CES 2009: Camcorders at CES 2009

Kodak introduces Zx1 rugged HD pocket camcorder

Kodak has showcased its latest pocket HD camcorder at CES 2009. 

The Zx1 improves on the design of the popular Kodak Zi6 model and has a water and shock-resistant rubber casing.

You can record video in high-definition 720p resolution and at either 60 or 30 frames per second. The Zx1 has an SD memory card slot for memory storage.

We had a chance to try out the Zx1 at the show, and our first impressions are positive. One of the drawbacks of the Zi6 model was its small, cramped buttons; the Zx1 improves on this with better-spaced and well-delineated controls.

Unfortunately, the jerky digital zoom mechanism that was a major drawback on the Zi6 is still there, which is a shame.

HD video is impressively smooth, though our experience with the Kodak Zi6 suggests that much of the resolution and smoothness is lost after uploading videos to YouTube or similar video-sharing websites via the built-in USB connection.

Chris Christoforou, Which? Camcorder guru, said 'If you’re planning to film some action and adventure in the great outdoors, leave your full size camcorder behind and take this rugged little water and shock-resistant device instead.'

The Kodak Zx1 is available this spring priced around US$149 (about £100), and comes in five different colours. No word yet on UK pricing and availability, but rest assured as soon as it hits the high street we’ll subject it to our full camcorder test.

For more on choosing the best HD camcorder, check our expert Which? reviews of the best HD camcorders. We have also compared the performances of similar pocket camcorders, so be sure to check our comparison of the Kodak Zi6 and Flip camcorders.

Canon introduces new flagship HD camcorder

Canon has unveiled its new flagship HD camcorder, the Canon Vixia HF S10, at CES 2009. 

We had a chance to try one out at the show – it’s impressively light and fits comfortably in your hand.

The camcorder has an 8.58Mp CMOS image sensor, which Canon claims will offer a superior performance in low and indoor light.

It also has a x10 optical zoom, and on top of its camcorder function it can take 8Mp still photos and even capture 6Mp stills while you’re recording video footage.

The HF S10 is a dual flash memory device that allows you to record directly to its built-in 2G of memory or to a removable SD memory card.

Advanced face-detection technology lets the camcorder recognise up to 35 faces in a shot, and an optical image stabiliser helps to limit the effects of shaky hands.

The Vixia HF S10 will be available to buy in April, priced around US$1399 (about £920). A cheaper alternative model, the Vixia HF S100 will also be available, but without the built-in memory. Both models will be available in the UK in April as the Legria rather than Vixia.

Chris Christoforou, Which? camcorders expert, said, ‘The ability to capture still images while recording video is a boon for those times where you suddenly want to take a snap but don’t want a break in your film.’

The Canon HF20

Canon updates HD camcorder range

Canon has updated its popular range of HD camcorders. The new models, unveiled at CES 2009, are Canon’s most compact camcorders to date.

The Canon HF20 is 17% smaller than its predecessor the Canon HF10, which did quite well in a Which? review.

We tried out the HF20 at CES. This impressively compact camcorder is light and fits nicely into your hand. It also boasts a x15 optical zoom, which is impressive for an HD camcorder.

A new video snapshot mode is included, allowing you to continuously record four-second video clips to form a montage of short recordings.

The HF20, which will retail for around US$999 (about £655), has 32GB of built-in memory. A cheaper model, the HF200, will also be available for around US$849 (about £555), but this doesn’t have the built-in memory of its sister model. UK pricing and availability is still to be confirmed.

Chris Christoforou, Which? camcorders expert, said, ‘Most HD camcorders offer optical zooms of 10x or 12x, so it’s good to see the HF20 with 15x. It gives you that little bit of extra versatility.’

For more on choosing the best HD camcorder, check our expert Which? reviews of the best HD camcorders.

The Canon FS200

New compact standard definition camcorders

Canon has also updated its range of standard definition camcorders. The Canon FS200 is an updated, more compact version of the Canon FS100.

