Sony has a camcorder to match your personal video-making style with its new line of DVD and Mini DV tape Handycam® camcorders.

“Our new models feature enhancements and sophisticated technologies across the line to deliver benefits to satisfy the varying recording, sharing and archiving needs of different customers, depending on their preferences,” said Linda Vuolo, director for camcorder products at Sony Electronics.

Double the Recording Time and Double the Fun with DVD

Sony is introducing four new DVD camcorders for busy people who can appreciate the advantages of recording directly to disc, easy playback on DVD players, effortless sharing of home movies on a disc, and instant archiving of video footage.

In addition to –R/-RW/+RW disc compatibility, all models are newly-compatible with three-inch, +R dual layer discs. A standard, three-inch DVD with 2.66 GB dual layer capacity can nearly double the camcorders’ recording times. Now users can continuously record close to two hours of DVD footage, depending on the recording mode.

…

More of What You’re Looking for in a Camcorder

With built-in Dolby® Digital 5.1 surround sound, all the new DVD camcorders can provide an at-home cinematic experience. These models are compatible with Sony’s ECM-HW1 Bluetooth® wireless microphone, which amplifies the center channel sound in the camcorders’ surround sound system and lets you wirelessly capture audio up to 100 feet away.

…

A Memory Stick Duoâ„¢ flash memory card slot has been incorporated into all three DVD models to facilitate easier management of photo and video libraries. And they all feature a USB jack for effortless connection and transfer of video footage to a PC for editing and storing.

Exceptional Performance on the Digital Tape Front

With such a wide variety of DV editing software in the marketplace, serious video editors are drawn to mini DV tape camcorders. Sony is introducing three tape-based models with feature sets to suit beginners and advanced camcorder users.

…

All of the new mini DV models deliver a combination of Carl Zeiss optics, Sony’s high-resolution CCD imaging technology, and long battery life. For instance, the DCR-HC28 unit can record up to 14 hours with an optional FH100 battery, which is compatible with all of Sony’s 2007 camcorders and backwards compatible with select 2006 models.

Sony’s DCR-DVD508 and 408 models will be available in March for about $900 and $700, respectively.

Sony Handycam DCR-DVD408 Camcorder Reviews

PCWorld has a review of the Sony Handycam DCR-DVD408 camcorder and writes, “The PC World Test Center awarded the DCR-DVD408 a grade of Superior for video quality, and it earned high audio-quality marks as well. Even casual clips looked quite pleasing. Handheld video of kiteboarders using a 30-knot wind to skim quickly across water in blazing sunlight, images had crisp details, attractive colors, and outstanding exposure accuracy. The electronic image stabilization worked well, too, despite the stiff breeze. … Its limitations notwithstanding, the DCR-DVD408 deserves a place on anyone’s short list of camcorder contenders–but be prepared to purchase a good video-editing package that can handle DVD files to go with it.” Link.

Camcorderinfo reviews the Sony Handycam DCR-DVD508 and writes, “Sony has clearly taken a few missteps since last year, as evident in the DCR-DVD508. The “improved” CMOS sensor packs in so many pixels that the low light performance suffers from a tremendous amount of noise. What does a standard definition camcorder need with 3,200,000 pixels? If the response is “take better still photos,” then I have to ask the follow-up question, “What kind of person wants to carry around a 3-megapixel still camera that weighs more than one pound?” Surely Sony’s R&D labs must have seen the effect the new imager was having on low light. Yet they released it anyway, thereby able to boost the precious megapixel count that never fails to woo consumers…In addition to avoiding the noise problem, last year’s DCR-DVD505 also offered a much larger 3.5-inch LCD. The only concession Sony offers to these lamentable omissions is the upgrade to optical image stabilization – which performed quite well in testing.” Link.

Save 71% Off the Newsstand Price of Videomaker Magazine!