This season’s new Handycam® range is bursting with smart Sony technology for incredible Full HD picture quality plus fun new shooting and playback features. Superbly styled and easy to use, it’s your passport to breathtaking images in any situation – from fun-filled holidays, parties and days out to precious family moments.
New High Definition Handycam® range; longest ever record time, best-ever pictures
Heading up the Spring ’09 Handycam® line-up are seven compact new High Definition models. Boasting best-ever picture quality and intelligent shooting features, hard disk drive (HDD) models are joined by colourful new Memory Stick™ models that offer amazing value.
New Handycam® sets new standards for extra-long record times, letting you capture more of your favourite memories. The flagship HDR-XR520VE can store 101 hours of sparkling HD video on its massive 240GB hard disk drive. That’s an incredible two hours of recording time every weekend for a whole year without hitting ‘delete’.
Range-topping AVCHD HDD models (XR520VE/500VE) now feature a super-sensitive Exmor R CMOS sensor. This groundbreaking imager increases sensitivity by approximately 2x compared with conventional models. Significantly reducing image noise, the new sensor ensures brilliant picture quality, even when you’re shooting in low light. Also making its debut on top models is Sony’s new high-quality G Lens that’s perfectly tailored to complement the resolving power of the Exmor R sensor.
New ‘Active Mode’ on Optical SteadyShot for top-end ACVHD HDD models dramatically reduces camera shake for more stable images, even when you’re walking along as you shoot. Anti-shake performance is improved by up to ten times at wide-angle settings compared with previous-generation Handycam® models.
Fun, easy-to-use shooting features
If you’re looking for a real sense of place, automatic geotagging by GPS makes its Handycam® debut. Selected HD models (XR520VE/500VE/200VE) include a sensitive GPS receiver inside the camcorder that tracks your position anywhere on earth where there’s satellite coverage. Videos and still images are automatically matched with location data as you travel. After shooting, Map Index shows where each clip was shot as ‘map pins’ on the LCD screen*2. Just touch an on-screen thumbnail image to select a clip from the map and enjoy a world of memories. Online map views can also be enjoyed on your PC using the supplied Picture Motion Browser software.
With the new Handycam® you’re even less likely to miss those amazing moments when they happen. All models now feature Quick Start-up; flipping open the LCD takes you from standby mode to ready-to-shoot in less than a second – three times faster that previous models and very low power consumption during standby mode.
Ever wished you had a camera handy while you’re shooting video? After making its debut on Cyber-shot™, Smile Shutter now comes to all HD Handycam® models for the first time. Working with Face Detection, Smile Shutter automatically grabs beautifully-exposed, smiling still portraits of friends and family while you’re recording video. It’s a great way to capture happy faces without disturbing your concentration.
All HD models now also feature Auto Backlight Correction for evenly-exposed high and low-lights. Exposure and D-Range Optimiser settings are adjusted automatically for great results, even with challenging scenes like faces in the foreground backed by strong sunlight.
After shooting, Handycam® gives you even more ways to enjoy your memories. Don’t fancy editing all that footage? Now Handycam® does the hard work for you. Highlight Playback automatically picks stand-out shots from a chosen range of dates, favouring ‘Dual REC’ stills captured during video shooting and images with smiling faces. Handycam® automatically splices together selected footage and stills. It also adds pre-set scene transitions plus background music, either from a pre-installed tune or your own choice of imported track. It’s a fun, easy way to show off your favourite moments – with no need for a PC or video editing skills.
New Standard Definition Handycam® range; now with highest-ever 60x zoom
Complementary the HD range is a line-up of nine brilliantly affordable Standard Definition models in a choice of Memory Stick™, hard disk or DVD formats. Shooting onto convenient internal flash memory or removable Memory Stick™ media, all-new SX Series models (DCR-SX30/50) stand out from the crowd with a choice of bold colour finishes. In a Handycam® first, entry-level SD models in all formats now feature a highest-ever 60x optical zoom range to pull distant objects closer still. Other highlights include quick start-up and SteadyShot image stabilisation for clearer video and stills.
Get more with accessories for Handycam®
There’s a full range of Handycam® accessories by Sony that give you even more – from stylish, colour co-ordinated carry cases to spare batteries that boost shooting time when you’re out and about.
A perfect match for the convenience of Handycam® is the compact new VRD-P1 DVDirect Express. Connecting via USB to ‘09 Standard Definition HDD and Memory Stick™ Handycam® models, DVDirect Express can fill a blank DVD with camcorder footage in as little as 20 minutes. (NB: depends on record mode and number of scenes). It also remembers the last time you’ve burned onto DVD, creating discs only with new footage that hasn’t previously been archived.
The new Handycam® range of High Definition and Standard Definition camcorders will be available from February 2009.