The US$349 (about £230) FS200 continuously records for three seconds before you even press the record button, giving you a head-start on capturing fleeting moments. It continuously deletes unused footage as it does so.

An impressive 41x optical zoom allows you to get exceptionally close to the action. And like the high-definition HF20 model, it has video snapshot technology for capturing short clips.

The Canon FS200 can record only to a removable SD memory card. However, other models have built-in memory: the US$599 (about £395) Canon FS22 will have 32GB of flash memory, while the US$499 (about £330) Canon FS21 will have 16GB of memory. UK pricing and availability is still to be confirmed.

Chris Christoforou, Which? camcorders expert, said, 'Canon proves there’s still life in standard definition camcorders with the new FS200. We really like the record before you hit record innovation – it’ll save a lot of missed moments!'

For more on choosing the best standard definition camcorder, check our expert Which? reviews of the best SD camcorders.

Sony Webbie HD camcorders

Sony has unveiled a range of simple pocket HD camcorders designed for the YouTube generation.

The Webbie camcorders can capture footage in 30 frames per second in high-definition quality, and are designed to make it easy to upload footage to video-sharing websites.

The market for easy-to-use pocket camcorders is expanding rapidly, with models like the Flip Ultra, Flip Mino and Kodak Zi6 taking the US and UK by storm.

The zoom lenses on the Sony Webbie range are superior to those on rival products. The MHS-CM1 Webbie camcorder has a x5 optical zoom and a x20 digital zoom, while the MHS-PM1 Webbie camcorder has a x4 digital zoom.

Our tests to date of similar pocket camcorders have shown that such models struggle to match the performance of larger camcorders, but the popularity of this market has evidently been enough to prompt Sony to weigh in with its own effort.

The MHS-PM1 is available now priced around US$200 (about £130), and the MHS-CM1 model will be available from April at US$170 (about £110).

For more on camcorders, check out the Which? HD camcorder reviews. We have also compared the performances of similar pocket camcorders to the Webbie range, so be sure to check our comparison of the Kodak Zi6 and Flip camcorders.

JVC debuts video-sharing HD camcorders 

JVC has unveiled a range of digital camcorders that deliver new video-sharing and storage features at CES 2009.

The JVC Everio range of digital camcorders includes models offering hard-disk video storage, memory card storage, and a range of colours.

The company says the 2009 Everio range will make it easier to watch footage on Apple iPod and iPhone devices, and include a one-touch export button to transfer video to Apple’s iTunes software. A one-touch video upload feature allows video to be directly uploaded to video-sharing sites such as YouTube.

Small JVC camcorders

JVC is also touting the small size of its Everio range. It says that, for the first time, high-definition models in the range have the same dimensions as standard definition models. The camcorders will be available in a range of six colours.

The 2009 JVC Everio range includes three high-definition camcorders that all record 1920x1080 Full HD video. The GZ-HD300 includes a 60GB hard drive, the GZ-HD320 includes a 120GB hard drive, while the GZ-HM200 supports two SD card memory slots with continuous recording promised between the two cards.

The high-definition JVC Everio camcorders include a 3.05Mp CMOS image sensor, and JVC’s Genessa processing technology. JVC says the technology delivers natural-looking video images, and video free of motion judder, jaggy lines, and moiré patterns.

JVC says the Everio GZ-HM200 is one of the smallest and lightest full HD camcorders available.

Standard-definition camcorders

Three standard definition camcorders debuted at CES 2009. The 60GB GZ-MG630, the 80GB GZ-MG670, and the 120GB GZ-MG680.

The camcorder range features digest playback, according to JVC, creating a trailer of highlighted scenes from video stored in the camera for quickly reviewing content.

Prices start from US$299 (about £200) and range up to US$799.95 (about £530) – UK pricing has yet to be announced.

