Now I remember why I’ve held off purchasing a digital video camera since my was stolen a few years ago… progress! This year we’ve seen the emergence of hard drive based digital video cameras (no extra media needed) and now the smaller high-definition digital video cameras are starting to emerge. Now if these two technologies can be married together I’ll have a reason to buy!
Finally, high-definition digital camcorders have come in under $1000 and can easily fit in your hand! This Sony Xacti HD Digital Video Camera can record over 21 minutes of 720-pixel HD video on a single 1GB SD Card in MPEG-4 format… come on, you knew you wouldn’t be able to record for too long with the amount of data needed for HD, but you could just buy a couple extra SD cards for that.
Digital media camera: Small, elegant and lightweight, the Sanyo HD1 digital movie camera beautifully captures your memories in high definition. The stylish vertical design also makes it easier to keep you arm steady during use.
2.2″ color LCD: The 2.2″ flip-out LCD screen offers easier viewing of your recordings even in direct sunlight.
Stills and video: Simultaneously shoot 5.1-megapixel still images and high-definition video clips. The HD1 can record over 21 minutes of 720-pixel HD video on a single 1GB SD card, or over 42 minutes on a 2GB card (cards sold separately).
MPEG-4 format: This camera uses the high-quality MPEG-4 recording format which delivers exceptional video clarity and detail. Because files are conveniently small, you have the ability to record long, high-quality video clips.
Quick start-up: Closing the LCD screen puts the camera in standby mode. Simply open it and you’re ready to shoot in as little as 1.7 seconds. Plus, this camera records directly to SD flash memory cards, so it skips the long process of getting the tape deck initialized and started.
Handy recharging: Storing the HD1 in its handy docking station ensures that it’s always charged and ready to use.
Stereo sound: A built-in microphone records at high-quality 48 kHz, 16-bit stereo sound (AAC-LC MPEG-4 Audio).
Digital image stabilizer: The digital image stabilizer accurately distinguishes between unintentional camera shake and deliberate camera movement from pans or tilts. It then compensates for camera shake to give you more natural shooting results.
Zoom lens: The highly-efficient, bright 10x optical zoom lens with a maximum aperture of f/3.5 lets you get up close to the action. Together with the 10x digital zoom, it gives you up to 100x zoom capabilities.
Scene modes: Create beautiful pictures by simply selecting the mode best suited to the subject. Scene selection mode works for both still images and video. Modes include sports, portrait, landscape, night view, fireworks and lamp.
Easy playback: Sharing your pictures and video clips with family and friends is a snap. Multiple connections allow convenient TV playback, dubbing to a VCR or DVD recorder, and transfer to a PC or Mac for DVD creation, editing, or posting on the Internet.
Memory: This camera stores images on SD memory cards. Get the most out of your camera by adding a 1GB or larger SD/MMC memory card. How much memory do you need?
Price: $799.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)