SANYO New 1080p HD camcorder/still camera combos are looking good, and affordable

1080p HD video recording is all the rage and there have not been a lot of choices for consumers until recently. One of the better camcorders was the Sanyo VPC-CG10, which offers 720p, 10 MP stills and costs $150, but it was not 1080p. To get 1080p from Sanyo it currently costs you $500 for the VPC-HD200A, and it only is 8MP. Now there are three new models to choose from. All three are HD 1080p 60i (1920x1080), and can shoot stills.

These models are the VPC-GH2, VPC-CG102 (both $229), and VPC-CG20 ($199) and will be available in March but are available for pre-order now. The cameras can use SD, SDHC or ultra-high capacity SDXC (from 64 GB to 2 TB) memory cards.

The two more expensive cameras, which look like pistols, have a new "double-range zoom," which gives you both a wide-angle and telephoto zoom for videos. This allows up to 12x double-range zoom. If thinking in 35mm film standards helps you, this equals a video capture range from wide-angle 40mm up to a 12x zoom of 480mm. The CG20 has a 5x optical zoom lens, like its predecessor the VPC-CG10. This is huge. There has been a gap between the cheap Flip, with no zoom and the better cameras costing way more to get any decent zoom. Keep in mind the Flip HD costs you $150 minimum and zooms a paltry 2xs and does not take stills.

While not as important, the software for these cameras allows convenient recording and sharing digital video and photos. “Video is shot in MPEG4, AVC/H.264 format, recording the audio and video as one file, eliminating the need for special software to use on a PC, and making them easy to import, edit and view on PCs running Windows 7 and Windows Live Movie Maker.”

Here are the features of each camera so you can figure out which one you want.

VPC-GH2: Full HD videos: 1080 60i (1920 x 1080 pixels), 14MP photos, CMOS sensor (14.4MP), 38mm wide-angle lens, 5x optical zoom, 12x double-range zoom, compatible with SD, SDHC, or SDXC cards, wireless data transfer via Eye-Fi-SD cards, 2.7-inch TFT LCD display (can be turned 285 degrees), "Face Chaser" and "Target a Color" functions, Mini-HDMI port, rechargeable battery, 1.5 x 4.3 x 2.2 inches, 5.5 ounces.

VPC-CG102: same as above except it comes in black instead of color, and it is a little bigger 3.37 x 1.47 x 4.34.

VPC-CG20: same as above, except only 10MP photos, CMOS sensor (only 10.7 megapixels). It is also the old fashioned square type format.

So what is the big news here folks? The price. These are prices that make it worth the leap to HD and they are small enough to carry everywhere. Because seriously, that camera on your cell is just not good enough. If you can't wait until March the VPC-CG10 is still available, and still a great camcorder for the money.