By Tan Chong Yaw

I FELT like I was Brad Pitt for all the glances cast my way.

Sadly, they were all directed at the Xacti CA9 I was testing.

It could be that the test camera was in handsome matte red.

The CA9 also comes in green or black.

Perhaps it was the shape of the camera - it is like the grip of a handgun without the gun barrel.

The best way of holding the 249g gizmo is with two hands - exactly how your favourite CSI character would hold a handgun.

One hand grips the camera while the other hand cups it from below for support.

Because of the short lens barrel, the camcorder's zoom goes only up to 5x - 38mm to 190mm - instead of the usual 10x and more.

All the controls - like the menu, zoom and selection buttons - are operated by the thumb.

To start, just flip open the LCD and tilt it towards you.

The camera fires up in about five seconds.

Usage of the HD-ready flash memory camcorder is simple too.

Hit the button with a red dot to start shooting and the same to end.

In the simple menu mode, there are only three icons on the menu for the resolution, focus and flash modes.

Switch to the normal menu and controls like manual focus, spot metering, and editing await your command.

The big deal with the CA9 is that it is waterproof down to a depth of 1.5m.

It even survived four hours at the Wild Wild Wet water-theme park at Pasir Ris.

Unprotected, it went down a two-storey-high water slide with me, buffeted by waves powerful enough to push me backwards.

The colours in the video clips were brilliant.

In a clip where a flood of water thundered down on a waiting crowd, the individual drops of water - as they splashed up - could be seen.

The recorded sound was clear but lacked bass.

Touted as a dual camera, the gizmo also works as a 9-megapixel digital camera for taking still shots.

Treat this as a stand-by function - the images lack crispness and sparkle.

Final say

The price tag may seem high for those used to digital camera prices, but the CA9 is actually a bargain for an HD camcorder - particularly when you consider that it is water-resistant too.

This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life.

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