Recently in Camcorders Category

Pictures of a new phone, which is probably going to be the successor of Sony Ericsson's W880i, has just surfaced. The phone, to be named as the Sony Ericsson W890i Walkman features a 3.2 megapixel camera with a GPRS, UMTS and bluetooth connectivity. In addition, it has an FM Radio and is bundled with a 1GB memory stick micro M2 included.

The pictures that have surfaced looked real enough and does not look as if its a hoax. However, these details are not verified as of the moment so we'll just have to wait and see.

Sony is introducing an entry-level professional HDV camcorder. The new HVR-HD1000U model comes in with a shoulder-mount design, bringing the benefits of HD production to a wider range of users. The HVR-HD1000U model supports both the HDV and the standard-definition DV formats which allows users to shoot approximately 60 minutes of HD video on a 6mm cassette tape.

The new camcorder also has several down-conversion modes that output converted standard-definition signals to users’ current SD production systems, including displays and DV non-linear editing systems, while retaining an HD master tape for future use.

The camcorder adapts to a wide range of shooting situations and features a high-end Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonner T* 10x optical zoom lens to help reduce reflection. The Super SteadyShot™ (optical) feature of the unit is an image stabilizer using an active optical lens method that helps avoid any deterioration in image quality. The lens itself shifts vertically and horizontally to compensate for the polarized light axis in real-time.

The HVR-HD1000U camcorder is planned to be available in December, at a suggested list price of less than $1,900.

The Nokia N95 multimedia computer has just been voted as the European Media Phone for the year 2007-2008. Tough luck for the iPhone. European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA), Europe's leading association for consumer electronics, praised the Nokia N95 as containing "practically every feature one could imagine in a mobile device." Additionally, the award citation of the EISA jury goes on to say: "It's no mere mobile phone and no mere status symbol. Pick up a Nokia N95 and you hold in your hands a state-of-the-art communication tool - the ideal way to remain permanently in touch and on track with the world that surrounds you."

Nokia N95 with features such as GPS, 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and MPEG4 video capture of up to 30 fps has won the approval of these critics. EISA even highlighted the device's data access of up to 3.5 Mb/s, advanced web browser, Wi-Fi, microSD slot, and audio reproduction of multiple audio formats.

EISA is a consumer technology awards association, and comprises of nearly 50 prominent Photo, Video, Audio, Home Theater and Mobile Electronics magazines from 18 European countries.

Wow, this has got to be the best news for this week - that is if you become one of the lucky winners that will receive a free Apple iPhone 8GB along with other iPhone accessories. iGoneMobile is launching their Apple iPhone giveaway starting on August 13, 2007 and will end on August 31, 2007.

All you need to do to be eligible to win is to make a minimum purchase of $20 at iGoneMobile.com and subscribe to the iGoneMobile newsletter from the aforementioned dates of the giveaway. The winner will then be announced in September through a random drawing and will be posted in the iGoneMobile blog.

This is perfect! Imagine, just spending $20 and you get an iPhone plus accessories for free. For more information and official rules visit iGoneMobile Apple iPhone Giveaway Official Rules.

Hitachi unveiled two new HD video camcorders that can record video onto Blu-ray media. Touted as the world's first Blu-ray Disc camcorder, Hitachi unveiled the new DZ-BD70A and DZ-BD7HA camcorders.

DZ-BD70A
The DZ-BD70A is a single drive camcorder capable of recording 1 hour of Full HD (1920x1080) high definition video on a standard 8cm single-sided Blu-ray disk (BD-R and BD-RE). For natural colors, the Hitachi camcorder uses a 5.3 megapixel CMOS image sensor and HD quality 12-element lens system. For additional media storage, the camcorder is equipped with an SD card slot - great for storing digital still images taken with the camcorder. The still image resolution is 4.32 megapixels, which is pretty decent. As is common to many other camcorders, the DZ-BD70A features a Photo Capture feature to grab a still frame from any video and save it as a photo onto the SD card (at 2.1 megapixel resolution). As an added bonus, the DZ-BD70A can also record videos onto DVD discs.

