I feel the same about this product as the previous reviewer.

I was so excited about this camcorder. I had been looking at the other Xacti models and was about to purchase the waterproof Xacti when I found out that this HD version was coming out in a few days. I ordered it immediately.

When it arrived I was very impressed with the size and feel. It is so small and compact, yet is very easy to hold and operate. Much easier than my large sony camcorder. It is a beautiful piece of technology. The screen is large and easy to view, the controls and buttons are well placed, and the overall build seems to be of high quality.

The first thing I did not like about the camcorder was how narrow the field of view was. Even when at the widest angle, most zoomed back position I felt very "zoomed-in" on the subject. I found myself having to walk farther and farther back to get all of the action in the video. This was frustrating, but I would forgive this issue if the images looked good.

I took several videos and still photos in various conditions - inside, outside, bright, dark, etc. - and then looked at the results. I was very disappointed in the quality of the videos. The stills were passable (although not nearly as good as from my Canon G9), but the videos were grainy, often out of focus, and overall of poor quality. For this price I expected more, especially of an HD camcorder.

I am returning the Xaxti today, and will either purchase a different, less expensive Xacti or will simply use the video capture of my Canon G9. If you purchase this, I highly suggest you do some tests in the first few days - and save all of the packaging materials just in case!

I decided to give the camera 2 stars due to the amazing size, beautiful design and ergonomics.

On a side note, why is it that people find positive reviews so much more helpful than negative reviews? This is a trend I have seen throughout Amazon.com. It seems like people only want to read good things about items they are interested in, but I think it's much more important to hear from people who did not like the item - especially if they did a thorough test of the product and seem knowledgeable. Any ideas about this?

Prior reviewers had mentioned the field of view being too narrow, but I bought the HD700 anyway, thinking that the reviews were subjective and my mileage may vary.

I was optimistic that maybe the HD700 had been slammed by videophiles, and that it would be more than good enough for my needs, which largely involve taking family videos.

Out of the box, I recorded a few videos of my three year old bouncing around on the sofa. With the light of 3 sixty-watt bulbs 10 feet above the sofa, the video was grainy. I tried both the SHQ and the HQ modes for 720p, both were grainy. I tried the same modes with image stabilization turned off, both SHQ and HQ were just as grainy. Biggest thing I noticed was how far away from the sofa I had to stand in order to capture the entire sofa (which shouldn't be too hard, since this is a 16:9 widescreen camcorder, right)?

Next, I did a little experiment. I set the HD700 up on a tripod a large distance from a wall, and measured the size of the camera's field of view at widest zoom. To do this, I stuck removeable labels on the wall, staking out the corners of the camera's image, and marked a center dot. The camera and center dot (on the wall) were the same height above the floor. The camera lens was 152 inches from the wall; at this distance, the rectangular field of view was 67.5 inches high and 119.5 inches wide. Trig-savvy readers can verify that the field of view is 25 by 43 degrees, with a solid angle of 1075 square degrees (0.327 steradians). A theoretically perfect fish-eye lens would view a full hemisphere, or 6.28 steradians. We do not expect the Xacti HD700 to see like a fish-eye lens, but it does only see 1/19th of a hemisphere. That's pretty narrow.

I believe this would be a great videocamera if you are shooting small things far away from you, and in bright light. For example, birdwatching on a sunny day. But, if you want to shoot something large, like a 40-foot bus, you will need to stand at least 50 feet away! My next phone call is for an RMA number so I can send the HD700 back. Sorry, Sanyo, I wanted it to work, I really did. Maybe I will try the HD1000.

By the way, the HD700's shoe uses a full-size HDMI connector. If you are buying an HDMI cable to watch your HD700 on your HDTV, buy an HDMI cable with normal-sized ends. There is no way to hook up the HDMI cable directly to the camera itself, the HDMI cable is connected via the shoe only.

First, a major problem with a lot of reviews is that people with unknown skills buy things with unreasonable expectations and post authoritative sounding reviews. Most don't seem to even look at the manuals, they just try using the equipment at their own intuitive level and then post bad reviews and take advantage of the return policy. I have a good friend that does this.

The people that read the manuals and actually learn to use things and are too busy enjoying them to bother coming back to post. So, we see bad reviews and think that some really cool things are junk.

Personally, I'm no novice. I own three video cameras and a number of digital still cameras that I know and use well, yet I am constantly missing good to even great shots/videos as I don't have a camera with me. I tried, but just got tired of "lugging" them around unless I had a specific purpose in mind. What I wanted was a pocket camera that I'd have with me whether I planned to shoot or not.

I wasn't sure what I wanted so I stared with pocket still cameras that also shot video and, after playing with a few, decided I'd be happier with a pocket video that shot stills. I did a lot of research online looking at web sites with actual still and video samples. Saw some very nice stuff from a Sanyo CG65, CA65 the HD700. The HD700 seemed to suit my needs so I looked at Sanyo's web site and read all the specs, etc. Sanyo seems to have several web site, but one Japan based one, (sanyo-dsc dot com -- click on English on the top) has a "Let's shoot more Movies" which shows some things I didn't know the camera could do and even tells you how to do them. Searched some more and found several user reviews of the HD700 with sample videos and stills that convinced me to try the camera so I ordered from Amazon, in brown.

Camera arrived and I immediately loved the feel of it. It slid into my pocket!!! I read the manual while I charged the battery and ran out to play with it in auto mode. Wow! The still pictures were quite sharp, a bit too sharp for me so I set it to Soft which I really like. The video quality was quite nice. I couldn't get over the fact that I could just pull the camera from my pocket and get that kind of quality! I made a print from one of the still pictures and it looked VERY good. Showed it to a friend who has since ordered a HD700 (red) for himself and he wasn't even in the market for a new camera.

I went out the next day and shot all day with it; indoors and outdoors. I shot in a few stores -- garden departments are great for color and close-up tests, at a park, shot some construction workers, etc. The results were much better than I expected. The only glitches I had were operator errors, new camera, I'm still at the fumbling stage.

I don't shoot low light pictures and knew from the beginning this is not a low light camera, neither are any of my video cameras. Not a problem as I don't tend to shoot in low light, but if I did and wanted to use this camera (or my others) I'd add light, a tripod (there's a tripod mount on the bottom) or both. I did do some quick low light tests by bracing myself against a wall holding the camera with my elbows in and in a two-handed grip, also by setting the camera and my hand on something (shelf, shopping cart, table, etc.) to steady things during the longer exposures and the results were nice. I'd recommend a pocketable tabletop type tripod or one of the flexible ones you can also wrap around things to help get steady shots.

I, also, knew that the 38mm part of the 38-190mm (35mm equiv.) lens isn't considered wide, however, it's wider than I'd thought and works fine for me. Found a Phoenix Magnetic Mount 0.45x lens here on Amazon that works WELL with this camera giving you 17mm, now that's wide! Search vimeo dot com for this camera and see the test videos.

My suggestions: Step one, download the PDF version of the manual (or use the printed one -- I like PDFs as I can search them) and go through it. Most of the "problems" I've seen posted here and elsewhere are covered in the manual. Step two, check out the Sanyo HD700 tip site. Step three, play and experiment with it. Read up on how to do things (the shortcuts features is really cool) and take it with you and see what you and it can do. Step four, search for some Sanyo HD700 related forums and ask questions.

I LOVE this camera and its new home is in my pockets. Mission accomplished.

i bought this (red) on Amazon on Black Friday, for$399.
It is an excellent deal considering the price you pay.
I was a little worried with the reviews posted (some good, some bad), but after receiving the gadget and used it myself, I am convinced it is the best value I have spent $400 on.
My friend camped over 48 hour outside BestBuy to get some nice deals, but I didn't have to suffer the cold nights with someone smoking dope or cigarettes a few chairs down; I still got a great deal online on Amazon.
The picture quality is excellent in mid to well lit conditions.
I shot some footage today while playing weekly badminton in a gym, The result was amazing. It was clear, crisp, and all of the details captured.
The 7.1MP picture quality is not bad either. I have a Sony F828 with 8.1MP quality. I have to say this one, even though lacking much of the functions, the picture quality is not bad.
It's compact size means my 9 year old daughter can play and experiment shooting some videos. I got a 8GB SDHC card and it works wonders. Even though my old SD reader, (7 in 1), couldn't read the new SDHC, by using the cradle, I still can transfer all of the videos and pictures onto my Macbook Pro very easily and fast. Of course the iPhoto and iMovie imported them and offers unprecedented ease of editing.
Some minor improvements or suggestion for Sanyo:
1. the wide angle is not wide enough when you don't use the zoom feature. You need to stand at least 15 feet away to shoot the wide (HD) format.
2. The zoom engages too fast; it doesn't have the pause then fast zoom (accelerate) on the control, so when you push the zoom, it immediately zooms too much. Needs to be more smooth.
3. The picture quality in a darker room, is, I have to admit, not good; very rough.
4. Battery gets hot (not really hot, but begins to bother you a bit), after shooting for 5 min.
5. Wish the playback volume was louder (speaker volume tooooo little).

Don't let the above 5 minor issues bother you. It is overall a very good package for under $500.
Most people, even if they bought the 1080HD camcorder, don't necessary need it or use anything for that quality level. And unless you have a very steady hand or use tripod on everything, your 1080 will show shaking videos very clearly and give you a HD headache.
I am extremely happy with this purchase and highly recommend to anyone.
This one is sure to capture a lot of nice memories for years to come.

