Panasonic tweaks SD camcorders to ‘Full HD’ at 1920 x 1080i

Although Panasonic claims the SD3 and DX3 are the world’s first ‘Full HD’ camcorders, which the 1920 x 1080 specs justify if one overlooks the interlaced/progressive debate, the website for the SD1 and DX1 still prominently touts them as ‘Full HD.’

On the cameras themselves, only the latest versions have a corresponding badge, as you’ll see in the second photo above. There are no details of the new cameras on the Panasonic website yet.

Aside from the ballyhoo over line counts, upgrades to the included editing software and some minor tweaks to the casing, such as to the grip of the SD3, the new camcorders seem unlikely to make much of a splash when launched in Japan on April 25.


Barely five months after announcing the world’s first video camera to record HD TV images to an SD memory card, Panasonic has replaced it with a cheaper, more-capable model that it claims breaks new ground.

Last November’s HDC-SD1 has been ruthlessly elbowed aside by today’s release of the HDC-SD3, which offers video recording at 1920 x 1080i pixels, compared with the earlier model’s 1440 x 1080i resolution.

If you’re thinking the difference is minimal, you’re probably right not to be bothered unless you’ve just bought the SD1. The newcomer not only lays down a few thousand more pixels per frame, but it’s also likely to be ¥30,000 cheaper at ¥150,000. That includes a bundled 4GB SDHC card.

Both cameras use the relatively new AVCHD compression technique to fit high-definition video onto current-generation media, such as the SD cards used in this case. A similarly revamped DVD camcorder has also been announced in the shape of the HDC-DX3.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC N2 at Camera Labs

Those guys over at Camera Labs must eat digital cameras for breakfast, such is the rate at which they go through them. The latest to get the CL treatment is Sony's 10-megapixel DSC N2, which looks like a pretty sweet compact to me.

Sanyo’s tiny 720p HD TV video camera fits in a shirt pocket

The latest in a long line of Xacti-branded video cameras from Sanyo Japan, the pistol-grip-style DMX-HD2, is being touted as the world’s smallest and lightest digital video camera. At just 235g, it’s undeniably tiny, but what else does the ¥100,000 shooter have to offer?

First off, the still-shot resolution of the tapeless HD2 is an impressive 7.1 megapixels and snaps can be taken at the same time as laying down video to an SD card. Speaking of resolution, video is recorded as 720p MPEG-4 at 30fps, so it’s short of full HD TV but still in the ballpark. A 10x optical zoom is slightly less than might be expected, though.

To make best use of that high-definition video, there’s a single HDMI output as well as a USB port on the camera itself and S-Video and composite connectors on the included docking station. The LCD screen is a fold-out 2.2-inch number, while audio options are limited due to the absence of either a monitor headphone or microphone jack. The built-in stereo mic will have to suffice.

In terms of the onboard software, a nice feature common to Xactis is the ability to make simple edits in the camera, thus cutting out the need to hook up to a PC. Lastly, an 8GB SDHC memory card can hold up to 170 minutes of footage at the highest quality, so we can see the HD2 being snuck into a few cinemas around the Pacific rim.

Canon PowerShot TX1: HD video for all

Hot on the heels of the company's HV20 high-def camcorder comes Canon's PowerShot TX1, a mini cam that captures HD footage to SD cards, doing away with that tape nonsense (and about time, too). Your video gets the HD treatment in the 720p format at 30 frames per second, and you can easily watch it on an HDTV by using the included component-video cable — nice of Canon to think of that. Another sweet perk is optical image stabilization, which compensates for your shaky hands by shifting the lens, which is more effective than dorkier, lamer electronic image stabilizers that try to do it with software.

The TX1's HD abilities are even more notable when you consider it's primarily a still camera, snapping pix with up to 7.1 megapixels each. With a Direct Photo Printer, you won't need to hook it up to a computer, but for when you need to it's nice to know it'll play nice with both Macs and Windows PCs — even you Vista early adopters. Best of all is the bargain price: $500, which beats everything else in the class. We like.

Canon HV20: HD camcorders get sleeker, better, cheaper

Now that you know how much better high-definition video is than your DVDs, you must be thinking your home movies are starting to look pretty low-res, too. This spring might be a good time to upgrade to an HD camcorder, when Canon's second-generation consumer model hits the streets. The HV20 sports a few new features that its predecessor, the HV10, didn't have — including a 24-fps Cinema Mode to capture the look of film and an HDMI output for connecting to an HDTV — but the best improvement is probably the price. At $1,099, it's $200 cheaper than what the HV10 debuted at, plus you get an even sleeker form factor. You can almost overlook the fact that it records those state-of-the-art full-HD images to the archaic medium of MiniDV tapes.

Canon's news, as well as Sony's and JVC's HD-cam announcements at CES, means there will be plenty to choose from in the HD-cam arena come spring — as long as you don't mind spending at least a grand for the privelege of shooting super-sharp footage. Have a look at another picture of the HV20 (showing the controls) after the jump.

Nikon to Try Its Hands in LCD Photomask Glass Market

Sensing the potential ever growing LCD TV market, Nikon Corp, the digital camera manufacturer has announced to invest around $2.3 billion yen (approximately $19 million) to initiate the manufacturing of glass substrates for liquid crystal display photomasks. Photomasks are employed to transfer circuit patterns during the manufacturing of semiconductors and liquid crystal displays.

Though Nikon has planned to start the new business of making glass material, they have announced it officially for the very first time. Currently, Japan’s Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. tops the list of photomask glass substrates makers

Sanyo DMX-HD2 is one tiny HD camcorder

This tiny handheld camcorder actually shoots in HD, surprisingly enough. How well it shoots HD… well, that's another story entirely. It shoots at 720p HD, storing the video on a SDHC memory card. It also takes 7-megapixel still pictures, a 10x optical zoom, and a 2.5-inc LCD screen.

While we haven't played around with this model, the previous version took less than stellar video, so we're somewhat skeptical. If it lives up to its specs, however, it's a pretty amazing feat. Cramming that much stuff into such a tiny package is impressive to say the least. You can find out for yourself whenever it goes on sale here in the States, which is currently to be announced.