Camcorder News
February 20, 2006Sony Officially Announces $1,700 HC3 High Definition Camcorder
According to the official Sony press release the new camcorder is 26% more compact than the HDR-HC1 HDV camcorder, which was brought to market in the Spring of 2005. The new HDR-HC3 adds HDMI support, a popular connectivity standard for high definition televisions and products.
The HDR-HC3 uses the same CMOS 'Clear-vid' chip as the Sony DCR-DVD505 which can record stills at 4 megapixels. The camcorder features the hybrid record function of the DVD505 which allows users to shoot 2.3 megapixel stills while shooting video in high definition and 1.7 megapixel stills while in standard mode. Sony has also downgraded the viewfinder on the HDR-HC3 to a 123K pixel viewfinder, but they have slightly increased the pixel resolution on the LCD to 211K pixels. The HDR-HC3 drops the shot transition feature and the expandable focus of the HDR-HC1. The HDR-HC3 also adds a built-in lens cover.
It is clear that Sony is going after a different target market with the HC3. While the HC1 was the most affordable high definition camcorder ever when it was introduced, it included many features that were clearly targeted at prosumer users. The HC3 drops those features as well as the price and focuses on Sony's core market of point-and-shooters seeking ease of use.
Those feature choices could alienate many of the users who made the HDR-HC1 such a popular camcorder. However, Sony is continuing the HDR-FX1 and sources close to the company stress that this replacement isn't an abandonment of prosumer users. Rather, they stress that Sony is attempting to satisfy the needs of a greater number of camcorder users who are interested in HD with a more utilitarian model.
The HDR-HC3 will be available in April for $1,700.
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