Sony HDR-TG3E High Definition Camcorder

Sony HDR-TG3E High Definition Camcorder

Sony Europe today unveiled their new spectacular Handycam. The HDR-TG3E camcorder is crafted using an attractive, lightweight Titanium shell with premium hard coating. The durable camera is scratch-proof, just as required for sports events and travels. The tiny camera is small enough to make space in your pocket or purse.

The Sony HDR-TG3E shoots 1920x1080HD videos with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. It features a bright 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD Plus touch panel ready to shoot pleasure-full moments of your life at the touch of a button. Its ClearVid CMOS Sensor with Exmor derived technology and powerful BIONZ image processing engine maintain crisp, high quality output and faster performance.

Other Key Features

• D-Range Optimiser technology
  
• ‘Disc Burn’ at Handycam Station
  
• BRAVIA Sync for Television
  
• Recording on Memory Stick PRO Duo media (4GB Memory Stick supplied)
  
• Intelligent Face Detection up to 8 Faceswith AE and AF
  
• Optional Travel Kits

Sony HDR-TG3E High Definition Camcorder will be available for European audience in May; however preorders have started right-away.

More pics after jump......

(Via Image-Acquire.com.)

Casio EX-F1 Cameracorder Shoots 1200 FPS Video

Casio EX-F1 Cameracorder Shoots 1200 FPS Video

By Evan Ackerman

Casio’s EX-F1 is a sub-DSLR prosumer camera/camcorder hybrid with some sweet features that make it stand out from the crowd. And that’s not just PR speak, I promise. For starters, it has a not-too-shabby 12x optical zoom, a 6 megapixel sensor (2816 x 1872), and a dual integrated flash system that uses LEDs for high-speed light. Mkay. On to the stuff you care about…

At its full 6 megapixel resolution, the camera can fire off bursts at 60 frames per second (with the LED flash). Casio uses this feature to provide a sort of time shift: as you’re composing your shot, the camera will continuously buffer up to 60 full resolution frames, and save those those images just after you press the shutter. If you’re a little bit late with your trigger push, you can cycle through the previous 60 frames that the camera recorded for you, and pick out the perfect moment. But all that’s not even the exciting part… The Casio EX-F1 will take video in 1080i/720p at 30 FPS, but by trading off some lots of resolution, you can bump that up to a whopping 1200 (!) FPS. It’s a little bit of a gimmick, but it’s damn cool and something I would totally use. Check it out:

300 FPS @ 512 x 384:

600 FPS @ 32 x 192:

1200 FPS @ 336 x 96:

MSRP: $1000

(Via OhGizmo!.)

Sony HDR-TG1 Handycam Is World's Smallest 1080p HD Camcorder [Sony]

Sony HDR-TG1 Handycam Is World's Smallest 1080p HD Camcorder [Sony]

Meant more for geeky vacationers than pros, Sony's calling its HDR-TG1 Handycam the world's smallest 'full HD' camcorder, packing 10 ounces into a 1.3 x 4.7 x 2.5-inch titanium frame. Sony is all about face-detecting as of late, which comes standard here on both video and still shooting. It can identify up to eight mugs, and supposedly adds extra 'encoding bits' to faces for the best possible rendering of your subjects. Unfortunately, Sony's still forcing the Memory Stick standard upon the world, this time, a choice between PRO Duo or PRO Duo Mark2. (How many more MS flavors can we stand, Sony??) It'll be $900 in May, though you can pre-order tomorrow online. Full press release below. [SonyStyle]

SONY ROLLS OUT WORLD'S SMALLEST FULL HD CAMCORDER

JUST IN TIME FOR YOUR SUMMER VACATION

SAN DIEGO, Apr. 2, 2008 - The new pocket-sized Sony HDR-TG1 Handycam® camcorder's weighty high-definition capability will appeal to vacationers who prefer to 'travel light.'

This diminutive camcorder weighs in at only ten ounces. It has an ultra-portable body measuring just 1.3-inches wide by 4.7-inches tall by 2.5-inches deep.

It is a full-featured camcorder that can record 1920 x 1080 HD video and 4-megapixel digital photos directly to Sony Memory Stick PRO Duo™ or PRO Duo Mark2 media cards. Its size and full recording capability makes it the world's smallest full HD camcorder.

Another bonus for any traveler is the camcorder's durable titanium body and special hard coating that makes it highly resistant to scratches and quite fashionable.

It ships with a supplied 4GB PRO Duo Mark2 media card so it's ready to go straight out of the box and you don't have to make space in your travel bag for extra discs or tapes.

'Sony was the first to introduce a travel-sized camcorder with 8 mm technology in the 1980's, and it revolutionized the travel and electronics industries,' said Kelly Davis, director of camcorder marketing at Sony Electronics. 'This new model is a great example of our expertise in miniaturization, as well as advanced imaging technologies with features like face detection.'

Face Detection for the Best Possible Picture

This new model incorporates face detection technology for both video and still images, a technology also shared with select Sony Cyber-shot® digital cameras. It can identify up to eight faces in the camcorder's 2.7-inch touch panel LCD screen, and automatically adjust focus, exposure, color control for natural-looking skin tones, and when photos are taken, flash control.

The model also allocates more encoding bits to a detected face during the encoding process for the best possible picture when people are the subjects.

Not Just Another Pretty Face

The camcorder features advanced video and audio technologies with simple, intuitive operation. It is equipped with a high-quality Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar® 10x optical zoom lens and 2-megapixel ClearVid™ CMOS sensor with Exmor™-derived technology, engineered to minimize picture noise.

