For the 2010 digital video-making season Sony has announced a choice of ten compact new Handycam models that shoot on memory card and internal flash memory – but HDD (hard disc drive) still figures strong with the company’s announcement of five feature-packed HDD models as well.

Sony HDR-CX350 AVCHD Handycam Maroon, Open

Sony's new HDR-CX350 AVCHD Handycam

Interestingly, the Sony announcement covers everything from a serious professional-quality AVCHD camcorder (the HDR-AX2000) to a new range of easy-to-use and fun Bloggie cameras designed for bloggers and YouTube users.

What’s surprising is that Sony is introducing even more HDD camcorders at a time when the other three major brands – Panasonic, Canon and JVC have all but dropped the format in favour of flash memory recording in the form of either built-in memory or memory card slots.

What’s even more surprising is Sony’s seismic shift away from its proprietary Memory Stick in favour of SDHC and MicroSD memory cards on several of its new products this year. Is this the beginning of the end for Memory Stick as we’ve been predicting for quicte some time?

Sony summarises its new product offer as “optical innovation meets fun, easy-to-use features”.

Premium HD Flash Memory and HDD models

A range of new AVCHD models offer full-specification AVCHD recording and playback. The HDR-CX550V, HDR-XR550V, HDR-CX350V, HDR-XR350V and HDR-CX305 all feature a high quality Sony G Lens, which captures approximately double the  shooting area compared with previous Handycam camcorders.  Wide angle performance of the HDR-CX550V and HDR-XR550V models is 29.8mm for video and 26.3mm for still images (35mm equivalent) in an even smaller body than their predecessors.

Leading the pack: HDR-XR550 and HDR-CX550 HD cams

The flagship HDR-XR550 and HDR-CX550 models lead the new range with 6.3mm (1/2.9in) Exmor R CMOS image sensors producing a respectable 6.3MP (megapixels) for movie recording and 12MP for digital stills. 10x Optical Zoom is provided, as is Optical SteadyShot image stabilisation.

They also share 5.1ch Surround Sound, 8.8cm colour LCD as well as a colour EVF (Electronic Viewfinder), Face detection, Direct Copy, Accessory Shoe, Microphone Input and Headphone Out together with the full range of connectors such as USB, HDMI, and so on. Where the models differ is in their recording media; the HDR-XR550 uses a stonking 240GB HDD (hard disc drive) whereas the HDR-CX550 employs 64GB internal Flash Memory. Both cameras support the Memory Stick Pro-DUO and Pro-HG Duo variants and SD/SDHC Memory Cards.

Sony HDR-CX305 AVCHD Handycam LCD

Sony HDR-CX305 AVCHD Handycam

The HDR-CX305 has the same CMOS sensor, only smaller at 4.5mm (1/4 type). Movie resolution is 4.2MP with stills at 7.1MP. A 12x Optical Zoom lens is provided with the recording medium being 16GB Internal Memory (in addition to the same card options, above). A 6.7cm LCD panel is provided though there’s no EVF. Neither does it offer headphone out or microphone input.

The HDR-CX115 shares many of the features and specifications of the HDR-CX305 except that it has a Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar 25x Optical Zoom lens and uses an internal 80GB HDD. It also offers both Memory Card formats.

General features of models in the new Sony HD Handycam range

Entry-level HD models also benefit from SteadyShot Active Mode for up to 10x shake reduction (at wide end of zoom setting) compared with standard SteadyShot.

Improved sensitivity with Exmor R CMOS image sensors

The Exmor R CMOS Sensor is now available in all Sony HD Handycam models, as well as in the Standard Definition flagship product, the DCR-SX73. Its back-illuminated design enables more light to reach photosensitive areas of the device without being obscured by connecting wires within the sensor. This boosts sensitivity compared with sensors that use a conventional front-illuminated structure, and something that users requireing an improved lower-light performance will undoubtedly welcome. This feature is something we’ll certainly check when we review the new products.

New Optical SteadyShot Active Mode is designed to combine optical and electronic stabilisation systems, in order to deliver what Sony assures is the best-ever ‘3-way’ anti-shake performance from wide to telephoto end. With this technology, images are now up to 10x steadier at wide end of zoom settings, we’re told. At the other end of the zoom it’s possible to enjoy up to 2x improved anti-shake performance for clearer, more stable results when shooting on a telephoto setting.

Thanks to the new Quick AF function, Autofocus is claimed to be more accurate and twice as fast compared to previous Handycam camcorders especially when taking advantage of the even faster zooming speeds available on these models.

Highest 24Mbps AVCHD bitrate an option on all HD models

All HD models now support recording at up to 24Mbps, which is the highest bitrate offered by the AVCHD format and an increasingly common option being offered by Canon and JVC. Only Panasonic has yet to offer this option. It’s certainly a valuable addition for serious video-making enthusiasts, although clips recorded at 24Mbps may create problems when it comes to sharing sequences in other media and on other devices.

Sony HDR-CX115 AVCHD Handycam (Blue) in use

Ideal for newbies: the Sony HDR-CX115 AVCHD Handycam (Blue option)

Already a feature of Sony Cyber-shot digital stills cameras, Intelligent AUTO (iAUTO) is optimised to remove the guesswork from making camcorder settings manually.

