Canon Vixia HV40 info

So we have the Canon Vixia HV40, one of the HD camcorders in the 2009 lineup from Canon. This model will record your dog doing tricks in HD to HDV format (Consumer High-Definition Digital Video) onto a MiniDV cassette and is planned to release in April 2009.

Check out the Vixia HV40 official page at Canon USA for full specs, but the main features are:

• HD Video (true 1080 at 16:9 to MiniDV tape, optional Standard Definition)
  
• Canon 10x HD Video Lens
• Canon Exclusive: Canon 2.96 Megapixel Full HD CMOS Image Sensor
• Canon Exclusive: DIGIC DV II Image Processor
• Canon Exclusive: SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization
• Canon Exclusive: Instant AF (Auto Focus)
• Native 24p Mode
• 24p Cinema Mode
• 30p Progessive Mode
• Built-in 3.1 Megapixel Digital Camera
• Custom Key
• Canon Exclusive: 2.7" Multi-Angle Vivid Widescreen LCD
• Advanced Accessory Shoe Terminal
• HDMI Terminal
• Brilliant Video
• Edit and Share Your Video (DV streaming, IEEE 1394)
  
• Share Your Photos (Print/Share button, miniSD card slot)
  
• Additional Features (Built-in Electronic Lens Cover, Playback of 60i/30p/24p Video, USB 2.0, AD Converter, Wireless Remote Control)
  

Canon Vixia HF10 flash based camcorder review at cnet

Yeah I know its old, but this pretty little Vixia HF10camcorder still can do the job for you and your family if you don't need the latest and the greatest.

From the review:

Canon may not have been first out of the gate with a flash-based camcorder--or second, or third--but its debut model, the high-definition Vixia HF10, gets it right the first time. A sleek, black compact model with a well-rounded feature set, great video, and excellent performance, the HF10 definitely deserves a spot on your short list of potential home-movie camcorders.

The bottom line: Canon's first flash-based camcorder, the Canon Vixia HF10, delivers excellent HD video quality and performance in a tiny package.


Canon says:

From Canon's long history of optical excellence, advanced image processing, superb performance and technological innovation in photographic and broadcast television cameras comes the latest in high definition camcorders.

Now, with the light, compact Canon VIXIA HF10, you can have stunning AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition) format recording with the ease and numerous benefits of Flash Memory. It's used in some of the world's most innovative electronic products such as laptop computers, MP3 players, PDAs and cell phones. Canon offers the best in Flash Memory with Dual Flash Memory- record to both the camcorder's 16 GB internal memory and a removable SDHC card, extending your available recording space and offering added flexibility in file transfer and playback.

Read the full Cnet review here or another review at camcorderinfo.com right here or the official Canon product page here or you can even buy the Canon VIXIA HF10 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 16 GB Internal Flash Memory and 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom.

Sanyo Xacti HD800 - Let's shoot more movies

The Sanyo Xacti HD800 is aimed at consumers who want HD videos, up to 8Megapixel stills, video blogging and video sharing and easy connection in one device. The Xacti DMX-HD800 camcorder is available in gold, pink and black, trying to focus on female users. Once again, I miss a "Hello Kitty" version.

The Xacti HD800 uses MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video-recording format, which records video and audio data into the same file. Files in this format are highly compressed, which means you can record for longer while maintaining image quality. As both video and audio information are contained in the same files, they are easier to upload to the web. Despite its small, pocket- or purse-fitting body, the HD800 can take high-definition videos and 8.0-megapixel still images. You can even record videos and stills simultaneously, without the hassle of having to switch modes.

The Xacti HD800 has a face chaser function capable of capturing up to 12 persons in both video- and still-shooting modes. Partial faces are more accurately detected as well, thanks to a new control system. Now you can capture your target more easily, whether you’re shooting a video or a still image. This function also rapidly tracks your subject’s face during video shooting. When you use the face chaser function to prioritize people in your videos and stills, the camera adjusts the focus and exposure in real time for beautiful results.

See the Sanyo Xacti HD800 product page.

Toshiba Camileo H10 reviewed

From the review:

For a start, the device comes with just 64MB of memory built in, which is enough to test things are working and very little else. So you will need to factor in an SD card from the outset, although that's hardly a major expense these days. The H10 has four different recording options. The headline act is HD, although this is 1,280 x 720, not Full HD. There is also a D1 option that operates at 720 x 480, plus VGA at 640 x 480, and QVGA at 320 x 240 to choose from. All run at 30 frames per second, however, rather than the European-friendly 25 frames per second.

