Sony camcorders

Handycam, launched in 1985, is Sony's line of handheld (as opposed to shoulder-mounted) camcorders, originally recording to 8mm video cassettes.

Both models have 1⁄3 in (8.5 mm) CCD sensors while the PD150 has XLR audio inputs and independent iris and gain controls.

[1] Due to the CCDs Hyper Gain option they are extremely sensitive in less than favorable lighting situations; that may be as dim as 0.25 lx.

HDC-700A/750A were Sony HDVS compatible and equipped with 2 million pixel frame-interline-transfer (FIT) CCD[2] imager that could capture 1080 of active lines per frame.

The Sony HDR-HC5, introduced in May 2007 (MSRP $1099 US), was the third DV tape HDV CMOS camcorder to support 1080i.

The Sony HDR-HC7, introduced in 2008 (MSRP $1399 US), was another DV tape HDV CMOS camcorder to support 1080i.

The camera includes a manual focus wheel, mic and headphone jacks, and a slightly larger imaging sensor, producing 3200K gross pixels versus the HC5' 2100K.

Its advantage include much more stable off-tripod footage; full-size zoom control; custom ring to manually control focusing, exposure (iris and gain), zoom, or shutter speed; support for a large video light on its front coldshoe; and wireless audio.

The Sony HDR-FX1, introduced in late 2004, was the first HDV 3 CCD camcorder to support 1080i (1440 × 1080 resolution with 4:2:0 color sampling).

The Sony HVR-Z1U is the "professional" version of this camera with additional features such as balanced XLR audio inputs, DVCAM recording, and extended DSP capabilities (i.e. cine/gamma controls).

The 24fps Cineframe shooting mode does not offer the same resolution, or motion cadence as true 24fps progressive scanning.

It launched with a 30 gigabyte internal drive and – along with the Sony HDR-UX1 – is the first camcorder that records high definition video in AVCHD format.

The product comes bundled with a 4 GB Memory Stick Duo that holds 30 mins of HD video.

Sony HDR-CX7 weighs 15 ounces with the supplied battery and can record nearly one hour of full HD 1080 video on an 8-GB memory.

The CX500V added GPS tagging capability, a new 1/2.8-inch sensor, and enhanced optical image stabilization.

It is popular for producers of documentaries and other television programs because of its small size and relatively low cost.

It uses Sony's new G-Lens, alongside the 3 ClearVid CMOS Sensor system, which works well in low light.

[citation needed] The Sony HVR-Z7 and HVR-S270 video cameras, introduced in early 2008, were the first 3 CMOS sensor HDV camcorder that records on tape and/or CF card.

The consumer models lacked professional features such as XLR inputs and some manual controls.

The HVR-Z7 breaks this pattern as it has all professional features of previous prosumer models, and has no consumer equivalent, although it has a larger shoulder-mounted sister camera, the HVR-S270.

The Sony EX1 is popular among independent filmmakers due to the 1/2" TrueHD sensors, better depth of field control, and better low light capabilities.

Other comparable class cameras use 1/3" sensors and pixel shifting or other schemes to simulate resolution.

[citation needed] The PMW-EX1 utilizes Sony's three 1/2-inch type "Exmor" CMOS sensors, each with an effective pixel count of 1920 x 1080.

It has been modified mainly to be a little smaller than TD10 and they also shortened distance between lenses, which makes the 3D effect a little less significant, but it is compensated with internal software.

It uses a full sensor readout instead of line skipping which provides very high detail with minimal aliasing or moiré.

The multi-interface accessory shoe allows connection to an external flash or stereo microphones.

In March 2015, Sony released this smaller, lighter weight UHD camcorder using a 1/2.3" sensor with many of the same features as the AX100.

With this camcorder, Sony introduced "Balanced Optical SteadyShot" (BOSS), essentially a floating lens/sensor block combination to reduce shake.

[15] Introduced in 2016, this camcorder improves on the previous versions with the addition of bigger pixels in the same 1/2.5 sensor, hot shoe for an external microphone accessory, and in addition to optical steady shot, there is now 5 axis sensor stabilization, but it's disabled in 4k.

The Sony HDR-PJ260 offers improved features such as an 8.9 megapixel still camera but includes 16 GB internal memory.