Smaller/cheaper HD camcorder coming from Canon!

Dear Canon, I'm ready to be a beta tester for the U.S. market. Feel free to send your latest iVIS HV10 HD camcorder my way!

This new Canon model (HV10 - which I think stands for "High Vision" if I've read the katakana on the Canon website correctly) is claimed to be the smallest/cheapest HDV camcorder to date. The HV10 can record in standard definition DV mode, or high-definition HDV mode on a mini-DV cassette. They claim their CMOS chip can capture full 1920x1080i HD resolution video. And it has true optical stabilization, rather than just digital stabilization.

In terms of size, the camcorder is a mere 2¼" wide x 4" long x 4¼" high. That's about the size of your hand. It can take 3.2 megapixel stills on a mini SD card (not included).

The camcorder will be available in Japan starting September 2006 for the equivalent of $1,300. It appears to come either in silver or black. I personally prefer the silver, but I suppose it will be moot. No plans for a U.S. release have been announced, though if Canon is listening, I'm willing to be the first to try it out on this side of the Pacific.

Sanyo Xacti HD1 Camcorder's Video Quality Called "Disastrous"

When I previously read and posted about the release of the Sanyo Xacti HD1 camcorder, the specs sounded pretty good. Small form factor, 720p High Definition (HD) video, memory card recording, etc. Nothing but good news... until you start shooting videos.

According to another report I read,

...the video quality is an absolute disaster, and nothing like HD video. The same goes for the image stabilizer that is totally inefficient.

Sanyo has re-released the product as the HD1a with one minor addition of a 320x240 MPEG-4 recording mode and a reduction in price to $699, but there is no improvement in the HD resolution. So for now, I would stay away from the Sanyo offerings.