Quick rundown:

Pros: Simple and easy to use, but with the flexibility to create more complex videos.

Cons: No AVCHD support, yet.

Adobe makes it easy to create quick, appealing home movies with the latest installment of Adobe Premiere Elements. A slick interface, better integration with Photoshop Elements, and better support for Flash-based sites like YouTube make Adobe Premiere Elements 4 a great choice for video projects, but the current lack of AVCHD support makes it a product I cannot fully endorse for anyone wanting to edit non-HDV video.

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Panasonic hits the new year with some nice looking HD camcorder models. The two new models, the Panasonic HDC-SD9 and HDC-HS9, both feature full HD resolution (1920×1080) recording, 3 CCDs, and the ability to record at 24P. They record to the AVCHD format, the HDC-SD9 using SD/SDHC memory cards and the HDC-HS9 using either SD/SDHC cards or a built-in 60GB hard drive.

Both the SD9 and HS9 feature three 560k, 1/6″ CCDs, 10x optical zoom, and 2.7″ LCD screens. To steady your hands, Panasonic’s Advanced Mega O.I.S. (optical image stabilization) is featured on both camcorders, and now compensates for shakiness at around 4,000 times per second.

Other features on the Panasonic HDC-SD9 and HSC-HS9 include Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound recording and Intelligent Shooting Selection Playback, which Panasonic says will skip playing any shots that have serious errors such as fast panning, out-of-focus, or shots taken when the user forgets to turn off the camcorder. Both camcorders now feature face detection, which will track up to 5 faces to make sure the shot is exposed correctly.

The Panasonic HDC-HS9 and HDC-SD9 will be shipping in March for $799 and $1099 respectively.

Sony enters 2008 with one new HDV model, the Sony HDR-HC9. Not too much has changed, but the additional features there are should please most enthusiasts as most of them are handed down from Sony’s professional models. These include spot meter, spot focus, peaking, center marker, color bar, and infinity focus.

Other specifications will stay much the same, such as the Sony HDR-HC9’s 1/2.9″ CMOS sensor, 10x optical zoom, and optical image stabilization. Look for the Sony HDR-HC9 later this month for $1,100.

Canon has announced two new high-definition, solid-state camcorders, the HF100 and HF10. These mark Canon’s first foray into the HD, flash memory camcorder market. The Canon HF10 records to either SDHC memory cards or an internal, 16GB flash drive. The Canon HF100 will record solely to memory cards.

Otherwise both camcorders are basically identical, with each featuring Full HD recording (1920×1080 resolution), 12x optical zoom, and the ability to record footage at 24p and 30p frame rates. Optical image stabilization and a 3.3 megapixel CMOS sensor round out the camcorders’ features.

Both will be available in April, the Canon HF100 for $899, and the HF10 for $1099.

Canon has announced three new devices for its DVD camcorder lineup this year. The entry-level Canon DC310 features a 2.7″ LCD screen, SDHC card slot, and 680k, 1/6″ CCD. The DC310 also features a 37x optical zoom, which extends to 41x when using what Canon calls Advanced Zoom, a new feature that utilizes Canon’s imaging processor and sensor to extend the zoom separately from the usual digital zoom.

The Canon DC320 adds a sharper, 1.07 megapixel CCD and 48x Advanced Zoom. The DC330 features a USB 2.0 port and places the infrared remote sensor on the LCD screen so that the remote can be used from any angle to which you can pivot the screen.

Available in March, the suggested prices for the three camcorders are $349, $369, and $379, respectively.

Sony is slowing their line of MiniDV camcorders this year with only two new models. The Sony DCR-HC52 features a 680k, 1/6″ CCD sensor, 40x optical zoom, and 2.5″ LCD screen. The HC52 will cost $250 and be available in February. The step-up model, the Sony DCR-HC62, drops the optical zoom to 25x but upgrades the sensor to 1 megapixel for what should be a sharper image. It also increases the size of the LCD screen to 2.7″ with a 16:9 ratio and includes a Memory Stick PRO Duo slot for taking 1 megapixel stills. Also available in February, the HC62 will run $300.

Canon has unveiled its standard-definition, MiniDV camcorder lineup for the year as the ZR900, ZR930, and ZR950 models. The entry-level ZR900 features the usual 680k, 1/6″ CCD sensor. Optical zoom is up to 37x, but with Canon’s new Advanced Zoom capability, zoom on the ZR900 can be extended to 41x. Advanced Zoom combines the image processor and sensor to scale the picture separately from the usual digital zoom. Also featured on the ZR900 is a microphone jack, a feature that Canon has included on its entry-level MiniDV camcorders for years now.

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Sony has entered the year with four new standard-definition DVD camcorder models, the DCR-DVD610, DCR-DVD710, DCR-DVD810, and DCR-DVD910. All four models feature the ability to record footage to Memory Stick PRO Duo cards, a feature that could alleviate much of the stress associated with running out of space on a 1.4-2.6GB 8cm DVD. Smart move, Sony. The lowest-end model, the DVD610, features a new 680k, 1/8″ CCD, 40x optical zoom, and the rather standard 2.7″ widescreen LCD.

