camcorder

Canon announced some upgrades to its ZR-line of miniDV camcorders. The Canon ZR800, 830, and 850 will replace the ZR500, 600, and 700 as the company's budget video cameras. While these new models offer only minor improvements over their predecessors, they're welcome offerings in the dwindling field of MiniDV camcorders.

With a price difference of just $80 between models, the three offer similar features. All are relatively low resolution, with 680,000-pixel sensors on the ZR800 and ZR830 and a 1-megapixel sensor on the ZR850. All three use the same 35X zoom lens, and feature electronic image stabilization … Read more

With so many products going under water these days, the only thing we can surmise is that people are really taking this whole global warming thing seriously. That would be at least one explanation for the proliferation of gadgets like this waterproof digital movie camera.

Gizmag says the Sanyo VPC-CA6 has a resolution of 6 megapixels and a 5x optical zoom, retailing for around $250. It does take stills as well, but if you're not satisfied with the quality you can try any number of waterproof point-and-shoot cameras. Either way, you can transfer your shots with your waterproof USB device … Read more

Panasonic's gone HD-happy with its recent announcement of two new AVCHD camcorders. The HDC-DX1 and HDC-SD1 are two small, sleek, and sporty high-definition camcorders priced less than $1,500 with some very nice features.

The HDC-DX1 is a DVD camcorder that can record up to 40 minutes of 1080i footage onto a single 8cm dual-layer DVD-R, or up to 20 minutes onto single-layer DVD-RW or DVD-RAM for rewritability. The HDC-SD1 is an SD camcorder that can record up to an hour of 1080i footage onto a 4GB SDHC card.

Both models use three CCDs to record their high-definition video, … Read more

Not all gadgets are the technological equivalent of genetic mutations. Some hybrids actually make sense and don't even look like lab experiments gone awry.

On paper, at least, Hitachi's hybrid camcorder appears to be one of these exceptions. Gizmag says the video camera, which Hitachi calls the first DVD/HDD product of its kind, can easily burn videos directly onto a DVD inside the camcorder, bypassing the need for a computer altogether. It comes in 1.3- and 3.3-megapixel models, each with an 8GB hard drive that can store 110 minutes of video, at about $1,450 … Read more

Right now I'm craving home more than anything. So if you're into camcorders, check out my analysis of the design and usability aspects of this pro HDV model. I'll be following up with my full review next week.

Now this little piggy is heading Wii, Wii, Wii, Wii all the way home.

Japanese videophiles woke up to a pleasant surprise from Panasonic today, when they announced two new AVCHD camcorders--the HDC-SD1 records to SD and SDHC flash memory cards, and the HDC-DX1 records to mini DVDs. Both are three-chip camcorders, so they should offer better color accuracy and low-light quality than a single-chip model would. Both camcorders include 12X optical zoom lenses, 3-inch LCDs, and HDMI output.

The AVCHD format, developed jointly by Sony and Panasonic, was announced earlier this year and was included in Sony's HDR-SR1 and HDR-UX1 camcorders. The codec is based on MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding (a.k.… Read more

Rip-Curl has come out with a goggle-camera combo for filming while you swim...sort of.

The Third Eye Goggle-Camera holds a small minicam that plugs into the analog input of a camcorder. It weighs about 60 grams, according to Rip-Curl specs, and is encased in shock-resistant aluminum and rubber.

As Gizmowatch points out, the casing is waterproof to 1 meter deep, but with the necessity for a camcorder connection, it's meant more for shallow water filming. You will still need your Fantasea casings for deep-sea photography or video recording.

The minicam has a high-resolution Sony CCD sensor, anti-fog screen, … Read more

Pure Digital has upgraded the el cheapo flash memory camcorder it's been selling since May through retail stores, such as Target. See our previous blog post and review. The new version, which sells for the same price ($129 for a unit that will record 30 minutes; a 60-minute version is also available), has improved audio and video quality and longer battery life, company reps told me. The external hardware is the same: a generic-looking white case with one very interesting feature: a USB port that swings out to transfer data.

The real news is the improved software. Once you … Read more