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Get a Sanyo 720p camcorder for $149.99

This is a new camera and it comes with goodies such as a spare battery, carrying case, and HDMI cable.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
2 min read

The lovely Xacti VPC-ZH1 shoots 720p video and comes with a nice bundle of extras. Amazon
Remember the Sanyo Xacti 1080p camcorder deal I posted last week? At $380, it was probably cost a little more than what most folks wanted to spend. Now I have a much  cheaper deal that might be Xacti what you're looking for--sorry for the pun. OK,  no I'm not.)

Geeks.com has the Sanyo Xacti VPC-ZH1 720p camcorder for $149.99. That is after applying coupon code ZH1R at checkout and adding about $11 for shipping to the cost.

This deal came to my attention on Friday, so there's a good chance it will sell out sometime today. If the deal ends, you can grab the Xacti for $159.99 from Amazon; however,  you wont get the extras included with the Geeks.com deal.

Before I get to the camcorder, let's talk goodies: Geeks is also throwing in a 1GB SD card, an HDMI cable, a spare battery, and a carrying case. 

The VPC-ZH1 shoots high-definition 720p video and stores video on SD/SDHC cards--it can support cards up to 32GB. The bundled 1GB card is probably good for about 30 minutes of HD recording, though that's just a wild guess on my part.

Some noteworthy specs include a 30x optical zoom, a 3-inch LCD, and user-adjustable settings for things like exposure, ISO, and white balance--options you won't find on your Creative Vados and Flip Videos. Oh, and you have to love the fire-engine-red paint.

I can't find many reviews of the VPC-ZH1; however, the three user ratings at the Amazon link are extremely positive. If you already own one of these, get thee to the comments!

Much as I like the pocketability of a compact cam like the Flip or Vado, there's much to be said for something you can grip. For hobbyist videographers, this is a hard deal to pass up.