Making its Handycam debut this year, iAUTO combines recognition of Face Detection, your shooting situation (handheld or tripod), and ten different scene types. Based on this information, Handycam automatically optimises shooting parameters to provide improved clarity and image resolution based on up to 90 different scene combinations (60 combinations for 3.1M/1.6M HD model).

Enhanced by a sleek new slim-frame design, the Clear Photo LCD now gives an even better view when you’re framing and reviewing scenes. Pixel count on the 6.7cm screen has been upped to 230k dots (from 210k dots), while the viewing angle is boosted to 170 degrees to give everyone a clearer picture of your shots. The flagship HDR-CX550 and HDR-XR550 models are distinguished by their 8.8cm Xtra Fine LCD screen; this uses the same TruBlack technology that’s incorporated the company’s S-Frame digital photo frames.

Frame-by-frame, slow-motion analysis with Golf Shot

Frame by frame analysis on Sony Handycams

Frame by frame analysis on Sony Handycams

If you’re into golfing and keen to analyse your performance, Sony’s new Golf Shot feature makes it easier than ever to check your swing, frame by frame.

In Golf Shot mode, the Handycam starts capturing a continuous stream of high-speed images while you’re still waiting for the action to start.

At the end of the swing, press the Record button – and the entire sequence is grabbed at a rate of 200 frames per second for smooth slow-motion replay. It’s then possible to display the results both as a slow-motion video as well as a composite image with every frame of movement shown by a series of thumbnail-sized images in a single still picture.

Not forgetting Standard Definition

Although the number of standard definition camcorder options are reducing right across the board as consumers switch to shooting high definition on their AVCHD camcorders or mobile devices, Sony’s new Standard Definition models benefit from a CCD with higher sensitivity that is claimed to improve image quality in low light (perhaps the most important consideration for many users). Multiple Face Detection for video and stills has also been added.

Sony DCR-SX33 Handycams 3-up Blue, White, Red

Sony DCR-SX33 Handycam in a choice of three body colours

The DCR-SR58 and DCR-SX33 share many specifications and features with the exception that the SR58 uses an internal 80GB HDD in addition to Memory Cards, whereas the SX33 provides for Memory Card slot only.

They both use 2.3mm (1/8in) CCDs (the only models to do so) with gross pixels resolution of 800,000 providing 340,000 for stills. A 60x Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar lens is included with Steadyshot being the electronic image stabilisation employed. A Stereo built-in mic is standard as is a 6.7cm colour LCD. It too has Face Detection and Direct Copy, but no Accessory Shoe or Mic in/ Headphone Out connectors.

All entry-level SD models (Flash Memory and HDD) now sport an on-board video light to improve illumination of clips when recording parties, interiors and other dimly-lit scenes.

Copying to external USB Hard Disc Drives via optional adaptor cable

Featured on all HD and SD models, Direct Copy enables users to copy footage directly from any new Sony Handycam to a compatible external hard disk drive for PC-free back-up and archiving. This immensely useful feature enables the user to connect the camcorder to the external hard disc drive (USB 2.0) using the optional Sony VMC-UAM1 USB adaptor cable in order to transfer all or a selection of clips for safekeeping. With the HDD remaining connected to the camcorder – which is, in turn, connected to a suitable TV display, video clips stored on the external HDD can be viewed easily on SD or HD television by using the various playback modes available on the Handycam, such as Map Index (GPS model only), Visual Index, and Highlight Playback

All new Handycam models are compatible with the VRD-MC6 DVD burner and VRDP1 DVDirect Express. At the touch of a button it’s possible to burn Standard Definition or High Definition clips onto affordable DVD media for archiving, sharing or enjoying with friends via Bluray Disc or DVD. The VRD-MC6 will also allow users of tape-based camcorders to transfer old MiniDV or HDV footage from the camcorder straight to DVD in a touch of a button.

Bundled Software

Supplied with all Handycam models is the latest version of PMB (Picture Motion Browser) software. This has been given a new-look user interface which allows users to browse through all video clips (SD or HD) and still images and incorporates a new Calendar view which automatically groups visual assets by date and time. With PMB it’s possible to burn favourites to disc, email them to friends and family, or upload to sharing sites like YouTube.

The simple integration for sharing content on Facebook will also be available as a downloadable update to this software in the Spring 2010. This complements the existing sharing capability with such sites as YouTube and Picasa Web Albums. With the new version, users will have the ability to share photos and videos on Facebook directly from PMB software.

Memory Stick card slot – and SD/SDHC too!

A Slot for Memory Stick PRO Duo as well as SD/SDHC memory cards (sold separately) are offered to suit users’ personal shooting preferences. The addition of SD card slots is a major shift for Sony – how much longer can Memory Stick survive?

Availability

The Spring 2010 Handycam line-up of Flash Memory and HDD camcorders by Sony is available from February 2010.

More From SimplyDV

SimplyDV Recommends

Blog Margeting Related Posts Plugin For SimplyDVAsk SimplyDV To Recommend Your Posts Blog Marketing Related Posts Plugin Counter