A few days ago, a storm thousands of miles away brought high tidal waves to my town. When I drove by the beach, I had this toy in my pocket. The footage is raw, mostly auto, no extra lens, nor tripod. Just me, the camera and the scene. (Unfortunately, Amazon doesn't support MPEG4. Here's the clip--http://www.vimeo.com/427079)

This the best part about the Sanyo HD700--you can have it with you all the time without being laughed at by those who know you're not a TV cameraman, or without anyone realizing you carry it at all. That means your camcorder is a lot more useful.

It's also a lot easier to use--shoot, take out the SD card, plug it into a USB reader, copy onto computer hard disk, view, edit, convert or delete. All random access, no waiting for tape rolling. A 4GB card gives you ~1h20m recording time in HD. Two cards are enough if you dump the files to a computer quickly enough. You can also dump video to an external hard disk without a computer.

Other things I like--
* A convenient dock to recharge, connect to computer, TV or DVD recorder in a number of standards (USB, HDMI, Component, ...), and with a remote
* Manual control of mostly everything with assignable Shortcut buttons
* Some advanced features such as face tracking, though I usually turn them off for better response/performance but they can be useful
* Construction, finish and ergonomics
* No moving parts in storage means better reliability and lower power consumption
* Video quality: 720p 30fps 9Mbps and MPEG4

Now something I don't like--
* 5x zoom starting at 38mm tele (35mm equivalent)--see update for solution
* Poor low light performance
* Lack of optical image stabilization
* Short battery life (rated 80min for HD recording) coupled with high price (~$40 OEM)
* No ext. mic input (there's a typo in the manual giving false hope)

One function I haven't figured out--using it as a mighty webcam. It would be interesting to capture video to computer directly with this one.

And one feature wish--give us HDMI video input and let us use it as an HD video recorder using flash memory. Sanyo?

Overall, I like the camera. I carry it almost as much as my cell phone for both video and still. If only it can also do wireless phone and Web...

Update: Phoenix 0.45x magnetic wide angle converter works fairly well with no mutilation necessary. It attaches to the ferromagnetic lens housing directly. You can search Vimeo for HD700 and find the clips.

a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R2UHAP1C8CK7C5"Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2UHAP1C8CK7C5/a This is a simple review of the Sanyo Xacti HD700 Camcorder. I look at the size and the screen and a few of the accessories.

I don't get all the bad reviews on this product. I almost didn't buy it because of the harsh reviews on here but I did some more research and found great sample footage and positive reviews on a major camera forum which is what sold me.

It is a great little camera. I've only used it indoors with mediocre lighting so far and have been pleasantly surprised. Outdoors is supposed to be even better.


720p video looks great on my Macbook and my HDTV. Streams perfectly through my Xbox 360 as well.


It's small and easy to use. I am a former film student who has worked with high quality 3ccd cameras but was never happy with the quality of SD DV. This little sucker beats them by far and is a fraction of the cost.

It doesn't have an input for a microphone and the manual features are basic, so it may not be what you want to shoot a movie with. But for family videos or even fun little short videos for the internet, this is a good buy.

After nearly four weeks of use, my Sanyo hd700 is a proven device. Overall this camcorder holds its own with picture quality and speed of startup. It does require that you read and try all of its settings. You will not experience what this device will offer without doing your homework. This rules out 90 percent of the meatheads out there that buy stuff and they will never be happy.

Pros:
-FAST Startup
-There is a setting for everything and shortcuts makes them quick to set
-Battery life is decent enough, about 45-50 minutes
-Controls are well designed and after some practice can be found quickly
-Durable enough for your pocket
-Clear shots even with fast motion
-8 gig chip gives you about 4000 5.3mp 16x9 picts or 7+ hours of medium quality video

Cons:
-Access covers are a bugger to get open
-Lens cap totally sucks, needs a retainer to the side of the unit
-Highest video setting does not play well with nothing but the best computers, skippy playback, DO NOT FREAK, after burning to DVD it is not present
-Constant user attention for the best results, again, read the book and play around with it.

Enough said, I am buying a second hd700 for my sister. She liked the device also and was satified with video and pictures from a basketball game. No blurry picts from that as well.

Get a 6" pocket tripod, this camcorder will not set upright on its own.

I went ahead and purchased this camcorder although there were a lot of negative reviews. AM VERY PLEASED and not disappointed. Similar to Joz and Visor Blue's comments, if you learn how to use it and follow the Sanyo tips, as well as just have some perspective, it takes great short videos and great pictures. It does not have a viewfinder and you are left framing and focusing the picture/video with the viewing screen. This takes a little usage to become familar with but very easy once one has practiced a bit. The videos are clear, detail is crisp and this is the same with pictures taken with the camcorder. It is easy to transfer clips and pictures using the secure digital card and importing into iTunes is easy, as well as uploading the clips to YouTube.

I bought this camcorder to have fun with, nothing serious. Had a mini-DV camcorder before (JVC reviewed on Amazon) which I never used very much as it was unwieldy, not intuitive in the controls and cumbersome to transfer video files (never did master this). Out of the box, this was easy to learn to operate, as well as it comes with every accessory you need other than a secure digital card to operate it with your HDTV and computer.

It is a great carry around item and light and just great in the color red. Easy to slip into a pocket, bag or just carry.

Since I got this camcorder for $299, it is a steal of a deal. You can pay more and get a larger camcorder but if you want convenience and ease of use, this camcorder is worth considering --- even if you pay more than $299. I was set to buy the prior generation model at $300+ but when I looked at this item again, the price had dropped $200 and I was set that I was going to push the buy button quickly to ensure that I would get this beauty.

I purchased this product for the simple reason that I wanted a video camera which did not use a hard drive, or tape or mini dvd and was small, portable and took good or better video. In most ways, this camera fills the bill. it is small, portable and writes to an SD card which is handy. I had some problem playing the video on my computer until I downloaded the latest drivers. Buyers with older computers beware.....you may not be able to read the disc without more up to date programs and video.
So far, there are three complaints: First, the field of view is very narrow, so you must slowly pan to take in nearly everything. Second, the auto focus is slow, but eventually catches up. Third, the color seems to be more toward the red shift than neutral, despite tinkering with it in the camera. However, this may be due to the TV setup as well. I have a fairly new Sony 40 inch LCD flatscreen television rated for HD and the colors look more pink than normal. Browns are washed out and greens are enhanced. I adjusted the color on the monitor and it was better, but I think the camera has some responsibility for the problem. One other thing....neither Sanyo, nor aftermarket sources are making a holster to fit this camera and it is badly needed. The only accessories seem to be a battery and charger. While carrying the camera, your choice is limited to holding it in your hand or putting it in your pocket. A third choice of a safe holster which attaches to your belt would be very useful.
The "simple" setting on the camera is just that...simple. For a blog, it is great. It only gives you two choices....blog or HD and that is very limited. A third choice of something in between would be helpful and still be simple to use. I must admit, it is fun (and very easy)to create video blogs and upload them to the internet. All in all, it is a fun, fairly intuitive camera to use. Almost entirely menu driven which slows down some functions, but still, a lot to offer in a very small package.

The reviews here are surprisingly negative, but after quite a bit of searching and comparing, I decided to go for this one anyway. I don't regret it.
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br /The only major negative is really the "perma-zoom" aspect that other reviewers have mentioned, but it's really not that bad. There's a very helpful review here that has measurements for the field of view--about 68"x120" at a distance of 152". If you're worried about it, mock it up yourself with some bits of masking tape, and decide if it's a deal-breaker. If not, I think this camera is a great choice.
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br /The real killer feature, for me, is the "Xacti Library." Video files can be huge, and the Xacti library lets you hook a USB hard drive to the dock and transfer files without using a computer. I keep the dock hooked up to my television, and it's fantastic to be able to quickly review and archive footage. The camera lives in the dock, and so it's always charged and ready to go, too. It's not as seamless and easy as an iPod, but it's pretty good.

First of all... the b*tching that everyone is doing about this camera is completely absurd. I almost didn't buy it because of that. I got this camera for $299 and it is completely amazing. Like EVERY CONSUMER CAMERA, it doesn't handle low-light without some noise. Reading the manual and manually changing the settings (very easy things to do) will make using the camera 100 times better. There are even assignable short-cuts to change the settings quickly for different situations.
br /
br /Now that I got that off of my chest...
br /
br /The camera's picture quality cannot be compared to other consumer mini-dv cameras (which was my only other option). It is crystal clear (most of the time). The focus problems (which aren't as bad as everyone purports) can be easily resolved by using manual focus or by locking the automatic focus with a short-cut. Using the camera for more than 20 minutes will teach you a TON about how to operate it. The more you use it, the better your footage will turn out. I had low expectations because of all of the complaining on these comments. This camera has blown me away.
br /
br /As for complaints about charging... the brick is not that big (and the stand is not needed for charging). All you need in order to bring this baby on vacation is the camera and the charger-- not too difficult.
br /
br /For me, I have no problems with the camera being "too zoomed in."
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br /These comments convinced me of the fact that people will complain about ANYTHING. If you are interested in this item-- it is a great buy! If you are a videophile that uses $5,000 HD cameras, stick with those. For home users, this is a fantastic camera. Buying any consumer camera and expecting to get a "cadillac" is silly. This is more like a very very nice moped. In comparison, it makes most mini-dv cameras look like skateboards.
br /
br /I would definitely recommend this (and already have) to friends and family.
br /
br /**Extra note: do not expect to edit/view the footage on your computer unless you are running at least a Core Duo or Core 2 Duo. It runs great on my MacBook Core Duo (1 GB of RAM). Does not work too well on my aging 12" PowerBook G4.

