DCR-DVD405	DCR-DVD505

The DCR-DVD505 comes with Sony's new "clear photo liquid crystal plus" display technology which allows you to view the display clearly even under bright sunlight. The display is a generous 3.5" wide. There's also the "clear-bit CMOS sensor" which can record pictures in high resolution and in vivid detail. Another highlight is the "smooth and slow video recording" facility, which allows you to capture the swing of a golf iron or the flapping of a birds wings in slow motion.

The DCR-DVD405 has a smaller 2.7" hybrid liquid crystal display. There is nothing outstanding about the 405 compared to the 505. In fact, you would wonder why the 405 is being released.

Looking at the common features, both the handycams feature a 10x optical zoom and a 120x digital zoom. They also have a Memory Stick Duo slot. You can capture still images directly to the memory stick or when videos are being played back from the DVD. "Nero Express 6" is bundled with the package. The handycams also record sound in Dolby Digital 5.1 format.

The handycams will be on sale in Japan from 3rd March 2006. Pricing is yet to be announced.

Manufacturer website: Sony Japan