The camera's BIONZ™ processing engine also features noise reduction capabilities in addition to fast processing speeds. This engine powers the model's dynamic range optimization feature, which automatically adjusts under- or over-exposed areas in a picture. These technologies together produce high-resolution video and photos with natural color reproduction and rich details.

Audio is recorded in Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel surround sound and features a built-in zoom microphone, delivering clear recordings of your subjects along with the video.

Designed to be the perfect travel companion, the HDR-TG1 camcorder will ship with supplied accessories in May for about $900. There is also an optional travel kit (Sony ACC-TCH5) that includes a battery, travel charger and pouch for about $100. Plus, there is a custom-fit case (Sony LCM-TGA) for about $50.

All can be purchased, along with other accessory options, direct at sonystyle.com, at Sony Style® retail stores (sonystyle.com/retail), at authorized dealers nationwide, and at military base exchanges. Pre-orders begin on Apr. 4 at www.sonystyle.com.

(Via Gizmodo.)

Canon IXUS 970

Canon IXUS 970

Canon’s new compact digital camera - the IXUS 970 - looks the business, and with good reason. It is one of the most impressive (and powerful) that they have ever built. In fact, it is so high quality; it should well be able to compete with your old SLR (though possibly not your brand-new SLR with the fancy lens).

The blurb from Canon states:

With a powerful 5x zoom lens, the Digital IXUS 970 IS is well equipped and intelligent, but never compromises on style. Its compact body is packed with features including an enhanced optical Image Stabilizer.

What about how it actually works though? Well, with 10.0 megapixels I hope you’re also happy to fork out for a large memory card; otherwise you might as well not bother. Nonetheless, the 5x zoom works really well, with no distortion and enhanced optical IS technology.

To cover the other features of the camera, it has red-eye correction, face detection technology (to cancel out blur and artefacts), motion detecting (as previous), DIGIC III processor (that apparently makes your photographs much more life-like) and finally eighteen different shooting modes. Should you get bored you can of course switch to sepia, black and white, sunset mode, night mode, macro mode and many others.

As with all modern cameras, Canon hasn’t just thought of how the camera functions - the form is also important. The hand-held edge curves toward your hand, giving you a decently sized surface to hold onto. The Multi Control Dial is apparently quick and simple. Those who grew up with the technology shouldn’t have a problem with it; others might find it a little fiddly.



The 2.5″ PureColor LCD II is extremely high quality - one could almost say top of the range. The viewing angle is wide, there’s good contrast between the colours and thanks to the anti-glare you’ll even be able to view it in full light. None of this ‘I can’t see what’s going on!’ anymore.

Finally, in case you’re thinking ‘well my camera does all of this’, does your camera include a movie option such as Long Play? The idea behind this is that you can be extremely arty and capture a gradual scene such as a sunrise and then play it back. An impressive feature indeed. Whether you’ll actually be using it for anything beyond the first novelty go is another matter…

If you’ve taken a look at the sample images, you’ll see that they are of course extremely high quality. This is one of the few cases though where the marketing is true. Things have moved on so far from my lowly 2.0 megapixel digital camera that when I saw the Canon in action I just thought that I had one. The only concern I had was the low-light imaging quality, but even that was covered with the 4-stop advantage.

Overall, if you want a camera that is quite flexible for pictures of various types then you won’t go too far wrong with the Canon. It is quite stylish and slick, and reasonably easy to use. As long as you’re happy with the outlay of about £279 (seems average for about this level of camera) and the price of a decent SD card then you should be taking great photographs in no time.

(Via Forever Geek.)

Sony's HDR-SR12 1080/60 camcorder gets reviewed

Sony's HDR-SR12 1080/60 camcorder gets reviewed

Sony launched the hot little HDR-SR12 HD camcorder in a overwhelming barrage of new models at CES, so it hasn't really gotten the love it deserves, but the crew over at CamcorderInfo recently took one for a spin and found that while the $1399 cam isn't the cheapest option out there, it's still a strong competitor to popular options like the Canon HF100. Although the video bitrate is a bit lower than the Canon at 16Mbps, image quality was overall comparable due to the Bionz image processor and Exmos CMOS sensor, which is the same chip found in Sony's Alpha DSLRs, and it's got the most storage available at 120GB. The only other potential dealbreaker is the fixed 60i framerate, but if shooting in 30p or 24p isn't important to you, the HDR-SR12 looks like it's worth a spot on your list.p>

(Via Engadget.)

Sony HVR-Z7E Camcorder Reviewed

Sony HVR-Z7E Camcorder Reviewed

Here is the Sony HVR-Z7E camcorder review from TrustedReviews. Sony HVR-Z7E features a 12x Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* zoom lens, a 1.2 Megapixel progressive 3 ClearVid CMOS Sensor, and a 3.2-inch LCD display. The camcorder supports HDMI output and has i.Link connector. Sony HVR-Z7E uses CF as storage media.

TrustedReviews’s Verdict:

Sony’s embracing of solid state recording is a sign of how tape’s days as a primary recording medium are numbered, even if it’s still the most cost effective choice for long-term archiving. With its removable lens system and choice of recording systems, the HVR-Z7E is a great camcorder for electronic news gathering and independent filmmaking alike.

(more…)

(Via iTech News Net.)

AIPTEK launching Z300 HD-V palm-sized HD camcorder

AIPTEK launching Z300 HD-V palm-sized HD camcorder

AIPTEK has announced its new Z300 HD-V palm-sized camcorder, offering high definition recording on a budget.

It can record in 720p format (1,280 x 720 resolution) at up to 30 frames per second, and can take up to a 32GB SDHC card for storing the footage...

(Via Tech Digest.)