I had some trepidation ordering this based on some of the reviews here. Fortunately, I am a member of the discussion group at Steve's Digicams and was able to read through a long thread by users of this camera--some having had it for months. I quickly realized that this is not a "point and shoot" out of the box camera. It requires study--a full read of the manual and a lot of practice. That said, it is one awesome machine. I can't believe the quality of both the HD video and the still pictures. Like most camcorders it has difficulty in low light situations--but there are tweaks and workarounds for that too--in the manual. If you are lazy and don't want to put some time and effort into a camera this isn't for you. However, if you do put some study into it you will be amazed by the results.
My only concerns are about the size of the camera--and the build quality associated with the very small size. Only time will tell if it stands up.

I got this product to work with my new iMac which has the new iMovie 08 pre-installed.

My first check was for simple compatibility. I shot a quick video on the HD700 and then loaded it into iMovie by simply choosing "import movie". The clip loaded and the thumbnails rendered.

The second check was for the cameras ease of use. I gave it to my wife who fell in love with it. The camera is simple in design and usage that she had no problem filming. The cameras vertical design definitely is far easier to hold than a typlical camcorder. There is less strain on the muscles which causes less shutter/movement. It is very similar to how a marksman would hold a pistol.

The third test was for quality. I chose two different testing grounds for this. Both indoors and outdoors and three different outputs (HDTV by HDMI cable, iPod/iPhone video and .Mac). The outdoor footage is awesome. If you follow simple and standard photography rules for lighting, the video and pitcures are crisp and clear. Indoors the footage was softer due to the lack of contrast in the lighting, but easily comparible to the miniDV camcorder this was replacing in color and contrast. I filmed my black lab at the beach and the detail of the black lab was incredible when put to a 50 inch plasma by HDMI cable. When sent to the iPhone and iPod video was amazing and proves as a great way to show others when I am on the road or out at the pub. iMovie uploads crystal clear video to .Mac and I am receiving constant questions about what I shot the video with.

The camera comes with a docking station which will allow you to connect to and HDTV via component or HDMI and also has the USB connector and power jack on the base station. The camera charges while in the base station.

Overall, I am totally happy with this camcorder and would easily recommend it to anybody who is going for good quality and simplicity in design and usage.

Cheers!

Are there better digital cameras and HD video cameras out there? I'm sure. But for the money (I bought mine from Amazon for only $299 last week) you can't get any better. This camera is so small it's always there for you when you need it. The 720p HD is not as great as I thought but it does the job. The sd card recording is the best way to organize all of your video content. No tapes, no dvd's just the pictures and video organized on your Mac or PC. It is also completely compatible with Mac's and the iphoto software.
This is a nice piece of equipment that is perfect for every day video and pictures.

I recently purchased this camera to use for recording all those family moments. I was previously using a Panasonic PV-GS250, a hand-held 3CCD Mini-DV camcorder. I was drawn to this model for several reasons: True 720p video quality, pocketable portability, digital media (no more "real-time" importing and no more buying tapes).
br /
br /The camcorder does a pretty good job at delivering decent quality video, however, out of the box I didn't find the Full Auto settings really that appealing, especially in lower light (indoor) conditions. I spent several hours manually going through the settings and replaying them on my television in order to find a better solution. I was able to find the settings that looked good to me. Outdoor shots in lots of light look great at 720p resolution. The colors I've recorded look vibrant in these settings.
br /
br /In low light, the quality doesn't match my Panasonic camcorder (which is a 3CCD camera, and should be better in low light), but the Sanyo does a decent job at my manual settings. Out of the box, I took the camera to my son's birthday party at a roller skating rink, where the lighting was somewhat dim. With Full Auto settings, the results were disappointing. With my manual settings, the results were improved and acceptable to me.
br /
br /The image stabilization feature of the camera leaves a lot to be desired when compared to my Panasonic camera. The electronic image stabilization on the Sanyo still results in very jerky playback. In fact, while there was a noticable difference between image stabilization on and off, it still looked too jerky with the feature on. One side effect of turning on image stabilization on this camera is that the picture "zooms in". When the feature is turned off, it zooms back out. This has lead to a number of complaints by owners of this camera-- it's hard to get everything in frame in a room because of the zoom in. Unfortunately, this is how the feature works-- it must have a "buffer" around the frame in order for the digitial image stabilization to work and this is why it zooms in. TIP: *** If you need to get more people in frame and you have no room to back up, then turn off image stabilization.***
br /
br /Overall, I am happy with this purchase. It doesn't output the best video in all conditions, especially compared to my other camera. However, it can put out some great video given the time to get the settings tweaked to your liking. I would suggest using a tripod whenever possible for the best results. If you are like me, and enjoy true portability then hauling around a tripod is not always an option. In that case, make sure to stabilize yourself again something to keep the shaking to a minimum.
br /
br /For me, it was a trade off between convenience and quality. I am willing to give up some video quality in order to gain:
br /- more portability (can throw it in my pocket)
br /- digital media (no more buying mini-dv tapes)
br /- faster import into computer (copy movie files over instead of importing in real-time)
br /- convenient backup (the dock can have a usb hard drive connected to it, and you can easily back up to the drive)
br /- 720p output

I almost didn't get it due to the reviews here in Amazon.com. That would be a big mistake. If you are some kind of camcorder addict or a professional you shouldn't even think about buying it, that is true.
br /
br /If you are a normal person seeking a very good, easy to use device, to record your family, travel or funny moments and take great pictures, this is it.
br /I got the silver one for about 350 US$ shipped. The photo quality is great and fully met my expectations. If you bother reading the manual and the online tips you will get some great results. Even the full auto mode yields good results under normal circumstances.
br /Video in HD does have the issues mentioned in other reviews, as far as low light and field of view is concerned. The field of view is really not a big issue, you will get accustomed to shoot one step back from your usual distance and that's it. Really a non issue.
br /The low light is the only situation that needs some action from your part to overcome. Read the specs. It says 5 lux minimum light. This is not a coincidence. In the night, indoors with normal light bulbs the noise is visible even in the viewfinder on dark colors. Adding a bit more light makes the problem less pronounced. If you have one of the new energy saving lights you will notice that the noise is harder to see. If your light source happens to emit cold light noise almost disappears (invisible in the viewfinder hard to notice on HD TV). Either way the video quality is so much better than your mini DV camera that there is little sense in occupying your self with the noise issue in the end. I have compared it with a Canon MiniDV we have and even in low light i prefer the Xacti. More detail is there and a better picture although the noise of the Canon is less. In normal or well lit environments the difference is incredible favoring the Xacti. Considering that a cheap MiniDV is about the same price as the Xacti i believe this little camcorder gives outstanding value for money. Let's not forget the ease to carry it around and that a MiniDv or a DVD camcorder typicaly records 60 or 30 minutes respectively while a 4GB card gives the Xacti 120 minutes recording. You actually get a capable HD player for your videos without the need for a computer if you add a hard drive to Xacti's docking station. Peripherals are cheap (10 US$ gets you an extra battery, 25$ a 120min (4 GB) SDHC card and 45$ gets you a 8GB 240 min SDHC). There are better HD camcorders in the market for sure. But they are more expensive and so much bulkier that the little sanyo is in a class of its own.
br /Autofocus has some trouble only in very close distances but you won't be shooting 5 inches from the lens in normal situations. If this is the case you can always use the cross hair mode that focuses on what you put the cross on and the problem goes away.
br /Although the Xacti has some very small issues i heartily recommend it, for normal people with normal expectations.
br /If you are not a perfectionist you will realize how cheap the Xacti is for the vast array of features it offers. These are not just bullet points on paper. They are actual things that matter and can be used. Invest some time to train your self and the Xacti won't disappoint you. On the other hand if you want movie quality in candle lit recordings this is definitely not for you. You will have to pay 3 to 10 times the price and get something better.
br /

This is the third Sanyo Xacti camera I have owned and I have to say I still have a strong believer in this brand.
br /
br /Here's what I like:
br /- Small form factor. With this camera you can take it anywhere and most importantly use it discreetly. I get positive comments about the camera all of the time and people quickly realize the big benefit of not having to lug a large MiniDV camera around anymore. This camera fits in your pocket.
br /- Use of SDHC cards. SDHC cards are cheap these days (getting cheaper) and are reliable. Love the fact I can quickly download the video and pictures to the computer for editing to DVD, etc. In addition I can easily upload to YouTube if I desire. With my old set up you had to hook up the firewire to the MiniDV, hit play and wait for the transfer to complete which took a long time (actual play time of the video)
br /- High Def. The clarity is very good for a camera with such a small form factor. Face it this isn't a $1000+ HD camera so you cannot compare it with those.
br /- More video. As I mentioned above this is my third Xacti camera. In the past four years I've upgraded from a C40 to CG6 and now the HD700. My video library has increased substantially since it's so much easier to bring the Xacti versus the regular MiniDV.
br /-Instant On. With this camera you can power on in approx 1.5 seconds. Meaning you are recording that quickly.
br /
br /What could be improved:
br /- Low light recording. Essentially all the Xacti's have some issue with recording in low light (even the HD1000 to some extent). I've recorded indoors and the footage is acceptable to me. The camera has a several user controls which aid it getting the right ISO and white balance set. Does the camera produce Discovery Channel HD footage? No and I don't expect it to at this price point.
br /- Battery. You get a little over an hour of continuous use with the camera. It would be nice if a higher capacity battery was an option.
br /-Better Lens Cap
br /-Brighter Flash for stills. Note- this camera is a digital camcorder first and a still camera second.
br /-Be able to recharge the camera directly from a USB cable
br /
br /In summary, I'm pleased with the purchase. Hopefully folks reading this will understand this review is from a person who is very familiar with the Xacti line. There are some limitations of this brand (as noted above) but they are out weighed by the fact the unit is so portable. I've caught footage of my kids growing up which I couldn't have (easily) with the old MiniDV. When my kids become adults I'll have tons of good quality footage to give them. Without this camera I probably couldn't easily do this or I wouldn't have the quantity of clips to give them.
br /
br /So my one word of advice is if you purchase an Xacti model read the manual and learn how to use it.
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br /-b
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Bought this product from a friend who got it on amazon. It stopped working after 3 months. I probably had a total of 12 hrs of use. I brought it to the Customer Care Clinic (Sanyo's Repair Center) and they've had it for the last 3 months. They told me they are still waiting for a part from Sanyo. Sanyo Customer service NEVER returned any of my calls as they promised. =( Don't waste your money.

