Sanyo Xacti VPC-C5 Review

The C5 features an internal 5x optical zoom lens with a 38mm-190mm (35mm equivalent) focal length and a maximum aperture of f3.5-f/4.7. This is an all-glass lens constructed of 12 lenses in 9 groups with 3 aspheric elements. It has an internal ND (neutral density) filter.

The TTL contrast detection autofocus system automatically selects one of five focus areas with a selectable Spot (center only) focus mode. It features continuous area focus with a manual focus option with 15 steps.

The focus mode can be selected from:

• Total (automatically covers normal and macro range / 4 inches to infinity in Wide, 32 inches to infinity in Tele)
• Standard (3 feet to infinity)
• MF (manually select from 0.79 inches to 26 ft.)
• Super Macro (0.39 to 32 inches in Wide only.)

The Motion Compensation (image stabilizer) has two modes of operation; Mode A or Mode B.   Both modes are digital, what this means is that a certain portion of the outer edge of the image is lost during the image stabilization process.

Mode A does not have an onscreen indication, during still image mode you will notice the live view shows less than when the shutter is half-pressed. The live view represents the actual frame area that will be captured. Mode B displays a visible border on the LCD to show the affected area.

The built-in speedlight has modes for: Auto, Forced Fill-in and Forced Off. The maximum working range in wideangle is approx. 8 ft and 5 ft. in telephoto at ISO auto. The flash output reduces nicely for macro exposures but is disabled when the Super Macro mode is selected.

Controls: On the side is the main power button which is visible once the LCD is opened. On the back are two shutter releases, the left one is for taking still pictures, the right one is for taking movies. Between them is the zoom lens control which functions as the magnify and index buttons in review mode. The REC / PLAY switch controls the operational mode of the camera. The 4-way controller is for navigating menus and selecting images in review mode. Press it straight in to accept menu selections. In record mode press "up" to activate AF Lock, press "down" to change focus mode, press "left" to change flash mode and press "right" to adjust exposure compensation. The MENU button calls up and dismisses the menu system.

On the bottom is the docking port which can be fitted with this adapter that allows connection of the A-V output cable (stereo audio, S-Video and RCA video), the Digital cable (USB 1.1 speed compliant and PictBridge direct-print compatible) and the DC IN jack for the AC power adapter

When the camera is in its docking cradle, the A-V, USB and power cables are plugged into the back of the cradle. When connected to a TV set, the included remote control (see below) can be used to control playback from across the room in your favorite easy chair.

Included is this infrared remote control which can be used when the camera is in the docking cradle. The custom-fitted leather carrying case will protect your camera when it's not being used.

The Xacti C5 stores its data on SD Cards and depending on the sales region, it may be bundled with a SD card (128MB in U.S.) SD cards are currently available up to 2GB, we tested the C5 with the speedy, spacious and reasonably priced 60x ATP 1GB SD card. Note that Sanyo specifies the use of SD cards only, I tried a MMC-plus card and it did not work.

Storage Capacities (approx.)

• The maximum continuous shooting time at TV-SHQ or TV-HQ is 1 hour. The maximum continuous shooting time at TV-S is 2 hours and 30 minutes. The maximum continuous shooting time at Web-HQ and Web-S is 3 hours.
• Up to 9 hours of continuous audio recording is possible

The C5 is powered by a proprietary DB-L20 3.7v 720mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery. Up to 113 images can be captured in still image mode or up to 60 minutes of TV-HQ video can be recorded per charge. Or a total playback time of up to 125 minutes.

The battery is automatically charged whenever it is placed in the docking cradle. A second battery can be charged outside of the camera when placed in the AC Power Adapter's battery slot.