I've been using this camera regularly for six months, and I'm satisfied. There are good things and bad things about it, though, so I'll start with the highlights. I bought the camera for it's waterproof feature, which is at the top of my list of good things about the Sanyo Xacti. It has survived the snow and has functioned while being fully submerged. This camera is comfortable and stylish. It gets compliments wherever I use it. Because of its shape, I can rotate the screen 180 degrees to view when taking self-portraits or group photos. It takes good quality pictures and videos. I am not a professional, and I use this camera for fun, so I haven't played around with a lot of the settings, but I'm happy with the results. Now for a couple downsides. The most obvious disadvantage to this camera is that it has no red-eye reduction flash. Almost all of my portrait photos that are taken in low light show everybody with red eyes. Even though it has a cool shape, it means I had to get used to using the buttons. The power and playback buttons are conveniently located on the side, but the rest of the buttons for capture, recording, and navigation take some practice. I like using this camera in the snow, but it's impossible to do with gloves on. The battery doesn't last as long as expected, since the camera is always on standby (unless I turn it off manually). I'm used to cameras that turn themselves off after five minutes of not being used. As a result, I've been caught off guard by a dead battery and missed the chance to take some good pictures. Overall, I recommend this camera if you will use its waterproof feature. Otherwise, there are probably other cameras that have better features for the price. At the time I bought this camera, Amazon had the lowest price I could find online.

Sanyo Xacti VPC-E1 6MP Waterproof MPEG4 Camcorder with 5x Optical Zoom technical description: 

Ever need to capture still images while you're already shooting video?

The E1 enables simultaneous recording of two 6-megapixel photos and 640 x 480 pixel video clips with a simple pressure on the shutter button during the shooting of a film clip. You will never miss a valuable photo opportunity. (Depending on the mode used to still images, simultaneous video clip shooting May be interrupted. While shooting video clips, using the digital image stabilizer May change the angle for photos.)

Sophisticated image stabilizer With a proprietary Sanyo algorithm, the E1 automatically compensates for distracting up-and-down or side-to-side camera movement, keep your subject steady and easy to follow. It accurately distinguishes between unintentional camera shake and deliberate camera movement.

This handy feature operates in both wide-angle and telephoto lens modes, with every shot a solid, professional-looking feel. 5x optical zoom with a bright maximum aperture of f/3.5 Consisting of 9 groups and a total of 12 lenses, the E1, the lens provides a fantastic field-of-view with a 38-190 mm range (35 mm equivalent). Together with the 12x digital zoom, the E1 provides up to 60x zoom capabilities.