I Just received this mini camcorder, and despite what you may have read about this cameras performance in low light, I find that under normal daylight indoor conditions I'm quite satisfied with the quality of the video captured by this camcorder. There are enough manual settings that work in both camera and camcorder modes on this unit, to please most anyone. HD video when captured using a tripod is near HD quality. Sure, its not top of the line quality, but I also didn't have to shell out several thousand dollars for this handy little unit. Handheld HD quality is quite good as far as I'm concerned.
If you read the manual before using the camera you should not be disappointed in this easy to carry and use, digital camcorder.
UPDATE: Surely, many of the owners of this Sanyo unit, are not reading the manual. I had a chance to take some SHQ HD movies out in the snow today using the snow/beach mode, and they are better quality than some of the 720P documentaries I've seen on PBS. I do not for one second, regret buying this camcorder.

This is a terrific little unit. Pro quality? No. However, it is very easy to use and the form factor is the best! It is easy to carry and start up is fast.
br /
br /The included Adobe Premier Elements 3.0 software is good but can bog down. A robust machine or GPU video card is a must.
br /
br /As others have pointed out, the HD700 is not the best in low light. In average to good lighting it is great for my family's needs. The lens is decent, zoom ok - though it can sometimes be heard on the video and can be hard to do slow in/out zooms. It is not a super wide-angle lens - I find myself backing up to capture everything in the frame.
br /
br /Is it the best camera I have ever used? No. Is it the camera I reach for every day because it is so easy to carry and use? Yes!

When searching for a camcorder, I wanted something that met my specific set of expectations: it had to be small enough to carry easily and get out quickly, have decent video and sound quality, and connect easily to iMovie / Final Cut Express on my Mac. This camera met all those expectations for me, but it may not be the right camera for everyone.
br /
br /Pros:
br /The size and design of the camera is incredible. It is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, and compact enough to fit into your pocket. It feels well built and doesn't have much chassis flex when squeezed. All the buttons are easily accessible to your fingers, and the LCD is large and clearly viewable. The HD700 also connects easily to your computer, popping up on your desktop as an external hard drive you can drag the media off of. For you Mac users, it works seamlessly with iMovie '08 and Final Cut Express.
br /
br /Cons:
br /Don't expect perfect video quality with this camera. Bright environments look great, but don't even attempt shooting in low-light situations. Indoor filming was rather dark and grainy. Also, this camera is designed to be held expressly by right-handed people, so lefties like me will have to quickly get used to either operating the camera in their right hand or awkwardly holding it in their left.
br /
br /Overall, this is a great little camera, but it is definitely designed for the specific individual who is always on go, where form matters a little more than function. I'm a college student who is always running from one place to another, and I absolutely love the fact that I can slip this out of my pocket at a moments notice. If you're looking for a camera that shoots professional quality high-def, this camera is definitely not for you; but if you are someone who values capturing the moment as it happens, regardless of imperfect recording quality, I strongly recommend this camera.

Its easy...carry the small video camera in your pocket, take cool video whenever you want, in a moments notice it is out of your pocket and recording. When you get home home hook it up to the TV (while its charging) watch what you recorded or hook it up to your PC/Mac and start editing. its 720p so it wont bog down your older computer like the 1080i cameras out now that require the most powerful and fastest computers to even edit. Yes the the 1080i camera's picture looks better but not really by much, it would take a side by side comparison to notice
br /
br /I just want to say that this is a pretty darn good camera, for everyday use and everyday people.
br /If you are into professional broadcasting don't get this camera!!!
br /If you are into crisp home movies, editing them on the computer and burning them to dvd (and a mac owner) get this camera!
br /It cannot be beat as far as size, convenience and price. I am glad I disregarded the negative reviews!
br /
br /P.S. In case its needed-----Google "MPEG Streamclip" it is a free program for mac users (PC? not sure) that makes the files leaner for playback, editing, etc.

I have had this camera for about a month now and I love it. After purchasing several digital still cameras and video cameras through the years, I've sort of geared myself to lower my expectations regarding the image/video quality. I have to say, this was the first time a camera has impressed me with its quality. The colors are vivid, the microphone is great. This camera exceeded my expectations.
br /
br /I also uploaded some video to a social networking site to see if their web-based encoder would diminish the quality and found that the quality was far superior to any other video I have uploaded. In fact, my friends noticed the improvement in quality and commented me asking if I had purchased a new video camera.
br /
br /This is a great camera - especially for the price!

Reading all the negative comments here, I have lowered much of my expectations. Perhaps that's why I was more than satisfied when I saw the videos/pics I took with this camcorder. I find the HD videos' quality excellent in outdoor situations. Indoor videos are a bit grainy but much better than my miniDV camcorder (Sony earlier model) in quality (mostly due to its higher resolution). Still images are not spectacular but good enough for screen viewing and ordinary 4R prints. It has some limitations in the angle of view as reported. If you use telezoom a lot, better use a small tripod to minimize shaking, though this is not a drawback unique to this camcorder. Its digital image stabilization function does help a bit. Autofocusing will be an issue if your object doesn't have any vertical "lines". I didn't find this a problem most of the time. Overall, it's handiness, HD quality and ease of transfering to computer for editing (perhaps the price as well if you can get it under %400) make it one of the best videocams for family daily use.

After my wife had our little girl I was given the task of purchasing a video camera to document what seems to be my little girls every movement, well thank goodness not every movement if you know what I mean. I first had purchased a SonyDCR-sr62 with a 30 GM hard drive. I have always trusted the Sony name but this purchase was a mistake. The picture quality was not what I was looking for and it was a little too bulky to take with me. After the Sony I was a little gun shy of purchasing another camera so I took the advise of a videophile friend of mine and purchased the Sanyo Xacti HD camera. I am so pleased with the purchase. First, I can put the camera in my jeans pocket and I am able to take it with me everywhere... It does not feel too much bigger than my blackberry. That is especially convenient for me because these days I am lugging around car seats, diapers, and strollers. The only thing I do not have to carry is my wife's purse. Second, the picture quality on the movie mode is amazing. We recently took a trip to costa rica with our baby and the pictures and videos turned out better than I could have hoped for. It is so nice to be able to see my little girl smile and occasionally throw a fit in HD quality. Third is ease of use. I am one of those types of people who avoid the manual at all costs unless I get stuck and can't figure out how to resolve the issue. So far I can say very proudly I have yet to open the manual. The camera as well as the file transfer process is quite intuitive and easy to use. I would highly recommend the Sanyo Xacti HD video camera to anyone who is looking for a small compact design, a quality picture, and ease of use.

This camcorder provides instantaneous recording for moments when unexpected events occur. I recorded a video of an event, but didn't feel comfortable having my pro camcorder with me at al times, so I subbed it with the Sanyo Xacti HD700. While I didn't expect the quality to be equivalent, the content was invaluable. I caught the best moments with the HD700 because it was with me when the greatest things happened. The quality is not bad at all, also. In fact, it's crisp! There's a noise when zooming, and objects appear close, so a wide lense would be great. Overall for the price, this is priceless, which is why I give it 5 stars.

I bought this sight unseen based on others' reviews, but primarily on the fire-sale price of $300. From a features and specs standpoint, it looked very appealing though, so I figured it couldn't be too bad. I was looking for a small, simple to use video camera to shoot video of my family. The old tape clunker we had was getting too cumbersome to drag out.
br /
br /This camera Xacti HD700 exceeds our every expectation. The size is unbelievable, it fits in the hand perfectly with all the controls in reach of your thumb. Performance is very good too, in terms of audio and video quality. Many people complain about the zoom being too tight even wide open, but it's something I can adapt to. I was also surprised to learn it shoots 7MP stills, where other hybrid cameras typically take lower res stills than the video.
br /
br /Two killer features built into the camera (no software tricks to hassle with) are the ability to snap stills while recording video, and extracting stills from video already captured. I found the latter of those one of the best features ever because it always seems I'm about 1-2 seconds from capturing the perfect picture. Now, I shoot a short video clip and go back to extract the perfect moment (when everyone is smiling, all eyes are open, etc).
br /
br /The box comes with everything you need, including editing software ($50 value), cables, and a docking station. The only thing you'll need to splurge on is an SD memory card. I recommend the maximum 8GB size and a cheap $5 USB card reader to easily transfer video to your PC. Then you can skip the docking station and USB cable setup.
br /
br /Overall, an unbelievable piece of technology that I am very pleased with.

