Sanyo VCP-STB1 Water Leash for Sanyo E1 Waterproof Camcorders

I purchased this little gem to take with me on our Thanksgiving trip to Cancun. This was the first time I had taken my new Sanyo Xacti VPC-E1 to the beach. This strap was priceless. It let me keep a good hold onto the camera while snorkeling and once over a deep section of water I lost my grip on the strap and the camera floated to the surface. Without this strap it would have sunk like a rock and I probably would have lost my amazing camera. The camera will sink without this strap which has a small float built into the strap. I highly recommend this item if you are taking your Xacti into open water for snorkeling or swimming. Very well worth the price.

I recently purchased the Sanyo Xacti VPC-E1 Waterproof MPEG-4 Camera through Amazon. I'm extremely happy with the camera and the accessories I purchased with it (additional batteries, flash cards, etc.). This "Water Leash" was a free item offered as an incentive to purchase the camera. It did not arrive with the camera, but was shipped separately and arrived several days later. It consists of a very rubbery looping attachment which is supposed to connect to the base of the camera by looping through itself and pulling tight - much like the string wrist strap which comes with the camera. The other end of the device is connected to a neoprene handle which could be pushed over the hand and left to rest around the wrist. The item is good in theory, but the looping bit that connects around the camera base is very thick rubber, and never seems to synch tightly, which leaves the camera moving very loosely about. I suppose if you were rolling about in the surf all day it would make no difference, but for my needs in the family pool, I prefer to have a bit more control of where the camera rests at any given moment. However, free is free, so if that is the offer you are presented with, I would go for it - it may serve you needs better than mine. However, if you are considering purchasing this item, I would think twice - It really doesn't seem to secure the camera all that well.