Sony has just released what it calls the world’s first full high-definition camcorder, the HDR-TG1.

The new Sony HDR-TG1 HD camcorder

The official press release claims :

SAN DIEGO, Apr. 2, 2008. The new pocket-sized Sony HDR-TG1 Handycam camcorder’s weighty high-definition capability will appeal to vacationers who prefer to “travel light.”

This diminutive camcorder weighs in at only ten ounces. It has an ultra-portable body measuring just 1.3-inches wide by 4.7-inches tall by 2.5-inches deep.

It is a full-featured camcorder that can record 1920 x 1080 HD video and 4-megapixel digital photos directly to Sony Memory Stick PRO Duo or PRO Duo Mark2 media cards. Its size and full recording capability makes it the world’s smallest full HD camcorder.

Oddly, I’ve been looking for something like this for quite a while. It will be good to see the reviews when they start appearing.

“It ships with a supplied 4GB PRO Duo Mark2 media card so it’s ready to go straight out of the box and you don’t have to make space in your travel bag for extra discs or tapes.”

Kelly Davis, director of camcorder marketing at Sony Electronics, says, “Sony was the first to introduce a travel-sized camcorder with 8 mm technology in the 1980’s, and it revolutionized the travel and electronics industries. This new model is a great example of our expertise in miniaturization, as well as advanced imaging technologies with features like face detection.”

Sounds irresistible. So how much will it cost?

The company says, “The HDR-TG1 camcorder will ship with supplied accessories in May for about $900. There is also an optional travel kit (Sony ACC-TCH5) that includes a battery, travel charger and pouch for about $100. Plus, there is a custom-fit case (Sony LCM-TGA) with brushed metal accents available as an accessory for about $50.”

Yesterday, Sony (Europe) launched the titanium-coated Cybershot W300. Its spec is as follows :

* 13.6 effective megapixels for superb picture quality
* Scratch-resistant titanium coating
* BIONZ processor powers Smile Shutter, improved Face Detection and D-Range Optimiser
* Intelligent Scene Recognition
* Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens with 3x optical zoom
* Extremely High Sensitivity ISO 6400 and Super SteadyShot image stabilisation for clearer low-light shots
* 2.7-inch (230k dot) Clear Photo LCD
* HD Output compatible with PhotoTV HD BRAVIA television

A press release claims :

“Weybridge, 25th February 2008 - It’s the toughest, most technically advanced Cyber-shot W Series camera yet. The slim, beautifully-styled W300 features a scratch resistant titanium coating that’s around five times tougher than anodised aluminium. Inside the pristine exterior, it’s crammed with latest-generation Sony technology to help everyone take better pictures.

“An extremely high resolution of 13.6 effective megapixels assures detail-packed enlargements to A3 size and beyond. Optical performance is further assured by the top-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens with 3x optical zoom.

“The W300 excels at capturing crisp, clear images in low light conditions where other cameras struggle. Maximum sensitivity is boosted to an incredible ISO 6400. Teamed with Sony’s original Clear RAW Noise Reduction and Super Steady Shot image stabilisation, this lets the W300 produce excellent results without a tripod in dimly-lit twilight scenes.”

Looks like an extremely useful piece of kit for some specialist operations, and for users who carelessly leave their cameras lying around on floors.

There’s an in-depth review of the new Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100 over at Digital Camera Info.

‘The Sony T100 spices up the ultra-slim digital camera market. It comes with 8.1 megapixels, a 5x optically stabilized zoom lens, face detection, and even high-definition output.

‘The trendy and glittery T100 has an enormous 3-inch LCD screen and automatic exposure modes with a smattering of manual controls that makes it appealing to point-and-shooters. It costs $399 and stands at the top of the Cyber-shot T-series lineup. … the T100 is already a far better performer than many of its ultra-slim competitors. …’

If anyone knows that a picture tells more than a thousand words, it’s us…

I promise not to tell more of it’s amazing beauty!
Fortunately, there’s also a lot of technology I can talk about: from a newly designed 7.2 MP CCD chip with a clever pixel-configuration, via a Carl Zeiss lens to an optical stabilizer and a very high ISO 1000 sensitivity.
The back of this very compact camera is almost completely filled with a large 3″ touchscreen.

AA batteries don’t fit here, so there’s a quickcharge special battery included. Also inside is a bit of internal memory: 56 Megabytes in case you forgot your memorystick.
Sony gives you the option of “Smart Zoom” - that is not a digital zoom in which pixels are interpolated, but a real portion of the original image.

Read more of this little beauty here.