I heard many good things about this camcorder.
br /Video is just great on it no doubt about that, but stills pictures - even though it's a 7MP camera, the stills pictures come out blurry and with snow spots, it takes nice pictures in outdoor, but not what I would expect from a 7MP ($480) camera.

This camera is small and compact, and easy to use. It takes great pictures and video outdoors when there is an abundance of light. Indoors the photos and video are extremely poor. You can change the settings indoors to allow more light into the camera but the photos are just too "grainy" to be worth anything. If you know you will be shooting outdoors mostly and want a small easy to use camera that is easy to carry with you and operate then this is worth getting. If you plan on shooting indoors or without much light in the scene this camera is not for you. Here is a link to many photos I shot with this camera. As you can see the outdoor photos are really pretty good.
br /
br /[...]

I bought the HD700 after my HD1 died and have had it now for about 6 months. I stuck with Sanyo in spite of all the trouble with the HD1 because I love the form factor so I was somewhat suprised to see that the HD700 was slightly smaller, great! As others have stated, there are quite a bit of image problems-poor low light, narrow field of view. I've found the video saturation and noise to be less than the HD1, but, the low light performance is still pretty poor. Also, the 5x optical zoom is only fair as it seems that the image is a bit blurry. The HD1 10x zoom was better. I more or less happy with the HD700 as my primary requirment is a small camcorder.

Well I purchased this hoping that it would perform like it is advertised. Well that was hoping for too much I guess. I received my first one and I must say that the build quality and feel in your hands is great.
br /I then shoot video outdoors and pictures. played them back and were as good as my Aiptek A-HD but no better. As matter of fact the pictures were better with the Aiptek. I did notice that there video was not in focus at a distance and could not focus at a distance even when done manually.
br /I then tried to take pictures and video indoors under well light area with 7 60watt bulbs. The video was pretty good but any pictures taken with use of the flash were very grainy and not useable. I tried all manual settings and the only way to get a clear picture was to turn flash off, set ISO at 200, set apperature at 3.5, set shutter speed at 1/15second and pictures were without grain but you must use a tripod at this slow shutter speed or it will blur badly and it did. So no good on indoor pictures at all.
br /Amazon sent me another as a replacement, great return policy! Well this one performed the same but had no focus problems. But it had a new one that I did not check on the old one. It has severe barrel distortion. Which is if you take a picture of lets say a straight line it will look very bent in the pics. So as a result I returned the second one as well and will not try another one. I spent 129.00 for my Aiptek A-HD and it outperforms this camera but the Aiptek only has a 2 time digital zoom and really is not good since the picture does not maintain good quality when zoomed. But if you don't zoom alot then it does not matter.
br /Ok now for the good. I just spent alittle bit more money and just received the Sanyo HD1000! Wow this is the bomb what a difference. I love the HD1000 so far. So my recomendation would be to spend alittle more if Quality pictures and video are important to you. Just my opinion!
br /
br /UPDATE: I have recently purchased a Kodak V1253 camera and it has outperformed all my cameras for picture quality. It is even easier to carry around. The video is almost as good as my Sanyo hd1000. The low light performance is better than all including the Sanyo hd100.

This camera is not going to replace your single function video or still camera but with that said, it is a lot of fun to use. The video is a mpeg compression and does not like a lot of fast movement ( it breaks up or goes out of focus) but for travel where space or luggability is important this really shines. I just drop it in my pocket or a very small case and off I go. The still images are very good in bright light and not so good in dim light unless you use 100 iso and use a tripod. As compared to sanyo's first hd camera the hd1 this kicks its butt! Way better low light and a HDMI connection. I use it with a 8 gig card and can record almost 2 hours of video. While the battery seemed to last most of a day shooting here and there you will want to buy at least one more battery and a mini tripod or monopod so all of your video doesn't look like an earthquake. So if your going on vacation and want to add video without hauling a ton, this might be what your looking for.
br /

So, I've been looking for a long time for a digital camcorder.
br /I read a lot of reviews and narrowed it down to one or two models (one being the Xacti HD700).
br /I did a lot of research on them.. and even though the sample videos looked good and there was some positive feedback.. I kept looking at the negative feedback and I would then NOT buy the camcorder.
br /I finally choose a Panasonic HardDrive AVC unit from my local electronics store. For the $[...] I paid.. I was NOT impressed.. and I took it back.
br /
br /Well, here I was looking at the Xacti again.
br /After buying it, I seemed to be quite pleased.
br /* It seems to be built pretty sturdy.
br /* It has a good feel.
br /* I took it to a 'bounce party' (my kids) and the indoor-lighting was horrible.. and I couldn't use it at all.
br /* I tried it in my living room with some lighting and the results were mediocre.
br /* However, all the other videos that I have taken since then.. christmas, outside, inside with enough lighting.. etc.. have been very good.
br /
br /* Pictures inside are noisy.. but I have a dig. camera and I bought this for video. I haven't yet taken any photos outside.
br /* Low light video is not that good..
br / Analog low light video has a washed out effect but lines are very smooth flowing.
br / Digital low light video (like this unit) is very washed out AND blocky/pixely.
br /* I have one more problem with the camera.
br / It is so small that it becomes part of your hand. And if your hand is shaky.. (like mine) it does affect the video.
br / I found that my old sony-luggable camcorder didn't shake because it was so much heavier.
br /
br /
br /
br /I am impressed and have decided to keep it.
br /I paid $[...]xx for the device and have no regrets. However Amazon ran a sale a few days after I bought it and I asked them for the credit.
br /Amazon came through and promptly provided me with the credit.
br /I am now a loyal Amazon buyer and have stopped buying from [...] because of a similar incident that did not result in my favor.
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br /

I bought this camera after reading through most of the reviews here, so was aware of the limited field of view. Even then, it is still an annoyannce. I still find myself having to step back to use the camcorder - still overestimating the field of view after 5 months of use.
br /
br /In spite of this, this camera is what we need. We now have many more HD videos than we would otherwise - very convenient to travel with just a single camera for both stills and video. The price is also hard to beat.

I like it! It is easy to use and makes very good pictures. I am happy with the sound. I like the software that comes with it. I patched all of my video segments together with transitions between and burnt a nice DVD for later viewing. Very happy with the results.

Despite some flaws I'm rating this 5 stars because it is, in my opinion, a groundbreaking camera. For the price (I'm talking if you get this below $400) you get beautiful video outdoors and ok video indoors (with good light). Photos are good outdoors and fair indoors. There is a magnetic wide angle lens avilable (Phoenix M-Power large 0.45x magnetic wide angle lens) that works well for both videos and photos. Sound quality on videos is excellent. Battery life is good and charges fast. Start up is fast. Small form factor means you'll always have it with you. For those of you that have a HD-DVD (or Blu-Ray) player you can edit your videos (Pinnacle Studio 11 Plus etc) and burn to standard DVD (don't need a HD DVD burner). You can put 26 min of HD video on the disk.
br / Needs improvement: Low light performance, some lens barrel distortion, no auto lens cover, weak flash.
br /
br / Overall, this is a very good high def hybrid. For the first time you can carry only one small camera and get both good quality video and photos.

First off, I'm a canon SLR user and I'm familiar with photography and taking pictures etc. I read through the manual for this item as well as went to the Sanyo site on how to take better pictures. I have two major with this product. One is the hunting focusing. If someone can figure a way around it, ping me. It's horrible. I actually have one shortcut that "locks" the auto focus. I do this just so the focus will cease to hunt. Otherwise you'll see that the lens constantly is hunting. I've tried to put it at higher ISO in low light and still the same reaction.
br /
br /My other gripe with it is the lack of wide angle when filming in SHD quality. Those with the camera, check this out, if you try to take a picture, your frame of view is MORE. Or if you put it on SD quality, again your frame of view is MORE than SHD. Now how does that make sense? The way to solve this is to get the phoenix wide angle lens which i have. It works okay, but it falls off easily since it is magnetic.
br /
br /In low light, it will capture the pictures. It seems on auto it puts it at ISO400 or so.
br /
br /overall the quality of the camera is barely better than a good compact photo camera like the canon SD1000 or the like. sure the resolution is higher, but with the hunting focus etc, you're pushing it.
br /
br /Now why I'll keep it. For $300 it's a good deal. The size in itself is nice and the wide screen monitor is also nice. I like how the auto-startup is pretty quick and the fact that it records in MPEG-4 which is a format that will play in my PS3 without any conversion. You have to press the triangle button and select "display all" to see the files though. Also the color labeled as "brown" is actually pretty nice and I would prefer it over the silver/red.
br /It's a good camera if you want an all in one and you want something compact. It also takes decent still photos, so if i want to leave my bulky SLR at home, i can.

I love this camera with one exception. It has a very narrow field of view.
br /
br /When trying to record a young child indoors, you need to be far away from the subject if you want to get everything in the frame. If I knew it was going to be as bad as it is, I would not have purchased this.
br /
br /It does not do so well in low light either.
br /
br /I am still giving this a 3 because other than that, it feels great in my hand, and I have fairly large hands. It is also very easy to use. I like the fact that I can just run it on and hand it to my wife and she can at least figure out the basic functions (record, photo and zoom) without a problem.
br /
br /I love carrying it around in my pocket, it is so small, you forget you have it sometimes. It's a great camera if you are the kind of person that never knows when you might need to record something when you are out-and-about. Sure there are camera phones that shoot video, but not in HD!

