Sony said this week it will soon begin to stock store shelves with its first HD camcorder designed for the non-professional consumer market, the HDR-HC3 HDV 1080i Handycam. Sony said in a statement its newest HD unit is 26 percent more compact than its earlier HD camcorders.
The camcorder comes with a HDMI (high definition multimedia interface) output for connecting to an HD monitor to create a plug-and-play scenario. The HDR-HC3 features a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens and Sony's so-called ClearVid CMOS Sensor technology. The camcorder also shoots 4-megapixel still images, stored on an optional Memory Stick media card for transfer between other compatible (that is to say, mostly Sony) devices.
The consumer product includes a dual-record function that allows 16:9 video and simultaneous 2.3-megapixel stills in HD, and 1.7-megapixel stills in 4:3 SD mode. Slow motion is also included in HDR-HC3's features. (It will play back video at a speed four times slower than normal.)
The HD camcorder has a 2.7-inch touch panel swivel-screen, image stabilizer, built-in mic, and lithium battery designed for up to 90 minutes of continuous recording. Sony said the HD cam will come to the U.S. market in April.
