Xacti DMX-HD700:Xacti DMX-HD700… a Xacti DMX-CG65 with HD 720p ?

Judging by looks, it's pretty hard to differentiate one from the other... let's dig deeper, and see if this new baby is worth it!

Just like the Xacti DMX-CG65, the new HD 700 is very compact; both appear very similar, and that's a great thing because Sanyo managed to put in HD with equal dimensions and weight.

Company	Sanyo
Type	Xacti DMX-HD700
Resolution	7.38 Mpixel
Max. resolution	3680x2760
Min. resolution	640x480
Sensor size	1/2.5-inch
Sensor type	CCD
Optical Zoom	Oui
Focal length multiplier index	n/a
Wide angle (mm)	38
teleobjective(mm)	190
Digital zoom	Yes
Autofocus	Yes
Manual focus	No
Distance de mise au point (cm)	10
Distance macro (cm)	1
Modes flash	anti red-eye auto fill in off slow flash
Memory cards	SDHC Secure Digital
Sensitivities	auto, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
Priorité ouverture	Oui
Ouverture mini grand angle	f3.5
Ouverture maxi grand angle	unknown
Ouverture mini téléobjectif	f4.7
Ouverture maxi téléobjectif	unknown
Priorité vitesse	Oui
Vitesse mini	4
Vitesse maxi (sec)	1/2000
Rafale (FPS)	unknown
Flash intégré	Oui
Flash externe	Non
Type flash externe	n/a
Mesure de l'exposition	Centre weighted Matrix Spot
Compensation de l'exposition	-1.8EV - +1.8EV with 1/3EV steps
Balance des blancs	Auto Cloudy Daylight Fluorescent Manual Tungsten
Vidéo	Oui
Son	Oui
Resolution video maxi	1280x720
Resolution video mini	320x240
Images par seconde (i/s)	30
Timbre vocal	Oui
Viseur optique	Non
Viseur électronique	Non
Écran LCD	Oui
Dimension de l'écran	2.7-inch
Résolution de l'éran (en pixels)	230,000
Retardateur	Oui
USB	USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Sortie vidéo	Oui
Port FireWire	Non
Bluetooth	Non
Format de fichier	JPEG
Accus	Li-Ion
Poids	189g.
Dimensions (mm)	73.7x109.0x35.0

Hands-on!
Again, no big change, or should I say no change at all? What you have here is top-notch "push and shoot", the Xacti DMX-HD700 will easily fit your hand or your pocket.

The video
As you could expect, this is where things change the most thanks to the almighty HD! All those who were frustrated with the 640x480px on the CG65 will be satisfied; unfortunately the switch from VGA to HD720 doesn't mean a 720x480 resolution (16: 9) and that's a bit disappointing... but always better than VGA for sure! The presence of a "real" video format is enjoyable (because VGA is...) on such a small camera. Moreover, Sanyo did well to use the 720p and not 720i which doesn't look good at all on current PC/TV flat screens... One thing however, the HD is unforgiving. If you want quality creations you'll need time and patience; otherwise, the result may be awful. The small size of the Xacti is yet another problem, it's hard to keep it stable like a shoulder cam.

More on the negative side? Unfortunately as the Xacti DMX-HD700 hasn't REALLY been thought through for HD, it feels much more like a CG65 with "HD option." Those looking for "real HD" should keep this in mind. The lens is too "light", lacks good brightness, and the auto focus is, oddly, not as good as on the VGA version.



Photographs
Thumbs up! The image of the 7PMx sensor is smoother and cleaner than before, and overall quality matches what you can get on most digital cameras. Here are a couple of examples for you to see.




Connectivity
The very useful mini-USB port that was on the Xacti DMX-CG65 is gone... replaced by an HDMI, which you plug into a small adapter in order to connect it to a computer. Videos are still .mp4 and .H264. Other items include the power supply, headset plug, and SD cards port.