I purchased the refurbished HD700 about 2 weeks ago and satisfied more or less considering the prices. In bright light, the picture is pretty good and in lower light, the picture and video is grainy.
br /I'm going to read manual more based on the revies below
br /And especially when the HD700 is connected with HDTV through HDMI cable using included docking station, the picture and video is so much grainy..a lot of white spot is all scattered on the TV screen...especilly worse in picuture.
br /When those picture and video clips are played in the computer, I can't see these white spots, and looks much better...Is this normal or issue on docking station?

My last camcorder was sharp mini camcorder and I hate to buy tapes. This camcorder sounds like a perfect fit. I was pretty impressed with the quality of this when I saw someone took some video with this camera, and it was downsized too. For $299 at amazon, I thought why not jump into the deal and I brought a 8gb sdhc card also.
br /
br /I first took some video indoors at the highest settings and I noticed some noise when I took it, even with the flourscent light on. Okay, I know about other reviewers who has problems taking videos in low light. I took some pictures at the highest settings with the flash on and the pictures has alot of noise also. Even most cameras with a flash can take decent pictures.
br /
br /Took the camera outside on a bright sunny day with the highest settings and the videos didn't come out what I expected. It was kind of noise when I took it and it wasn't as good as one of the reviewers showed. The video quality was almost the same as my old minidv camcorder. However, I looked at the pictures and it came out fine. Then again, most other 7.1 digital camera should have no trouble taking pictures outside in a sunny day also.
br /
br /I guess that I can't complain too much since I paid $300 for this camcorder but maybe if the quality is as good as advertised (even outdoors) I would give it 4 stars or more.

I bought this camera mainly for taking videos. There are a lot of things that I like about this camera, but my biggest beef is that the video quality isn't as good as I expected it to be.
br /
br /
br /What I like:
br /
br /The form factor- The size of this thing is great. It easily fits in your pocket. Because it is so portable, I think will use it more often.
br /
br /SD Memory Card Recording - This is great! No tapes to mess with. Just remove the card and stick it in your PCs card reader. For me, this makes it really easy to edit/delete the videos. I also noticed that there is a mode where you can save your videos directly to a USB hard disk and play them back thru the camera to your TV. No PC required!
br /
br /Lots of adjustments - There are tons of adjustments to help you fine tune your videos. I have found that I get the best results by running the ISO at 100 to 200.
br /
br /Decent Zoom - A lot better than the Aiptek A-HD I also own.
br /
br /Very Good Sound Quality - Again, a lot better than my A-HD.
br /
br /In Camera Editing- While I wouldn't want to edit a long movie in the camera, it is fine for cutting out segments while sitting in the hotel room at night.
br /
br /What I don't like:
br /
br /Video Quality - Maybe my expectations are too high. Indoors under typical room lighting the videos are passable, but they won't wow anyone. The ISO should be above 400 but if you do that, there is a lot of video noise. In brighter lighting, the video quality is much better. I also think that the video could be much sharper. Running the videos thru sharpening in Premier Elements helps a lot. Now don't get me wrong, the video quality is significantly better than the A-HD, but I would have expected better, especially when you see that these things are selling for $500. I paid $100 for the A-HD. The HD700 DOES NOT give you 5X the image quality of the A-HD.
br /
br /Editing - It seems the videos from my A-HD are easier to edit. I have a 3GHZ P4 with 3GB of RAM. The A-HD videos play smoother in Premier Elements and much smoother in Quicktime. The HD700 videos have a very strange cyclical jump when played in Quicktime. I have been converting the videos to AVI with MP4CAM2AVI and then editing or playing them in Windows Media Player.
br /
br /Lens Cap - OK, maybe this is a little picky, but for $500 I would have expected something more than a flimsy snap on piece of plastic. The lens cap on the A-HD is very similar to a Canon DSLR lens cap.
br /
br /I got the HD700 for $300 and I think that it is worth that much. If I paid $500 for this camera, I would return it.

I got a great deal on this camcorder from Amazon. Looked to be a winner. I am not completely dissatisfied with it but I would advise others to look for alternatives. Like others have said the field of view while filming is very narrow. If I shoot in 4x3 vs 16x9 it does help to broaden the field of view. It is like you are always zoomed in. Video still does like a little grainy. I was hoping for better video quality but it looks about the same as my 5 year old sharp dvi camera. Also when you zoom in and out while recording you record audio from the zooming mechanism. In other words while filming and zooming you get some feedback from the device making noise while zooming in. Great size and feel. Just wish the video quality was better.

This camera has been great because of being able to take decent videos as well as mediocre still photos. It is compact and easy to tote around in you pocket.
br /
br /The zoom on it however is horrible. When I want to take a video of something far away it will be blurry. Also you can not zoom in very much. That is certainly a pain. Also the still camera's photos are not that great. With limited flash options you need to have good lighting to take full advantage of the still camera.

I recently bought an HD700 to record my newborn son and really wanted something that was small and easy to tote around.

One of the main selling points was the fact that I didn't have to mess with tapes. Just shoot the video and import onto my Macbook Pro - doesn't get much easier.

So far, the camera has been great, but it does have tradeoffs. For example, the low light recording is pretty bad, so you'll have to flip some lights on or else the video comes out pretty noisy. I've noticed that the video comes out much better if you adjust the manual settings (iso, aperture, etc..) in the same way you would a normal digital camera rather than letting the camera do it.

The other negative that I've discovered is that the electronic image stabilization could use some work. It basically crops the image and uses the cropped part to compensate for camera shake. It helps, but it feels like I'm always zoomed in a small amount and it's no match for a real image stabilizer. Since the camera is so small, it can be difficult to hold it still.

In good lighting, the HD video looks quite nice, not as nice as a full size HD camcorder, but definitely better than your average SD mini-dv camera.

Like I said, there are trade-offs, but I'm willing to put up with them to have a small camera that fits in my coat pocket (probably a little large for pants pocket unless you're wearing really baggy pants). If I had a larger DV Cam, I think it would sit on the shelf collecting dust because it's too big of a hassle to mess with tapes and to carry around everywhere.

This camera records in 720p mode. Combine it with a 720p HDTV plasma, LCD or CRT, and you got a nice little camera for on the go people. Four major problems. (1)The optical lens needs more zoom range. (2)Low light environments produce grainy picture in auto mode, if you add very bright lights and manual adjust ISO to 100 or 50, indoor VDO achieves very clear HD quality!. (3) Need a Blu-Ray DVD recorder; a very large hard drive or buy a new SD card for each VDO project you shot to store your HD VDO. I'm using a progressive scan recorder DVD disc player to store my VDO but I'm losing some of the sharp 720p HD VDO doing it this way. I'll have to wait for a Blu-ray recorder/player or for 2GB SD prices to fall below $10 per Card for HD storing. I may start storing my HD VDO on my external hard drive but i can't figure out how to view my HD VDO on my HDTV's. It's so much easier to view my VDO on my HDTV's on DVD disc or SD cards. Problem #(4)The image stabalizer needs to be more powerful. Shake is very noticable if you're not very still or don't use a tripod.
br /
br /In summary I would purchase this camera again. Just hope the HD DVD disc and SD card manufactures start making cheaper products. A 2GB SD card holds about 28 minutes of 720p HD VDO and cost about $20. I also like the still picture feature. The only problem is that 5 mega pixel pictures are the only 16:9 (HDTV screen) with this aspect ratio. 7 and 10 mega pixel pictures don't fit the entire HDTV screen but are very good for printing.
br /
br /You can edit your HD VDO right on the camera without the use of a computer. You have to leave enough space on the 2GB SD card to do this. About 20-15 minutes of record time will leave you just enough room to edit on the camera. Then just place your camera in the dock and hook-up the wires to your Blu-ray player/recorder for HD storing or progressive scan DVD/recorder for standard quailty. I would prefer to keep my edited VDO on a SD card, but this can become very expensive over time having to buy a new SD card for each VDO project.
br /
br /Also one more major problem. I once owned a standard JVC camcorder that recorded without breaks. The VDO was one continueous clip. I hate that Sanyo records in clips and then you have to join these clips together. It would be better to have one continuous clip. The cut feature in the edit mode is great! By joining these clips together you waste space on your SD card and takes time. I could record 15 minutes more if I could record without clips for each time I press start. I would use the cut feature to edit. Bad design!

If you can get this camcorder for $300 or less, then it is an absolute no brainer. I bought this to replace my Canon Elura 100 and I am very pleased so far. In bright lighting situations, the video quality is beautiful on my hdtv. In low light, the video quality is as bad as I expected it to be. The 7 megapixel camera is only okay. It can't compare to me Canon sd1000 at least. But by eliminating the need to carry a separate camera and camcorder, the picture quality is forgiveable.
br /
br /Pros:
br /1) video quality is stunning in bright light
br /2) compact size, but not too small
br /3) takes SD SDHC cards (no more tapes!)
br /4) decent quality still pictures
br /5) HD quality for under $300 (open box item, or on sale)
br /
br /Cons:
br /1) video quality in low light situations is underwhelming (you get what you pay for)
br /2)the zooming is so loud it is often picked up by the mic (bad placement)!
br /
br /Overall:
br /A quality product as long as you don't pay retail.

