When compared to the other HDV camcorders we've looked at in the past few months, the HD2 is something of an anomaly.
For starters, it's produced by Sanyo, a manufacturer that isn't commonly considered one of the camcorder stalwarts and, what's more, its HD footage is compressed in the MPEG4 codec. However, initial appearances suggest that Sanyo might be about to make a name for itself as a camcorder manufacturer, particularly when you consider the £440 price tag that makes this the cheapest HD cam on the market.
Looking at the features list it's difficult to figure out exactly what corners have been cut to achieve such an impressive price. One thing is clear, however: it's certainly not on the spec sheet.
The HD2 is obviously designed for the YouTube moviemaker who shoots funny events as and when they happen, rather than the serious enthusiast who's a bit more discerning about their video camcorder's functionality. Having said that, this cam has far more features than a sub-£500 model has any right to.
HD footage boasts 1,280 x 720-pixel resolution at 30fps (frames per second), while SD options vary from 720 x 480 pixels at 30fps right down to 320 x 240 at 15fps.
Manual overrides include the usual focus, exposure and white balance, while there are also options for adjusting the 'quality' of shots and a flicker control for use with fluorescent lighting. Footage can be saved in either 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios and can be output in either 720p or 480p.
The HD2 is also capable of capturing digital stills, boasting an astonishing maximum resolution of 3,680 x 2,760 pixels. Both stills and video are stored onto SD or SDHC cards, although neither is bundled with the cam, meaning that the £440 price tag is more likely to creep up towards the £500 mark. But that's still 50 per cent less than most half decent HD models.
Connection to an HD Ready plasma or LCD screen comes in the form of component video or HDMI. Cleverly, the HD2 doesn't have the sockets on its chassis, instead it plugs into a base station, which houses the socketry in order to minimise the cam's size.
