Sanyo Returns To Digicam Market
By Greg Scoblete -- TWICE, 9/19/2005
CHATSWORTH, CALIF. — Sanyo, one of the largest digital camera OEMs in the world, said it will re-enter the U.S. market under its own brand with two new digital cameras.
Both models, the Xacti E6 and S6, will offer 6-megapixel resolution.
The E6 will feature a 3x optical zoom, a 3-inch LCD screen, 9-point area auto focus, a help mode, PictBridge compatibility and a touch-sensor shutter button for simpler focusing.
The E6 also features a best shot mode. The camera snaps four shots at different settings and displays them on screen for the user to choose his preferred take. Movies are recorded in the QuickTime format at VGA resolution and 30 frames per second.
The camera takes SD/MMC memory and offers 16MB of internal memory.
It will retail for a suggested $399.99 and ships this month.
The S6, for a suggested $299.99, will also feature a touch-sensor shutter button, a 2-inch LCD screen, PictBridge compatibility and a 3x optical zoom lens.
The S6 can record QuickTime movies at 320 by 240 resolution and offers 15MB of internal memory with slots for SD/MMC memory cards. It runs on two AA batteries and will ship in October.
According to John Lamb, senior marketing manager, Sanyo, the company plans to enter several new areas of branded business in the U.S. over the next 12 months.
“The emergence and success of the Sanyo C5 digital media camera proved that Sanyo can sell branded camera related products,” Lamb said. “But it also showed that [we] must broaden the line to not be a single SKU shooter and instead must be able to stand as a line of products,” he added.
New C-series Sanyo video/still cameras can be expected “early next year,” Lamb noted.