I've had this camera for a couple weeks now and I really like it! I was looking for a pocket HD camcorder in the $200-$300 price range, and this was by far the best one I tried. I compared it directly with Flip's new pocket HD camera, the Mino HD, and the HD700 is superior in so many ways.
br /
br /Head to Head on video quality:
br /Excellent video quality in ideal lighting situations. The Mino HD had slightly crisper quality, but the white balance on the mino is crippling, causing colors to look VERY unnatural. The HD700 has near flawless colors. Low light is not the strength of either camcorder, but at least you can compensate with the HD700. Manual ISO settings make the video more than passable. Not so with the Mino HD - noise just destroys the video quality and the white balance compensates with oversaturated yellows.
br /
br /What set's the Sanyo HD apart from the Mino HD:
br /Besides the picture quality as noted above, the HD700 also offers the following features one should expect on a camcorder priced at $200 and above
br /
br /-Optical Zoom - 5x (if you think the HD700 has perma zoom, the Mino HD is far worse)
br /-Image stabalization
br /-Large swivel LCD screen - 2.7 inches
br /-Manual features - ISO, White Balance, Focus, exposure and so much more
br /-Excellent sound quality - I can't begin to tell you how much better the sound is on the HD700 vs. the Mino HD
br /-Still picture capability
br /-Can shoot in HD and SD
br /-Records to SDHC cards (8gig maximum)
br /-Ergonomic design
br /-Excellent build quality
br /-Fits in your pocket
br /-Video looks fantastic on a large HDTV
br /
br /Overall, I'm extremely pleased with this camera and glad I made the purchase. This is a quality camcorder at a great price and offers so many great features in a small, pocketable package.
br /

We bought this about a year ago, and have used it a lot since then. We have an infant and a toddler, so having a video camera so easy to carry around and use on the spot is invaluable. I've been impressed with the video quality, long battery life, and smoothness(i.e. The video doesn't look shakey even though my hand is notoriously unsteady). The still pictures I take seem to just turn out ok, but I'm still glad to have it on the spot and we use another camera for nicer pics.

bought this camera when it wa half-off for just one day. great deal. It's true you need to step back far enough to experience the advertised wide-angle. Other than that, no complaints.

This camera is pretty much what I was looking for. It doesn't do very well in low light conditions but good enough for I use it for. The field of view is pretty short like some of the other reviews state. I bought a magnetic mount wide angle lens from Amazon also (Phoenix M-Power small 0.45x magnetic wide angle lens). This is the 1st time I have used anything with MPEG4 video. Not many players for this format. I did find a video converter that converts to all other formats. If your just wanting to watch your videos on your TV the Xacti HD700 easily hooks up to your TV and comes with a remote to make it easy to use.
br /1 to 10, I rate this about a 7.

I got this for my husband for christmas, and he loves it... he's had it for a couple of months now. He's been making all sort of little movies for work and play. Perfect for capturing the fun for an amature. So small fits in your pocket, and is easy to opperate and edit on the computer.

Great pocket cam for the price. I purchased this when it was on sale for three hundred. Great video quality in daylight (not as good as my Canon HV20 but in the right light it's starts approaching it)and usable quality in low light if a lower ISO is selected. Good stereo sound quality, wish it had a microphone input though. The still images are usable for 4x6 prints after a little post processing. It's great how I can put it in my pocket and have video wherever I go.
br /
br /Only thing I really wish for is Optical Image Stabilization because hand holding such a lightweight camera produces shaky footage (still researching mini pocketable shoulder stabilizers and tripods)and the built in EIS is inferior to OIS.
br /
br /So in my opinion the future looks bright for these little pocket cams as I would Imagine in 2-3 years having available a similarly priced video camera with full 1080i/p resolution and OIS not unlike the Sanyo HD1000.

To put it simply, this thing shoots very nice video when set up to record in its best HD mode. Video quality is especially good when viewed via the included docking station and HDMI, to an HDTV.
br /
br /Viewing on a computer is also excellent, especially when compared to other recordings made with digital still cameras. A wide-screen computer display can be completely filled with a decent detailed picture - no pixel break-up.
br /To get the smoothest video playback, download and install
br /the VLC Player at [...]. This player works far better than anything else around, and it is small and resource effecient. Include a copy of the player when sharing videos.
br /
br /Still photos are decent. There is a 5MP 16:9 mode that results in good detail when viewed on an HDTV.
br /
br /As with any digital imaging device, one must learn the system in order to get the best results. Take the to do so, and everything seems to fall into place.
br /
br /I use the Xacti to document device nameplate information, and other details, in manufacturing facilities. Digital stills were always hit miss in the past, and remain so with the Xacti (it's just the nature of the task).
br /
br /But the video results are very impressive. Although a little slow in getting there, the Xacti adapts to various lighting conditions well. Close-in focusing is excellent, and the view on the screen while shooting is exactly what is recorded.
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br /
br /
br /

This is a fabulous camera and I would highly recommend it. It is so tiny and can fit into a pocket with ease. It has a nice large screen and is very easy to use. My only criticism is in the zoom which only really zooms between a few set zoom distances. However, I easily got used to it. It is very easy to use and move files from the camera to the computer.
br /
br /Nice size, design, functionality and price! All around a great buy!

Nice portable video camera,easy to use, just open the flip screen and shoot. Inside video can be on the dark side at times. Used during the holidays with friends and family, seams less intrusive than other video cameras, people were not as aware of me videoing them. Battery life is very good. Originally I saw this product at CES in 2008 and loved it, bought it a year later after price drop on amazon.com

15 Minute Use Review
br /
br /OK- I am not going to get into great technical depth at this point. This is my preliminary review, about an hour after opening the box.
br /
br /Right out of the box, I had the camcorder setup, hooked up to the computer, and recording in no more than 5 minutes, if that. I did not even open the manual. The camcorder connected instantly, with no issues, to a Dell XPS running Windows Vista Premium. No need to load the included software. I had video up on Facebook in another 5 minutes, including the time it took me to record a short video and the upload (to facebook) time.
br /
br /The low level light performance of this camera is amazingly good. I was very surprised because I did not expect much. My first recording was a snowstorm, at night,under a street lamp, from about 30 yards. The camcorder did superb in standard household lighting rendering pretty accurate color (could be little more vivid) with sharpness I did not expect. The 640 by 480 quality (TV Quality setting) was incredible for Facebook. I have not tried the HD (720) setting yet.
br /
br /The camera is small, but fits well in my hand (not too large of a hand). The camera feels of a decent build quality, not quite like a Sony, but almost. For the price, I consider the build quality comensurate if not better.
br /
br /I should mention that I bought this camcorder to replace a Sony mini-DV ($600.00) camcorder. I found that I did not use the Sony because it was inconvenient. Subsequently, I did not take much video of my second born (about a 19 month gap). I bought this device for convenience, in an effort to afford me a greater likelihood that I will actually use the camera. To that end, I offer the following.
br /
br /I found myself repeatedly wanting to shoot video. Why? No tapes! From the time I lift the camera out of the dock, I am recording in less than 7 seconds including the time it takes the camcorder to boot up. That alone is worth the $300.00 I paid.
br /
br /What may even be better (at least for some) is that when you want to review the video, simply place the camcorder in the dock, power it up and you are done. The camcorder mounts as another drive in Windows. Simply drag and drop your files for INSTANT VIEWING- No need to do lengthy importing (like from nini-DV tapes). From the time I decided to view the video on my computer to the time I was viewing video was about 1 minute. Tape does not come close.
br /
br /I have not tried the digital camera yet.
br /
br /I will post a followup review after prolonged use. I have to go shoot some video.
br /
br /----48 hour update--------
br /
br /After additional use, I offer the following observations:
br /
br /-Indoor lighting simply produces a lot of noise in the video. Outdoors, the camera functions much better (stating the obvious).
br /-There appears to be a lens flareup at times. This is no Carl Zeis lens.
br /-Camera is OK. Better quality than Iphone camera and less quality than a Canon Digital Elph.
br /-TVSHQ quality (640 by 480) actually appears just as good, if not better, than HD quality under the same conditions (overcast).
br /The biggest strength of this device is ease of importing video (mp4) for uploading or movie creation.
br /
br /Conclusion-
br /
br /Ease of use is the HD 700's biggest strength. However, that ease of use is not without a price. You will lose quality without a doubt. If you are migrating from a Sony mini-DV, you will clearly see the difference. But once again, if you find yourself not taking video due to tapes, batteries, etc. or if you find yourself just storing away the tapes and not doing anything with them, this is most likely a suitable device.

I bring this camera everywhere I go, it's portable and produces amazing videos. You'll never miss a single shot, it's durable and scratch resistant, besides the black part. It cost 100 less than the Xacti HD1000, but it's nearly as good, so it's excellent.
br /
br /
br /But beware, dark or moderately lighted areas are not good for this camcorder, other than that, the camera shoots good anywhere else, especially in HD!

First, the look and feel of this camcorder is great. Easy to handle. One drawback that was mentioned was that the battery does get "warm" after some continuous use.
br /
br /Video Quality: Great for outside use. Not so good for inside use unless you have plenty of light. This is the common complaint for this item.
br /
br /Picture Quality: So-So. Even though it states that it's a 7M camera, it performed worst than my point-and-shoot 7.2M Casio camera, especially shooting indoor.
br /
br /Basically, the camcorder/camera performs well as long as you have plenty of light. Else, it is subpar, but overall, a great camcorder to have for every uses due to its compact size.

The video quality is great in bright lighting. There is a noticable zoom effect while using the video camera. The still image camera does not suffer from this effect.
br /I really like it due to it's small size. I take it places I would have never taken a video camera.

The camera is great. good photos and video, but only in places with good lighting. Inside Flash photography is good, but does cause some red eye.
br /Inside video is OK with good lighting but picture has some noise. I am impressed with this camera, and am still testing it under different conditions and testing.

