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› archive for ‘Video’

Sony Announces Drop-Dead Gorgeous Update to Bloggie Camcorder

So, while we kinda liked the quirky little original Bloggies, we’ll forgive you if they weren’t quite your thing (especially if a camcorder in the color “Eggplant” weirded you out a bit). But, we have to say, there’s a lot to like about the refresh to the Bloggies, and it starts with “ooooh” and ends with “aaaah.”

I mean, really, take a look at this metal-clad bit of gorgeous over here. This is everything the last gen wasn’t, and borrows heavily from their T-series CyberShots. Which is not a bad thing.

Under the hood, you’re looking at an f2.8 “wide angle” lens with the pocket-cam standard 4x digital zoom. Hard specs aren’t listed yet, we don’t know exactly how wide the lens is, and we also know it’ll have internal memory this time (a much better idea all around than its predecessor’s Memory Stick hangups) in 4 and 8GB sizes, but no suggestion as to how many minutes of footage those will hold.

We do know it’ll do 1080 HD in MP4 format, and can take 12.8 megapixel still with its CMOS sensor. We also know that it’ll have a touch interface, and easy sharing to YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, and Picasa. The software is preinstalled on the device, and the USB plug is also built-in this time, making this a full-on Flip competitor now.

And, of course, it’s Sony, who is one of the biggest names in consumer video and who have been cranking out absolutely stellar HD-ready devices for the past couple years, so we have little doubt it will return anything but wonderful video quality.

The 4GB will be about $180, the 8GB about $200. We’ve heard black and silver, but could swear we saw pink kicking around too. Still, even without pink, they seem safer color than the last model’s silver, orange, and purple.



Canon’s New XF100 and XF105 Camcorders Are Professional, Also Small

If you’re a pro in the market for a new camcorder, you might be interested in Canon’s newest announcements. The nearly-identical twins known as the XF100 and XF105 claim to be Canon’s smallest pro cams to date, and still feature the XF codec from the XF300 and XF305 (for those who’d forgotten,  that’s an MPEG-2 4:2:2 50Mbps video codec, it is). Both models record to hot-swappable CF cards, 10x Optically Stabilized HD zoom lenses, DIGIC DV III processing engines, infrared low-light recording, and features to help align two of them for use in recording ridiculously high-quality 3-D footage.

The two models are differentiated merely by the XF105 having HD-SDI output and genlock in/SMPTE time code terminals.

You can read Canon’s full press release after the jump.

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Canon VIXIA HF S21 HD Camcorders In Stock

So, this butterfly-lovin’ bit of tackle here is the Canon VIXIA HF S21 HD camcorder. And, while it’s no show stopper, and there’re no unique, headline grabbing-features to make it jump out in the sea of compact, flip-out touchscreen HD camcorders, we can tell you that it is, in fact, a very solid and worthwhile product.

It’s got the usual suspects in there. 10x optical zoom (with Canon’s Dynamic SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization with Powered IS which does, in fact, make things buttery smooth), a 3.5″ touch LCD with 922,000 dots (that means it is sharp), the ability to grab 8 megapixel stills, and yes, it even records high-def 1080 videos. Go figure.

But, it also has 64GB of built-in memory, for up to 24 hours of HD video, and it slots two additional SD/SDHC cards, and will automatically switch form the internal drive to the next card with space if you fill it up. Which is nice, because you could easily double the capacity with two 32gb SDHC cards. or even just another 12 hours by adding on two not-unreasonably-priced 16Gb Sandisk Extreme III SDHC cards with a max write speed of 30 mb/s.

And, should this piece of hardware be sounding like something you’d want to capture your life with, you’re in luck. We just got a handful in stock. Better hurry before they disappear, though.



Panasonic to Debut 3D Conversion Lens for G-Series Shooters

Not got quite enough scratch shoved under the mattress to buy one of those 3D-ready camcorders Panasonic’s talking up? We feel you. Did you purchase one of Panasonic’s very nifty Micro-Four Thirds G-series cameras with a good video mode, like the GH1 or G2? Yeah? Well, boy-howdy, you’re in luck! In addition to the camcorder, Panasonic is promising a 3D lens converter for its G-series mounts by the end of this year.

For those scratching their heads and looking blankly at their screen, the idea is the lens splits one image into two, the same way we’d see it with two eyes. So, the left- and right-halves of your sensor are recording slightly different versions of the same scene. You lose half your horizontal pixels, but you gain 3D. Ta-da!

Now, while any Micro Four Thirds shooter could mount this (Olympus’ Pen series uses the same mount), at this point a lot of the functionality will be in the firmware, so until we hear anything otherwise, we’ll assume this a Panasonic-only thing, k?



Panasonic’s New HDC-SDT750 Will Let You Record 3D Home Videos

Need a 3MOS HD cacorder with 5.1 channel audio recording? Did you just yawn? Fine! How about a 3MOS 1080p camcorder with 5.1 channel audio, 12x optical Leica zoom, and an included 3D conversion lens so you can record all your memories in 3D and play them back on your new-fangled 3D television? Happy now?

Good, because that’s exactly what Panasonic is announcing with the rolls-off-the-tongue HDC-SDT750. It’ll shoot split HD video (so, the final HD videos are 960×1080 pixels). Or take the conversion lens off and shoot boring old 1080p, see if we care.

