We reviewed the first incarnation of Sanyo’s palm-sized solid-state camcorder back in 2004 and were fairly impressed. Back then, though, the SD cards it used weren’t cheap. It’s a different story now, making the new Xacti – complete with weather-proofing to the IPX4 standard – a much more interesting proposition.

You won’t reach for the Sanyo for wedding photos but for everyday shooting – and especially for outdoor activities – it’s almost ideal. The Xacti is small, convenient, easy to use and weatherproof, and gives good enough pictures when the alternative is no pictures at all.