We’ve scarcely got used to the idea of having HD TV in our homes and here comes the first of the Xacti HD video cameras. It’s amazing to think that we can film in HD long ­before most people will ever have seen an HD image on TV. 

The Sanyo HD1010 Xacti ­digital media camera with 10x optical zoom is a high-­definition compact camera that combines both the ­functionality of a digital ­camera and a digital ­camcorder. The HD1010 ­offers advanced video ­performance and high-quality stills in a very small package. We really like the way it’s put together; you just have to take one look at it to know it’s a quality item.

This powerful little device is designed to record both, ­either 1080p (30fps) or 1080i (60fps) high-def video. ­Because of the CMOS sensor in the Xacti you will now be able to take 4 megapixel stills, but they are essentially at the same ­resolution as 8 megapixel (3264 x 2448 ­pixels) photos.

Sanyo say that storage to SD or SDHC is very handy, but we’re not so sure. Full HD takes up a huge amount of space, so you’re not exactly going to be able to shoot ­feature length movies here, unless you have an 8GB SD card, then you can shoot about an hour’s worth.

The HD1010 includes all the features that the ­previous Xacti models had like face detection technology and image stabilisation, but it’s really the 10x optical lens that has us sold on this one. This f/1.8 lens allows four times the light in when ­compared to other Xacti ­models, this means low light video and stills are more ­focused, brighter and far less grainy.

Overall, the HD1010 is a really top class product that we wish we could have kept.

RRP: R9999 (incl VAT). For more info call Sanyo SA on 011-304-6000.