The VPC-CA6 is a an extremely small SD-card based video and still camera; our product review sample came in a box that proclaimed it was the “blue” variant (with a “red” and “silver” variant also available), but that’s a strange definer of the camera, as it’s actually only the bezel around the foldout LCD that comes in a blue colour. The rest of the VPC-CA6’s casing is white with a prominent black ridge running down the bottom of the camera; this includes the hinge that houses the VPC-CA6’s battery and SD card slot. Our review sample came with a 1GB SD card. The battery is charged with an external charger, and there’s no facility to directly charge the camera battery while it’s in situ.

The VPC-CA6 has a 5x optical zoom and supports four recording modes, topping out at standard VGA (640 x 480) video at 30fps. Everything recorded comes out as a compressed MP4 file, and the supplied 1GB card should be good for about 60 minutes of footage, which is not that much more than the VPC-CA6’s estimated battery life of 80 recording minutes. Given that the camera is pitched towards the home or sports enthusiast shooter that’s not too galling. The specifications for the VPC-CA6 state that it’s compatible with newer SHDC cards, which can store 4GB or more. On the digital still front, the VPC-CA6 features a six megapixel sensor with a variety of pre-set shooting modes.

One of the selling points for the VPC-CA6 is that it’s splash-proof. It’s important to note that Sanyo don’t claim that it’s waterproof — and we were unwilling to shell out AU$799 to see what happens if you drop it into a pool but if you’re keen and try it, be sure to let us know what happens. In theory, though, the VPC-CA6 should be good for swimmers, skiers and the like, simply because you should be able to handle it with wet hands. That probably covers people doing dishes as well, now that we think of it.

The VPC-CA6 is Sanyo’s latest addition to the family. Weighing in at just 175g, its gently curving pistol-grip design will be familiar to camcorder users but may feel awkward to anyone coming from a photo background.

Flip the smallish screen out and the VPC-CA6 wakes up almost immediately. The screen doesn’t tilt up (or fold screen-side in for safety) but its meagre 86,000 pixels look surprisingly sharp and natural. In fact, the 2-inch display has a smooth, luminous quality that outshines many larger LCDs, but it performs poorly in low light.

The Hitachi DZ-H303 already was announced in Japan a month ago. It looks like Hitachi is bringing the DZ-HS301 also to Europe soon and eventually to the United States. The Hitachi DZ-HS301 features a 15x optical zoom, 1MP still photos and a 2.7 widescreen LCD. The Hitachi DZ-HS303 sports a better CCD sensor and takes 3.1MP stills.

Hitachi has recently announced their new line of camcorders and this time they have gone for something very innovative and potentially the future of camcorders. These camcorders come with DVD support as well as a ‘Hard disk’. This is one of the first time we are seeing a HDD in a camcorder. The other advantage when it comes to this range ofcamcorders from Hitachi is the long battery life.

The Hitachi DZ-HS301 and DZ-HS303 come with a 2.8 inch screen display for you to get a nice picture of what you are actually saving. The camcorder comes with a pretty big 8GB hard disk which can store over 100 minutes of the highest quality videos. In addition to this memory capacity, you can add a DVD ±RW or DVD-RAM too.

The Hitachi DZ-HS301 has a 1.3 mega pixel CCD with a 15x optical and 800x digital zoom. On the other hand the Hitachi DZ-HS303 comes with a 3.3 mega pixel CCD with 10x optical zoom and 500x digital zoom.

The Canon ZR700 tops off the ZR series this year, which has undergone serious cosmetic changes, including a new joystick control. How does the ZR700 hope to distinguish itself? The differences from next step-down, the ZR600, are small but crucial, including the analog inputs. Combine this with a 30x optical zoom and solid low light performance and you’ve got an under $400 camcorder that looks pretty good.

The camcorder’s left side is dominated by a 2.7-inch wide-screen LCD–a natural match for the ZR700’s full-sensor-width, wide-screen recording capabilities. Even better, Canon moved all video and playback controls to the bevel of the LCD panel and simplified them, too. A five-way joystick provides navigation and quick access to manual focus and exposure settings. Four buttons put frequently used features, including digital effects, wide-screen/4:3 mode, and the video light, at your fingertips. We like the built-in lens cover, which slides open and shut. However, the lack of an accessory shoe is disappointing, especially considering that there’s room for one on top of the unit. Canon doesn’t include a microphone input either, while the super-low-end ZR500, which costs $100 less, has one.