DZ-BD7HA
The DZ-BD7HA is a hybrid model offering both an internal 30 GB hard drive and Blu-ray recording capability. The 30GB is good for up to 4 hours of Full HD 1920x1080 HX mode video or almost 8 hours in HS mode (1440x1080). With the touch of a single button, videos on the internal HDD can be burnt onto a Blu-ray disc or DVD (thanks to the Transcoding feature). So you won't have to wait until you get access to a computer when you want to share your videos.

Both camcorders feature 10x zoom (non-spherical lens), and come in a sleek, round body. HDMI and component video output are available for video playback. A built-in Interactive Guide available on the camcorders help those that are new to them.

The DZ-BD70A Hitachi Blu-ray camcorder is priced at US $1,299, while the DZ-BD7HA Hybrid HDD/Blu-ray camcorder comes at US $1,499. Both camcorders will hit North America in October 2007.

Canon unveiled its latest hard disk drive based camcorder, the new Canon HG10 AVCHD Camcorder. Capable of recording up to 15 hours of high definition videos, the HG10 comes with a bundle of features including Genuine Canon 10x HD Video lens, Full HD CMOS image sensor and the proprietary Digic DV II Image Processor.

Housed in a compact casing the AVCHD HG10 camcorder is equipped with a 40GB hard drive. It captures images at 1920x1080 resolution. One of the things that set apart this camcorder from others is the Instant AF system which improves on conventional autofocus speed and accuracy. To top it all, the camcorder has a special 24p Cinema Mode that gives all your videos the look and feel of film (true 24 frames per second with progressive scanning).

The camcorder can also take still photos at 3.1 megapixel resolution and save them on a miniSD card. A Photo Grab function on the HG10 allows you to grab 2.0 megapixel stills from your video footage during playback. Canon has equipped the HG10 HD camcorder with a new Navigation Control Dial on the LCD panel for easy menu navigation.

The camcorder boasts a bright 2.7" widescreen vivid LCD that can be viewed from a wide angle. Or plug it in to your HDTV thanks to its included HDMI terminal.

Priced at US $1,299, the Canon HG10 HD Camcorder will be out in October 2007.

JVC has announced a new HDVC compact camcorder named Everio GZ-HD3, it is an upgrade of the previous GZ-HD7 model, and it seems that the device is only going to be released in Japan, at least for now.

The Everio has a 1.8-inch hard-drive with 60GB of capacity, a card reader for SDHC memory cards, and it encodes the videos in the MPEG-2 TS format. The recording specifications indicate an enormous zoom of 200x that is provided by Konika Minolta.

The final videos will have a final 1440x1080 resolution, and a HDV format (not full HD). If you record the videos to a 4GB SDHC card, the limit is 25 minutes, but while using the big 60GB HD you can record up to 5 hours of video content.

Sometime computers and software can be so cumbersome, which is a real pain especially when all you want to do is get your photos printed or perhaps a recent home video burned onto a DVD. That's why Sony has decided to simplify the process with its DVDirect Technology.

The latest release is the VRD-MC5 (a follow up to the VRD-MC3) a DVD writer the will behind the scenes, transfer, convert and burn your digital memories onto a DVD disc.

Just like its predecessors, the MC5 will work with virtually any camcorder, VCR, or even a DVR but it supports enhanced connection for Sony camcorders.

New to the MC5 is its support for AVCHD or Advanced Video Codec High Definition) a new recording format used by Sony and Panasonic. It can also burn Blueray as well as PS3 compatible discs.

It also works with photos. Stick in any memory stick, memory stick pro, memory stick duo, or memory stick pro duo or even regular SD/SDHC or xD picture cards and the machine will burn your photos onto a DVD slideshow for youo.

The VRD-MC5 comes with a built in 2.5-inch LCD for allowing you to view your photos and access other settings.

SANYO has introduced the world's first(*1) waterproof(*2) camcorder, the SANYO Xacti E1. Ideal for active families, vacationers and water sports enthusiasts, the ultra-compact E1 can record high-quality video and 6-megapixel stills under water(*3) to a depth of five feet for up to one hour at a time .....