Samsung unveils world’s first 64GB SSD high definition camcorder

Samsung has unveiled a new flagship HD camcorder featuring an unprecedented 64GB solid state drive (SSD), enough for recording 12 hours of HD footage.

The HMX-H106, which will be available in April 2009, can record high-definition footage directly to its built-in SSD memory, which Samsung claims to be a quicker, safer and more efficient means for storage than more conventional hard digital drives (HDD).

As an SSD has no moving parts, it is much less liable to mechanical fault or damage from shocks and extreme temperatures.

Samsung also claims that its SSD technology requires only an eighth of the power needed for recording to HDD, and that accessing recordings is three times faster.

We’ll be keen to test Samsung’s claims when the HMX-H106 becomes available this April.

The HMX-H106 is a compact model capable of 1920x1080 resolution recording. It can also take 4.7Mp still photos. The x10 optical zoom lens has a built-in image stabiliser for limiting the effects of shaky hands.

On top of the built-in SSD memory, you can also expand memory capacity using an SD or SDHC memory card.

For help in choosing the best HD camcorder for you, check our expert Which? reviews of the best HD camcorders.

Panasonic's new camcorders, including the H80, have the world's most powerful zooms

Panasonic introduces new camcorders with world’s most powerful zooms

Panasonic has expanded its 2009 camcorder line with two standard-definition hard disk drive (HDD) models, the SDR-H80 and SDR-H90, and one SD Card model, the SDR-S26. 

All three feature the world’s first and most powerful 70x optical ultra-zoom lens.

70x is huge, much bigger than anything we’ve seen before, though you’ll almost definitely need a tripod to make full use of it – don’t rely on the optical image stabilisation.

The camcorders use an advanced optical image stabilisation (OIS) system, which helps reduce blur caused by a shaky hand. They also come with Panasonic’s proprietary Intelligent Auto (iA) technology, which is designed to make them easy to use. For example, it has an intelligent scene selector that determines which scene mode will provide the best results.

The SDR-H90 can capture and store video to an SD/SDHC memory card or its 80GB internal HDD, which Panasonic claims can record up to 72 hours (in LP mode). It says the SDR-H80’s 60GB internal HDD can record up to 54 hours (in LP mode).

UK pricing and availability has yet to be confirmed. In the US the SDR-H80 has a suggested retail price of US$449.95 (about £300), the SDR-90 has an SRP of US$499.95 (about £335), and the SDR-S26 has an SRP of US$329.95 (about £220). All three camcorders will be available in April 2009.

Panasonic launches new high-definition (HD) camcorders

The Panasonic TMC300 HD camcorder

Panasonic has expanded its high-definition (HD) camcorder line with six new full-HD models, ranging from entry-level to semi-professional.

Three models, the HDC-HS300, HDC-TM300 and HDC-HS250, are more advanced and feature a newly developed 3MOS chip system. This assures excellent image quality for both motion and still images by using three full-HD MOS sensors to provide the world’s highest total pixel count – 9,150,000 pixels.

The three other models, the HDC-HS20, HDC-TM20 and HDC-SD20, have features that are ideal for first-time users wanting simple but powerful video capabilities.

All six HD models feature Panasonic’s first camcorder touchscreen. Chris Chistoforou, Which? camcorder expert said, ‘Sony has offered touchscreen technology on its camcorders for some time, so it will be interesting to see how Panasonic’s system measures up.’

UK pricing and availability has yet to be confirmed. In the US the suggested retail prices for the models are: US$1,399.95 (about £930) for the HDC-HS300; US$1,299.95 (about £865) for the HDC-TM300; US$999.95 (about £665) for the HDC-HS250; US$799.95 (about £535) for the HDC-HS20; US$649.95 (about £435) for the HDC-TM20; and US$599.95 (about £400) for the HDC-SD20. All models come in black and will be available in April 2009.

For more on camcorders, check out the Which? HD camcorder reviews.

To see more pics from our time at CES 2009, check out the Which? CES 2009 photo gallery on Flickr.

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