The evolution of Sanyo Xacti HDTV tapeless camcorders benefits from intelligent design with the DMX-HD800, whose maker says it takes a “huge leap in image quality” over its predecessor that was released last October. That’s saying a lot, because we’re big fans of Sanyo’s Xacti 720p camcorders, which feel good in the hand, are small enough to take with you anywhere, and actually offer good-quality, convenient flash memory-based HDTV shooting for a reasonable price.

This new model heaps on the specs with a 5x zoom, 8-megapixel imager, face tracking and a 2.7-inch LCD viewscreen. Set to ship in Japan on August 22, if this camcorder is anywhere near as good as Sanyo says it is, it’ll be a great deal for $468. Best of all, now all the other camera companies that still think an HD camcorder should cost twice that or more will be compelled to follow suit.

Impress, via Gizmodo