SANYO has introduced the world's first(*1) waterproof(*2) camcorder, the SANYO Xacti E1. Ideal for active families, vacationers and water sports enthusiasts, the ultra-compact E1 can record high-quality video and 6-megapixel stills under water(*3) to a depth of five feet for up to one hour at a time .....

Sony’s recently introduced Handycam HDR-CX-7 is the world’s smallest and lightest AVCHD high-definition camcorder. With the supplied battery, the unit weighs a mere 15 ounces. The camcorder offers ultra-portability with a great feature set.

The new camcorder can provide up to three hours of full HD 1080 resolution video on an 8-GB Memory Stick Pro Duo. Connection to a PC is effortless via USB to back-up and/or edit media.

While searching through the cameras memory, browsing through is simple with enhanced browsing functions an a 2.7” Clear Photo LCD Plus display. The CX-7 is provided with a 6MP resolution for still images and 3MP for HD video. The camcorder features technology which allow for greater detail and clarity with Sony’s ClearVid CMOS sensor technology and Super SteadyShot image stabilization.

The HDR-CX7 camcorder is expected to ship in June for a retail price about $1,200. Pre-orders will begin on Apr 25 at 1:00 ET online at http://www.sonystyle.com/handycam.

SONY introduces a new, superior HD Camcorder with the HDW-790 HDCAM, which is geared toward professionals. A few main features function features include a 12-bit A/D converter, HD-SDI output, and AES/EBU input, a turbo gain function, slow shutter function, and Loop record function. The pricing of this camera is not very cheap at all with an expensive price tag around $54,000.

SanDisk and Sony recently announced that they were teaming up to develop the SxS memory card specification, which is based on the ExpressCard industry standard. It will used for high-end digital camcorders, and will allow users to quickly and efficiently record high-quality videos. Both companies will use their combined knowledge and technologies to develop the SxS memory card, utilizing flash memory for instant access.

With the SxS memory card, you'll be able to use max data transfer speeds of 2.5 gigbits per second, which is twice as fast as PC cards. In other words, this is perfect for recording HD video. As the picture shows, these will be available in at least a 16GB model, but we're hoping they'll have other size options available as well.

Via MobileMag

Hitachi recently unveiled its new video camera, the HV-HD30 and lets see what this one has to offer us. The HV-HD30 has been outfitted with three HDTV, 1/3-inch format, and 1.3-megapixel CMOS sensors for enhanced performance. The camcorder also provides 1080i and 720p HDTV signals and is SMPTE292M-compliant (1.5Gbps digital) SDI via its BNC connector and analog (Y, Pb, Pr) HDTV video outputs.

The Hitachi HV-HD30 as you may have figured by bow is HDTV Friendly and one can also adjust its parameters on the camera’s rear operation panel or remotely from a dedicated operation panel or PC. Hence Hitachi feels that the camcorder is ideal for high-resolution teleconference, remote observation, point-of-view, high-end monitoring, medical applications and industrial imaging. No word on pricing or availability.

Recently Panasonic unveiled a new camcorder, which would be available soon in Japan. The Panasonic HDC- DX3 captures videos in full definition onto DVDs, which means users, can enjoy a resolution of 1920×1080i. Some key features include; a 3CCD chip, 12x optical zoom, 30x digital zoom, 2.1MP still image camera, 3-inch monitor and Dolby Digital 5.1ch audio. The camcorder is available in the color Silver and records easily on to 8cm DVDs. The Panasonic HDC-DX3 will be available by April 25th.

Sony Electronics has recently announced its first 5-megapixel XCL-5000 digital vision camera. XCL-5000 comes in black-and-white featuring a new 2/3-inch progressive scan CCD sensor with square pixels. The imaging technology employed in XCL-5000 can capture high-quality, high-resolution video at 15 frames per second, and supports up to 12-bit processing with a C-mount lens.

