CES 2012: Whats new in Camcorders

SmartReview.com attended the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas (CES 2012) to bring back information on the latest products for 2012. Here is a short overview of what caught our attention at the show in regards to the latest Camcorders. For 2012 we are seeing unique innovations and technologies, including camcorders with a built-in projector, 4K camcorders, WiFi connectivity, Upload video to mobile devices, advanced image stabilization, and more 3D camcorders. We expect to see the 2012 models arrive in the March/April time frame. In the meanwhile 2011 camcorders are being heavily discounted.

Sony Handycam Camcorders for 2012: Sony has revamped its line, and now offers built in projectors in most of its line of consumer camcorders. When we saw this, we found it hard to believe that a projector could be put into a small camcorder. The projector window is located on the outside of the flip out LCD and can project an image up to 100 inches from 15 feet. Its actually a tiny window, but its very bright when activated. Sony had a demonstration of the projector in a darkened room. We were quite impressed by this little projector. Sony claims these projectors are twice as bright as last year’s models. Sony for its higher end camcorders has also created a new type of image stabilization called Balanced Optical SteadyShot™ that goes from the lens to the imager, giving a much stabler picture, up to 13 times better than regular image stabilization. (Available on the 760V models). The higher end HDR-PJ760V and HDR-CX760V models can capture full HD 24p and 60p recording with 24.1-megapixel still images, 96GB Flash Drive, and wider 26mm lens. For 2012 Sony has rolled out a new 3D camcorder, the HDR-TD20V which is 34% smaller than last year’s model. Up to 720p in 3D mode.

Canon Camcorders for 2012: Most of Canon’s high end consumer camcorder line will remain the same as 2011 (at least for now). In the mid-range, Canon has introduced new models that have a newly designed HD CMOS Pro sensor that improves resolution, low light performance, and expands dynamic range. Canon for 2012 is introducing 6 new flash memory camcorders. Three HF M-Series models and Three HF-R series models (see SmartReview’s video below). Some of the models are able to connect to internet by WiFi, allowing you to share your pictures and video to media sites including Youtube and Facebook. You also have the ability to connect to an iphone or ipad using a free upload App. These camcorders also give you the option to record in AVCHD or MP4. AVCHD is best for HDTV viewing, while MP4 is best for sharing on mobile devices and social media sites. The 2012 vixia line improves low light performance by 20%.

Panasonic Camcorders for 2012: Panasonic for 2012 has introduced three new Full HD camorders a single 1MOS imager. They are the HC-700, HC-V500, and HC-V100. The HC-V700 has a high sensitivity sensor for better low light shooting. The top of the line for Panasonic consumer camcorders is the HC-X900 (which replaces last year’s TM900). This model has features not on the other models. This includes a 3MOS sensor (3 imagers), which improves image quality, a three chip processing engine, and LCD screen resolution that has almost tripled from last year to 1.15 million pixels. Panasonic has discontinued making HDD (Harddrive) camcorders in 2012, in favor of those with built-in memory. Panasonic’s 3D camcorders for 2012 no longer need an adapter ring, as the new 3D lenses mounts directly onto the camcorder. SmartReview got a demonstration of this at the show. Eliminating the adapter ring reduces misalignment that can occur when mounting the 3D lens.

JVC Camcorders for 2012: For 2012 the biggest news for JVC is its 4KCam camcorder. The GY-HMQ10 is the first 4K Camcorder of its kind, and will sell for about $5,000.00 which is hefty for consumers, but actually reasonable for a Professional device that can take video at this resolution (3840 x 2160) which has a resolution 4 times regular 1080p video. The footage we saw on a Toshiba 4K hdtv was absolutely stunning. This was the best video that SmartReview has seen to date. SmartReview Also got to see JVC’s GS-TD1 3D camcorder which was showing on the monitor in realtime with 3D glasses. This was the best 3D video we had seen taken by a 3D camcorder. JVC claims this to be the first consumer camcorder to offer 3D recording in Full 1080p HD. See our video below of the JVC 4KCam.