Let's be clear, if you're looking at this product you're not a prosumer or expert - or you'll be very disappointed. You're most probably an average user like me who favors portability over image quality. What I want is a camcorder so small it can always be taken everywhere unlike my larger camcorder that spends most of the time at home.

Lower your expectations about HD, you're not getting Discovery Channel HD quality or even the kind of quality you get from regular DVD movie.

This camcorder NEEDS good light to take good quality videos, that means fairly bright outdoor conditions. On a bright day, the video is pretty good, definitely better than a point and shoot camera BUT there's an unacceptable loss of dynamic range - whites are blown and shadows become black. If you live somewhere where it's cloudy or rains most of the year, look for something else. Forget about indoor videos, it will not only be grainy but have trouble focusing (focus hunts back and forth). Yes, some of the focusing can be solved by manual focus lock but I'm comparing this to my Canon Powershot SD800IS ($300) which isn't HD resolution but has optical image stabilization that works and has low light focus that doesn't hunt back and forth.

The electronic (not optical) image stabilization is useless and best left off otherwise it degrades the video. If Canon PowerShots can include great optical IS, why can't Sanyo? This means that you'd better have great technique and a very steady hand, keep your arm against your side and breathe very slowly if you don't want video that'll make you dizzy when watching. Forget about quickly panning left or right to track a moving object. Don't forget the smaller the camcorder the tougher it is to hold still.

If you want this camcorder, just understand that it will outperform a Canon Powershot in bright daylight conditions, but other than that, it's all downhill. I feel this is a better comparison since they're about the same size and also clarifies my statement that if the HD700 was priced like a SD800/SD870 then it's good value, otherwise, you're buying a conversation piece and I'd rather wait for the next Sanyo iteration as they are improving.

Like many of you I wanted the smallest HD camcorder that I could find and on the surface the HD700 fits. The real world tests show it's not much of an improvement over a Canon Powershot SD800 so I'd rather stick with that. The Canon Powershot still images are also better than the Sanyo HD700.

Ordered it on 12th of Dec 2007 using standard shipping knowing that it will be in stock on the 21st. Shipped on the 21st itself. But UPS as usual messed it all up with their delivery. They delivered it on 2nd of Jan 2008 from coast to coast. As far as the product goes, it does take some nice pictures and video is a little bit grainy in fluorescent lighting but neat in sunlight. I guess even a $1500 sony HD camcorder will and does suffer from the grainy pics at low light (I own both). At the price ($299) I paid, I am not really complaining.

In general I'm a fan of the Xacti line -- I've got a CG6 that I've been very happy with and I was excited to see the HD700 and HD1000 come out a few months back.

On the plus side the camera build, fit and function continues in the line of previous Xacti cameras -- Very easy to use and responsive. In fact the HD700 is even snappier than the CG6 (my one complaint on the CG6 was shutter lag which is fixed in the HD700)

My first impressions were that it had overall good quality -- one thing you have to be willing to accept with these kinds of cameras is the qualiy is the best in class but I was always quite happy with the CG6 and in some quick tests of the HD700 it looked fine.

So when the chance came to buy a red one at a good price I jumped on it. Now after owning it less than 1 hour (it just arrived) I'm repackagaing it to send back.

Why? Because of the charging -- My old xacti cg6 would charge off a STANDARD usb cable (it would charge as well as copy files) -- the new HD700 has a custom connector interface and requires a special dock.

If I stayed close to home that might be fine (and in fact might be convient) but the fact is I *travel* with this camera and there is no way I'm lugging around a camera, doc and power brick to keep it charged -- There is an external 6V input which you could use to bypass the dock but that still requires a special power brick.

I can't believe they didn't put standard USB connector for charging -- If they had I would have kept it.

It looks great, it feels great, and everybody wants to check it out, but at the end of the day, the output doesn't live up to the design. I came home from my recent trip with fewer 'keepers' than ever before with a digital camera.
br /
br /The good:
br /-Battery life seemed good. I got through most days with no issues on having to recharge the batteries.
br /-The form factor is excellent! It feels solid in your hands.
br /-When you are outdoors in bright light and good conditions, the output can be very good.
br /
br /
br /The bad:
br /-Photos were very noisy and grainy. Night pictures were terrible. Focus was hit and miss even in daylight shots.
br /-There is no wide angle view in this lens. Like other reviewers have stated, you need to be standing very far back to get anything in the viewing screen. This is especially a problem at night because the small flash cannot make up the extra distance needed to fit everybody in the frame.
br /- I've taken much better digital still photos with your basic Canon and Panasonic Lumix cameras.
br /- Too much focus hunting in video mode. Doesn't always lock and hold the focus.
br /- This Xacti model has three large components needed for charging the device. You get two power cords, including one with a fairly large and heavy brick, and a base station/holder. Other Xacti models (like the E1, which I greatly preferred) only require a small plug in battery charger. When traveling, you will be packing three times the weight in charging cords and base units vs. other models, adding bulk and weight while traveling.
br /
br /I ended up settling on the Xacti E1, the version that is waterproof and non-HD. I actually got better photo results from the E1, and the underwater features worked so well that the camera finds a unique niche in my camera bag - a perfect camera for when I don't want to care about water, wind and the elements. If you prefer an HD video camera, there are better options than the HD700. Believe the reviews.

Well I purchased this hoping that it would perform like it is advertised. Well that was hoping for too much I guess. I received my first one and I must say that the build quality and feel in your hands is great.
I then shoot video outdoors and pictures. played them back and were as good as my Aiptek A-HD but no better. As matter of fact the pictures were better with the Aiptek. I did notice that there video was not in focus at a distance and could not focus at a distance even when done manually.
I then tried to take pitures and video indoors under well light area with 7 60watt bulbs. The video was pretty good but any pictures taken with use of the flash were very grainy and not useable. I tried all manual settings and the only way to get a clear picture was to turn flash off, set ISO at 200, set aperature at 3.5, set shutter speed at 1/15second and pictures were without grain but you must use a tripod at this slow shutter speed or it will blur badly and it did. So no good on indoor pictures at all.
Amazon sent me another as a replacement, great return policy! Well this one performed the same but had no focus problems. But it had a new one that I did not check on the old one. It has severe barrel distortion. Which is if you take a picture of lets say a straight line it will look very bent in the pics. So as a result I returned the second one as well and will not try another one. I spent 129.00 for my Aiptek A-HD and it outperforms this camera but the Aiptek only has a 2 time digital zoom and really is not good since the picture does not mantain good quality when zoomed. But if you don't zoom alot then it does not matter.
Ok now for the good. I just spent alittle bit more money and just received the Sanyo HD1000! Wow this is the bomb what a difference. I love the HD1000 so far. So my recomendation would be to spend alittle more if Quality pictures and video are important to you. Just my opinion!

i got the camera and tested it into my office building at 12pm near the windows and i found the quality of my film to be grainy, quite a lot actually. the spanning across the room wasn't fluid.
br /then i compared the quality of the video with a standard camera such as Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 and i found the quality of video to be similar even though i wasn't using the hi-def...
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br /
br /My conclusion is that this camera is beautiful but is a mediocre digital camera, and a medium video camera!...
br /not good enough of the video to justify the 299 dollars price point!...
br /i will try to be patient enough for the next version from Xacti or maybe a new competitor in this form factor...(pocketable)
br /

Got it
br /Used it
br /Watched my film
br /Sent it back.
br /The picture quality is really terrible. When you play it back it looks as though it is skipping frames and the light capturing ability is another major disaster. In other words, if you want a good quality hd camcorder, look else where.

I had problems getting the video exported to a dvd and called Sanyo USA customer service for help. The level of support was horible. I ended up having to figure out the problem on my own, only to realize that it takes over 30 (continous)hours to encode one hour of HD video to DVD format!!! Highly disappointed is an understatement.

Echo other reviewers. Pictures indoors are grainy, even at low ISO. Flash is underpowered, focus hunts unless manually set. Video is disappointing. Still images appear soft. Colors on both inaccurate, lots of barrel distortion in stills. EIS ineffective.

Back to Amazon it went.

Would not buy this product again. If you have any problem with a sanyo product, you will NEVER get service from this company. After 2 weeks of sending meails and several hours of calling every Sanyo customer service number I could find online, I just gave up. You will only get voice-prompts, circular loops, and deaed-end messages. DON'T BUY SANYO

I purchased this camera and opened the box excited by the design style and small form factor. This camera is really nice looking and the screen works great. I recorded some video and went to play it through the HDMI dck attached to my HDTV. I watched the video and thought I had something screwed up. The picture looked horrible, it was grainy and out of focus. The lighting level was unusable. Really a great idea - just horrible picture quality. This item is going back.

I have to say I was very excited to read about this camcorder when it was announced because of an upcoming trip my wife and I are taking to Australia. The size, weight and the fact that it is a HD camcorder was quite appealing. Unfortunately the camera fell short on the output side of things. While it is nicely designed, the photos and the movies came out very soft and not as crisp as I had hoped. The image stabilizer is also weak, so unless you intend to bring a monopod or tripod along, don't bother. Sanyo also states that it is compatible with Apple iMovie '08, which is somewhat correct. While it does download easily into the application, I found that it seems to drop frames and is very jumpy. I worked with Apple to resolve the issue which seemed to point to 3rd party plug-ins, but, alas, no joy! I guess I'll be shooting movies with my 2 year old Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 which gave better results as both a still camera and video recorder. I gave the Sanyo Xacti HD700 two stars only because of the design. Otherwise I would have given it just 1 star.