Camera Link MDR 26-pin connector has enhanced the Connectivity. Integrated DSP capabilities address gamma correction along with providing Lookup Tables. XCL-5000 camera has the capacity to reduce costs as regards to professional users. XCL-5000 is a smallest 5-megapixel camera in a compact form (44 by 44 by 57.5mm). Sony XCL-5000 digital video camera ships at a retail price of $4,377.

“The new 2/3-inch CCD offers increased low-light sensitivity, exceptional dynamic range and low noise characteristics that deliver performance far beyond the ultra high resolution spec,” said Ken LaMarca, general manager for visual imaging products in Sony Electronics' Broadcast and Business Solutions Company. “The combination of quantity and quality of the pixels opens up a range of applications that once were beyond the capabilities of a single camera system.”

Via: Sony

Sanyo announced that their SANYO Xacti CG65 Digital Video Camera will make its first debut in the U.S. in April. This is Sanyo's first camera to to feature next-generation Advanced Video Codec H.264 (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264) video compression technology, designed to produce excellent video quality while reducing MPEG-4 file size approximately 25%. The Sanyo CG65 features a built-in Gyro Sensor shake-resistant system for correcting unintentional camera shake during photo taking. In addition, high-speed video-processing using 9-pixel mixture technology makes recording of both movies and stills possible even in semi-dark or under lit environments.

You can even capture 6-megapixelstill photos simultaneously while recording movies. Use just one thumb toeasily operate the camera and effortlessly choose video or still image on the fly. Video files can be handled just like photo files, because the image and sound data for each video clip are combined in a single file. Saving recorded movies and photos on a computer is as easy as copying a file.

Specs include;
USB Battery charger, 6-10MP video recording, digital red-eye correction, up to 12 hours of voice recording, easy in camera video editing.

DALSA Corporation announced its Genie family of GigE Vision has been expanded with the new HM series digital cameras. The cameras will be showcased at the Machine Vision China Show in China on March 20-22. The three new models HM640, HM1024, and HM 1400 deliver outstanding image quality at high speeds. These cameras are specially designed for high-speed industrial imaging applications. DALSA's compact Genie HM Series products can capture image data at outstanding speeds of up to 295 FPS in VGA resolution or 60 FPS at 1400 x 1024 resolutions.

The Genie HM series cameras are equipped with a high speed DALSA sensor to allow exceptional at such high levels of speed. With Gigabit Ethernet technology it is possible to transmit data over standard, low-cost CAT-5e and CAT-6 cables over long distances up to 100m.

There are also various software advantages available with the Genie HM series cameras with Sapera Essential and Genie Framework software. The Sapera Essential environment software contains tools develop and deploy high-performance machine vision systems and monitor various tasks such as triggering, image capture and data transfer. Also the Genie Framework software package provides advanced tools for faster application integration and set-up. When the Camera is connected to the system the Genie Framework software automatically identifies and communicates with the Sapera Essential environment providing operators quick setup and configuration to get them up and running to capture images within minutes. The Genie HM Series cameras will be available at a retail price of $1,550.

via

Sanyo Japan recently unveiled its new camcorder, the Sanyo Xacti DMX-CG65. Just like all the recent Xacti shooters, this one too has a piston grip and is compact enough to be carried anywhere!

The DMX-CG65 has a new high-precision LSI (large-scale integration) engine III under its hood and features a large 2.5-inch LCD display with 110,000 total pixels. The camcorder has a 6 megapixels resolution and can also achieve real-time MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 compression and noise reduction. No word on pricing but it will be available in colors like Silver,Green and Black from April 2007 on wards!

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Panasonic is introducing new astonishing High Definition 3CCD video camera with the Panasonid HDC-DX1. Their efforts of the HDC-DX1 are to keep up with the growing popularity of High-Definition video and to provide crisp, clear image quality.

This camcorder is on tough, compact which is one of the world’s smallest and lightest 3CCD HD video cameras available. You can choose from SDHC memory cards or the dual-layer DVD to save and record your videos. It features a Leica Dicomar Lens and a 3CCD camera system used in numerous professional broadcast cameras. The model includes an Optical Image Stabiliser (O.I.S.) that provides clearer quality images by minimizing the shaking and blurring that can arise due to shaky hands. A feature that puts this camera way above other cameras alike is its 5 microphones which allow recording for 5.1 channel surround sound.