With its 1/6-inch CCD as well as both 340,000-pixel 4:3 and 450,000-pixel 16:9 effective resolutions, the ZR700 is suitable for home and vacation videography. Canon’s 25X optical zoom lens improves on the ZR300’s already impressive 22X lens, but even better is the choice of zoom speeds: 1X, 2X, 3X, and variable. The last is typical of zoom controls: the amount of pressure on the rocker dictates the speed of the zoom. But the fixed speeds give you a consistent zoom to prevent amateur-style jerkiness–too bad you have to delve into the ZR700’s menu system every time you want to change the setting.
Technical Details

• Features true widescreen recording and powerful 24x optical zoom
• Widescreen 2.7-inch LCD
• Canon’s Digic DV image processor for exceptional color and clarity
• Smooth Zoom Control function prevents jerky zooms
• Joystick lets you easily operate playback, focus, exposure, and menu options

While Mini DV still remains the digital recording format of choice, there are many people who are naturally graduating towards DVD. Many of these are relatively new to the camcorder world having simply skipped the whole tape era. Others prefer the ease of recording onto a disc and wirelessly slipping it into a DVD player.

Either way, DVD is slowly edging its way into the foreground and becoming increasingly competitively priced. Panasonic’s VDR-D250 is not the company’s cheapest DVD recorder but offers a reasonable price and a generous clutch of features.

PRODUCT FEATURES:

Superior color, detail and gradation: 3CCD Camera System; Special high-performance imaging engine Crystal Engine; Capture even complex motion with precision: high quality MPEG 2 Engine; Extremely beautiful still pictures: 2.3-Megapixel Still Pictures Recording; Pull distant subjects right up close with 10x optical zoom; Shoot wide, view wide: high picture quality Wide Mode (16:9) and 2.7″ LCD; Choose the media you want with multi-format ease: DVD-RAM, DVD-RW; DVD-R; Select the recording mode to match your needs: XP, SP, LP Mode; Easy operation with One-Touch Navigation & Joystick Control; Find out what each icon means: Help Mode; Index screen for simple searching: Quick Search & Access with Disc Navigator.

The new Sony UX5 Handycam camcorder model exemplifies the ClearVid benefits of smooth slow record and dual record modes. With the smooth slow record function, you can create slow motion video by playing back short video clips at 240 frames per second. Newly added this year is a voice memo so that you can playback those clips with audio recordings. The new Sony HDR-UX5 AVCHD DVD video camera can produce a 2.3 Megapixel photo in this mode.

he AU$1,799 HDR-UX5, which features a 10x Carl Zeiss T* zoom lens, brings the price of high-def recording well and truly under the AU$2,000 barrier. The HDR-UX1’s design has been updated with relocated controls and an exterior furnished with ribbed metal on the lens barrel, and a mix of black and silver plastic elsewhere. It feels nice and substantial in the hand, with the major controls being easily operated by one’s thumb and index finger.

In sliding under AU$2,000, the HDR-UX5 had to shed a few features seen in its predecessor, namely optical image stabilisation and the large 3.5-inch touch-screen LCD. Carried over are the 4-megapixel CMOS sensor, dual recording, 5.1 channel surround sound recording and smooth slow record. With dual recording you can take 2.3-megapixel stills while taping video, although the buffer only holds three stills per recording session. In smooth slow record mode, up to three seconds of action can be slowed down to a quarter the normal speed, which is perfect for analysing your golf swing or perfecting your Baywatch-style beach run.

There’s no doubt that Sony is seeking to making their name synonymous with HD in the home, and their current product line may make that a reality. “Full HD 1080” is the tagline Sony uses to describe their HD strategy, which goes beyond the camcorder market into televisions, Blu-Way, PlayStation 3, and computers. AVCHD was met with some skepticism last year when editing solutions failed to materialize before the camcorders were released. A number of NLE software manufacturers have signed on for licensing, though updates that can work with AVCHD have only begun to trickle into the market. As a result, Sony has been eager to push the AVCHD-compatible products that are available, including Sony-branded Blu-Ray disc players, Vaio computers, and PlayStation 3 consoles, as well as Blu-Ray disc players from Panasonic and other AVCHD licensees. Sony’s own consumer HD camcorder line spans three recording formats: DVD, HDD (both in AVCHD), and tape (in HDV). Several HDV camcorders are also available in the professional video line.