Review: Sanyo Xacti CA8 camcorder

The Xacti CA8 is a little different to most camcorders, as it has a waterproof case that allows users to shoot video underwater.

The camcorder is rated as being waterproof to depths of five feet, so if you take the camcorder any deeper there’s a risk that the pressure will cause a leak. Admittedly, 5ft isn’t particularly deep, but the camcorder also has quite a powerful zoom lens, so it's possible to just float a few feet below the surface and use the zoom to get a closer view of objects a little further down.

We were more concerned about the camcorder’s relatively limited resolution. Its maximum is slightly below standard DVD resolution. That said, the image quality isn’t at all bad – certainly good enough to burn onto DVD for a home movie or to upload to Youtube – although it’s obviously not going to match the higher quality that can be had from a conventional camcorder. But then, of course, you wouldn’t be able to use a conventional camcorder underwater, so it's trading a little bit of image quality for flexibility.

There is the option of shooting still images at higher quality. The CA8 functions like an eight-megapixel camera when shooting stills, and it can shoot stills at the same time as shooting video, so if you see a particularly beautiful fish go swimming by you can quickly take a few snaps to go along with the video.

Sanyo includes a copy of Adobe’s Premiere Elements for video editing, so the box contains everything needed to shoot and edit your underwater epics. You’ll need to buy a separate memory card, though, as the camera’s small amount of built-in memory can only capture about one minute of video. The CA8 records video in the MPEG-4 format used by devices such as the iPod and Playstation Portable, so you can easily copy those underwater epics onto a portable device, or upload them to websites.

The CA8 might seem like something of a niche product, but you don’t have to be a budding Jacques Cousteau to use it. As well as shooting underwater it will also appeal to people who just want a compact camcorder that they can take on holiday and use on the beach or at a swimming pool without worrying about getting it wet.