The other features that make this a product and not just a gimmicky press release mention things like a 3 touchscreen, a manual control ring providing quick access to focus, zoo, iris, exposure, what-have-you, time lapse intervals of 1 second, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, a minute, or two minutes, a Focus Microphone made from five ‘highly directional microphones’ to capture dare-we-say panoramic surround sound,and of course 3MOS recording with a total of over 7 million pixels recording your red, blue, and green channels independently.

Word is suggesting an October release date, and a street tag of about $1,400. Whether that’s stiff or a steal probably depends on how excited you got when I said “3D conversion lens included.”

And look, a press release after the jump, for those who thirst and yearn for the very details of the cosmos:

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Roberts Now Carries Kodak Pocket Camcorder

See this bit of sexiness right here? That’s the Kodak Zi8 (go ahead, click it and see it larger). To not dance delicately around the issue, it’s Kodak’s answer to the wildly popular Flip video camera. It’s got one-touch recording, full 1080p HD capture, a 2.5″ screen, flip-out USB plug, streamlined uploading to YouTube, you name it.

It’s also got 4x digital zoom, takes 5mp 16:9 still images, and records to SD/SDHC cards. And, in macro mode it has a minimum focusing distance of about 6″.

And, for right now, you can pick one up in a special Roberts kit with the wireless remote control and a free Tamrac ouch for, oh, $129.97. That’s 50 bucks less than Kodak’s MSRP for the camera by itself!

Seriously, this is a huge deal. If you need a quick, easy way to record videos for Facebook and YouTube, well, you’re looking at it. But, the kits are really, really limited, so, uh, act fast?



Engadget gets a hands-on with the NEX-VG10 interchangeable lens camcorder

In pretty much no time after the information came out, Engadget had the chance to fondle up Sony’s next NEX entry -the NEX-VG10 camcorder. While I think they whine a bit about having to rack the lens manually to zoom -it’s an 18-200mm objective lens, boys. I suppose it’d be nice to have a motor do it, but keeping it quiet for AF during video recording seems like it’d be a lot harder. Anyway, check ‘em out on the source link and clear your inter-tubes so you can watch their HD footage on youtube.



Canon Announces VIXIA HF M32

So, while maybe not quite as exciting as Sony’s NEX-VG10 announcement, Canon has also brought us a new camcorder today, the VIXIA HF M32. And, while it may not be as ground-breaking as Sony’s, Canon does bring significantly more toucan to the table. Which is all right by me, I rather like toucans.

An update to its solid VIXIA line, the M32 puts in a 64GB flash drive, straps on a 15x zoom, and has all the other usual things like a touchscreen, HD recording, etc. It is compatible with SDXC, and Eye-Fi, so, you have some card options there.

Price is being quoted at about a grand, also out September(ish). Engadget has the full press release, which is among the shorter I’ve seen lately.



Sony Announces NEX-VG10 Camcorder, Makes Derek Choke On Coffee

OK, so, make no mistake here, we’re all very interested in Sony’s kinda revolutionary new camcorder. It combines things we like, like big ol’ Sony Alpha sensors, BIONZ processors, and the ability to take those new E-Mount lenses that we’re coming to be duly impressed with on their NEX-3 and NEX-5 still shooters. So don’t get us wrong, this is cool.

But, it’s hard to read a statement like this one from the press release and not have a bit of a laugh:

“The NEX-VG10 takes Sony’s Handycam line to the next level by allowing unprecedented artistic expression that isn’t possible with conventional consumer video cameras,” said Andy Bubala, director of Sony’s camcorder business. “With this camcorder, video enthusiasts and photographers can now capture cinematic full HD movies and premium stereo sound.”

Yeee-up, way to call it Sony, tackling those impossible things like premium sound and HD. Certainly those were way more difficult to bring to a consumer level than say, insanely shallow depth of field relative to even most professional camcorders, or the comparatively affordable flexibility of the well-made, sharp, and reassuringly metal-clad E lenses. For reals, yo.

We jest. We do. Sony’s been cranking out nothing but stellar things for a bit now, and they were already one of the very best in consumer camcorders. This can only be a remarkable device once it finally gets here, and if the still equivalents are any indication, it’s performance will float somewhere around “magic-like.”

Oh, and it’ll take Memory stick or SDHC/SDXC. And did we mention full HD video and premium sound? Yeah?

Sony’s saying “September” and around “$2,000″ in their press release. We’ll see what happens.



Panasonic’s Micro-Four Thirds Camcorder A Little More Real

Last seen a while back as just a concept rendering, Panasonic’s Micro Four-Thirds camcorder the AG-AF100 has resurfaced today with a short PDF outlining the most general of planned features and including a new product shot with a bit more real-world detail worked in. What’s in there? Well, it’s going to have two SD/SDHC/SDXC card slots, which’ll let you hold up to 12 hours at the very highest quality setting. That highest quality setting will be AVHCD PH mode, if you’re interested.

It’ll record 1080:59.94i/50i/29.97p/23.98p r 720:29.94p/50p/29.97p/25p/23.98p. It’ll have HD-SDI out, and XLR 2 channel input. And yeah, it’ll have a 4/3 sensor, which while often criticized in the still sphere for being smaller than comparable APS-C sounterparts is down-right huge compared to video-standard 2/3″ sensors. It’ll accept any lens the rest of the Micro Four-Third family does (native M4/3 lenses, and basically anything else with some form of adapter.)

Apparently the Panny link for the PDF keeps going down. DPReview is hosting a copy, and we’ll host one here, too. Click the image below.