what OP is.

Thanks.

[jagabo]

OP = original poster, sincostan45