The Panasonic HDC-DX1 is setting a higher image and sound recording standards for other cameras alike and are giving home users a means to make their own personal High Definition recordings.

Panasonic has introduced a new series of DVD video cameras. The Panasonic VDR-D310 uses a 3CCD camera system that has been used in many professional broadcast equipment. They have downsized their professional 3CCD cameras into consumer models.

The DVD camera supports dual-layer disc burning in formats including DVD-R/RW and DVD-RAM. Storage capacity for a traditional DVD-R disc is around 1.4GB, while dual layer discs offer 2.6GB of storage. Capable of taking high quality vivid images with use Panasonic’s OIS (Optical Image Stabilizer). The OIS drastically reduces shaking and blurring, helping reduce image quality loss. The VDR-D310 features a Leica Dicomar lens capable of an outstanding 32x optical zoom.

Also incorporated in the cameras are a Crystal Engine and a Pure Color Engine. The Crystal engine is an image processing circuit with process R, G, and B signals from the three CCD’s to enhance and improve color processing. The Pure Color processingwhich allows outstanding color reproduction. With the VDR-D310, Panasonic offers superb proffessional video image quality to all comsumers.

Panasonic announces possibly one of the world's smallest SDHC-based camcorder with the SDR-S10. Capture video using it’s 2.7” LCD screen (no optical viewfinder) with a max 10x optical zoom. Using a 2GB SD you can record up to 50 minutes of high quality video. Panasonic has improved start-up time and guarantees a 1.7 second delay from power-up to video capture. Pricing for this small compact camcorder is unknown and possibly starting in Europe it will be available sometime in May.

With the introduction of the Canon HV20 HD Camcorder, Canon has expanded high-definition camcorder capabilities and choices for consumers. The design and function of the new camcorder draws on years of Canon's experience and proven excellence in optics and technological innovation, bringing professional level HD video features to a handy, user-friendly design.

The Canon HV20 Camcorder includes a 10x HD video zoom lens with Range Optical Image Stabilization and a Canon True HD 1920x1080 CMOS image censor. It records true 1080 high definition video, making it the perfect companion with today's high definition televisions. To give your video a truly cinematic look, that camcorder also features a 24p Camera Mode.

The Canon HV20 features a horizontal design, with features such as Advanced Accessory Shoe, microphone and headphone input terminals, manual level control for professional quality audio, 24p Cinema Mode, and an HDMI terminal.

The camcorder kit also includes a compact power adapter, wireless remote control, BP-2L13 battery pack, stereo video cable, USB cable, and a component video cable. The Canon HV20 HD Camcorder will be available in stores in April for $1099.

Sanyo continues it love affair with small and compact camcorders and has once again released a pistol-grip camcorder. The new Sanyo Xacti HD2 is actually an upgrade to the company's VPC-HD1 and this one has a number of improvements.

The Sanyo Xacti HD2 has a 720p resolution and images can be taken in up to 7 megapixels. Other feature include; 16:9 mode, a 2.2-inch LCD, 10x optical zoom, SDHC support and voice directions for newbies. The HD2 comes bundled with a dock and will be available in March for $800.

Hitachi has released a whole bevy of camcorders (okay just 3) under its hybrid WOO Line! The HDD Camcorders include; DZ-HS503, DZ-HS403 and DZ-HS401. So what's the deal with new hybrid video recorders? Well just read on!

The DZ-HS503 is the high end model as it has a whopping 30GB hard drive to its credit. Thus in Fine Mode one can record up to 11 hours of footage and in the Economy Mode up to 23 hours. It includes a 3.0 Mega pixel CCD and shall be available by March 2007. Hitachi still has to decide the price.

The DZ-HS403 camcorder on the other hand also includes a 3.0 CDD sensor, however this one has been equipped with a 8GB Hard Drive just like the DZ-HS401 which apart from an 8GB HD has a 1.3 CCD Sensor. Both the camcorders will be released on February 20th.