At its top setting, the H10 uses a 4Mbits/sec data rate, which isn't particularly high, even for 720p resolution instead of Full HD. So a 2GB SD card will be enough for a little over an hour of video. Considering 2GB cards can be had for little more than a quid these days, we wonder why Toshiba didn't just bung one in the box for good measure.

Read the full review at trustedreviews.com

Poor man's HD camcorder: Genius G-Shot HD55 with 720p video

Behold really cheap HD recording from Genius, the G-Shot HD55. From the single real photo I found on the web, it looks pretty fragile. Let's hope the build quality is good.

Techtree.com says:

The Genius G-Shot HD55 is a 5.0 MP CMOS camcorder with a HD video camera that records at 720p (1280x720@30fps). It uses the high compression H.264 format. It has a 3.0 inch TFT LCD screen that can be swiveled. It has capabilities of playing back content on normal as well as HDTV. Though the internal memory is just 32 MB, it provides a SDHC slot that can accept SDHC cards for recording content.

Genius is well known in Europe and Asia as a manufacturer of speakers, keyboards, mice, webcams and other computer accessories.

Check the G-Shot HD55 product detail page at Genius.

Buy the older Genius G-shot DV5133 VGA camcorder at Amazon (not HD, but cheap).

Go check the company product lineup at http://www.geniusnet.com

Samsung HMX-R10 Reviewed

While it still looks like a UFO with its angled lens and bubbly design, the HMX-R10 HD camcorder has a lot under the hood.

camcorderinfo.com has a review of the camcorder and t hey say:

The HMX-R10 has a unique 8x optical full HD lens. There is no lens cap, but the tempered glass is designed to withstand bumps and scratches. The lens is also angled at 25 degrees, which changes the way you hold the camcorder. The new grip is unintuitive at first, but ultimately more comfortable and ergonomic. The R10 is also equipped with the highest resolution sensor of any Samsung camcorder—and one of the largest. This could produce impressive low light results and it promises to make the R10 an intriguing choice for a video/still hybrid.

Cehck out the full review here.

Panasonic announced Three New Camcorders, the SDR-H80, SDR-H90 and SDR-S26

Although not HD, these camcorders are worth a post here. According to the Panasonic press release, they all have the world's most powerful 70X zoom lens dubbed "ultra-zoom", plus the optical image stabilizing (O.I.S.) you are familiar with. The HDR-S90 and HDR-S80 (pictured above) camcorders also have HDD storage, while the S26 has only SD/SDHC.

From the press release:

Panasonic today expanded its 2009 camcorder line with the addition of two Hard Disk Drive (HDD) models, the SDR-H80 and SDR-H90; and one SD Card model, the SDR-S26 – all of which feature the world’s first and most powerful 70x optical ultra-zoom lens*. All three models also include an advanced Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) system which helps reduce blur caused by a shaky hand and Panasonic’s proprietary Intelligent Auto (iA) technologies, making the camcorders easy to use.

The powerful 70x optical ultra-zoom lens is supported by Panasonic’s advanced O.I.S. system which reduces the effect of hand-shake even when subjects are zoomed to maximum magnification. Gyrosensors detect hand shake, and the advanced O.I.S. shifts the lens to correct the optical axis and repeats this detection and correction process about 4,000 times per second. This superb correction performance, which produces sharp, clear motion images far better than electronic image stabilization systems, is critical for a camcorder with such a long and powerful zoom.

Other features of the SDR-H80, SDR-H90 and SDR-S26 include:

- Easy YouTube Upload – this convenient function makes it fast and easy to upload video clips to YouTube.com for easy sharing. Simply install VideoCam Suite software that comes with the model and connect to a PC using the USB interface. ***

- Quick Start Mode – Takes just 0.8 seconds for the camcorders to start up in quick start mode, ensuring that sudden shooting opportunities are not missed.

- Easy Copy to DVD – Most people use their camcorders for three main purposes: to shoot, play, and archive video recordings. They want each of these functions to be as easy as possible. This feature lets the user save data onto DVDs without all the fuss. By connecting the camcorder to the VW-BN1 DVD Burner (optional) using a USB cable, video recordings can easily be copied to a 12-cm DVD (DVD-RAM/-RW/-R/-R DL). The disc can then be played back on DVD players.

The SDR-H80 has a suggested retail price (SRP) of $449.95 and will come in four colors, silver, black, red and blue models; while the SDR-90 has an SRP of $499.95 and will come in black only. The SDR-S26 has an SRP of $329.95 and will come in champagne, black, blue and red models. All three camcorders will be available in April 2009.