Sony has just announced yet another mad plethora of Handycams, this time spreading its back-illuminated
Exmor R sensor throughout the whole range. With it comes the ability to expand storage via Memory Stick, SD or SDHC cards, much improved "quick AF" functionality, as well as a six-blade aperture producing a more appealing "bokeh" -- quite an advanced consideration when talking about humble consumer recorders. The flagship XR550V (250GB HDD) and CX550V (64GB SSD) models also feature a wide-angle G lens, 12 megapixel stills, assignable manual control dial, and dedicated mic and headphone inputs. On the professional front, the company is offering the AX2000 and HXR-NX5U, with both recording AVCHD at rates up to 24MBps and producing 1080p footage. A 20x optical zoom is also nice, but for the $3,500 price of the cheaper AX2000, we'd expect nothing less. Check out the source links below for further details, including full pricing and availability.
posted January 6th 2010 9:17PM
Now I know what Seinfeld meant when he meant "hand model."
RIP Memorystick.
@dds1043 damn I miss read that. I still think its the death of that stupid stick
Vlad, it's not nice to lie to your readers, I see no flying swine out my window, so what's this nonsense with "SD memory on HandyCams?"
Allowing people to use a much more common card format, and therefore expanding your userbase and appealing to more people? What a neat idea!
This is a step in the right direction.
Why is bokeh in quotes?
Do you randomly put quotation marks around words, or is it just the ones you don't understand?
Good luck getting discernable any "bokeh" with what is likely a 1/5.5" sensor, or at best a 1/2.5". I suppose it's a step in the right direction though.
@DanKennedy Like it or not, you can still blur your background with a small-chip sensor. And, let's face it. Shallow depth of fields are being abused too much now that it's more easily attainable. Just look at Engadget's hands-on photos. For the average user, a small chip is probably exactly what is needed.
OMG! I gotta hold onto something and get my parka! The world's stopped spinning and hells freezing over!
I was all prepared to buy a Canon camcorder since the 'not memory stick' factor blew Sony out of contention. Now I have to reexamine my options. Damn.