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Sony has released three new HDD camcorders for the new year, the HDR-SR10, HDR-SR11, and HDR-SR12. All three camcorders record in the AVCHD codec at full 1920×1080 resolution. The Sony HDR-SR10 is the baby model of the three and has a 40GB hard drive. It features a 4 megapixel, 1/5″ CMOS sensor, 15x optical zoom, and a 2.7″ widescreen LCD.

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Two new high-definition DVD camcorders have been announced by Sony. The new Sony HDR-UX10 and HDR-UX20 models will both record 1920×1080 AVCHD video to 8cm DVDs. Both camcorders feature a 1/5″ CMOS sensor, 15x optical zoom, and a 2.7″ widescreen LCD. The HDR-UX10 and HDR-UX20 also feature Sony’s new face detection technology, which can track up to 8 faces at the same time for better, more accurate focusing.

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Panasonic has unveiled two standard-definition camcorders that will record to SD/SDHC memory cards. Both camcorders, the Panasonic SDR-SW20 and SDR-S7, are equipped with a 560k, 1/6″ CCD, 10x optical zoom, and 2.7″ widescreen LCD. The SDR-SW20 is waterproof up to 5 feet and shockproof when dropped from up to 4 feet. The Panasonic SDR-SW20 will be available in February for $399 and the SDR-S7 will be available in May for $299.

Canon has announced the HV30, this year’s consumer HDV model and the replacement of the popular HV20. Wisely deciding not to fix what wasn’t broken, Canon chose to upgrade a select set of features to enhance the user experience when compared to the HV30’s predecessor. Besides the new black color, the Canon HV30 will now not only shoot in 24p, but in 30p, as well. The widescreen LCD stays the same size at 2.7″, but is upgraded for a wider viewing angle.

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JVC dropped two new camcorders into the slowing MiniDV camcorder market. The JVC GR-D850 and GR-D870 feature 35x optical zooms, 2.7″ widescreen LCDs, and 680k, 1/6″ CCDs. The JVC GR-D870 features Dual Recording Capability, allowing still pictures to be captured to the SD card without interrupting video capture. It also features a new Live Slow mode, which allows capturing slow motion video (quarter speed) with realtime sound.

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Panasonic has announced two standard definition, hybrid HDD/Memory card camcorders for the year, the SDR-H40 and SDR-H60. The two camcorders feature 40GB and 60GB hard drives respectively. The Panasonic SDR-H40 features a 42x optical zoom while the SDR-H60 features a massive 50x optical zoom. Thankfully, both camcorders also feature Panasonic’s Advanced Mega OIS (optical image stabilization), which you will definitely need with that much zoom.

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Four new standard definition, HDD camcorders have been announced by Sony. These are the Sony DCR-SR45, DCR-SR65, DCR-SR85, and DCR-SR220. The runt of the litter, the Sony DCR-SR45 features a 30GB hard drive and a tiny, 1/8″ CCD sensor with 680k pixels. A 40x optical zoom, 2.7″ widescreen LCD, and a hybrid recording capability round out the SR45’s features. The hybrid recording mode allows you to record to Memory Stick PRO Duo cards.

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Canon has entered the flash memory camcorder arena with three new standard-definition camcorders. The Canon FS100, FS10, and FS11 camcorders will all be capable of recording footage to SDHC memory cards. The FS10 and FS11 also feature internal flash memory with capacities of 8GB and 16GB, respectively. All three camcorders are equipped with a 1.07 megapixel, 1/6″ CCD, 2.7″ widescreen LCD, and microphone jacks.

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Sony has announced what they call, “the 2nd Stage of [Sony’s] Total HD Solution,” which will be shown at Inter BEE 2007 in Japan.

“XDCAM” HD422 is the new flagship lineup in Sony’s industry-leading range of “XDCAM” tapeless products and solutions. The “PDW-700″ camcorder and “PDW-HD1500″ recorder feature MPEG-2 422P@HL codec, 50Mbps video data rate, Full HD (1920 x 1080) recording and 4:2:2 color sampling. These models will be on sale in Japan from the end of April, 2008.

and

Sony has reached an agreement with OMNIBUS JAPAN Inc. to supply Sony’s high-end “F23″ line of “CineAlta” digital cinema cameras, as well as the “F35″ newly launched in Japan.

Link [ via FreshDV ]

This is a pretty funny video illustrating one problem with Electronic Image Stabilizers as opposed to Optical Image Stabilizers on digital camcorders.

Link [ via FreshDV ]

CNET has a Sony HDR-SR5 review online and gives this particular HD camcorder a 7/10 rating.

An uninspiring entrant in Sony’s HD camcorder lineup, the Sony Handycam HDR-SR5’s video quality and performance simply don’t deliver for the price.

Link

Studio Daily has a review of the RED ONE camera written by one of the first owners (serial #30). The reviewer is impressed by the camcorder, as is pretty much everyone else right now. He is careful to point out the “beta” stage the camcorder is still in (e.g. no playback, only one viewing output, and no audio recording), but also praises RED for making fixes available via firmware updates quickly.

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Videomaker reviews the Canon HG10 camcorder in their December issue. In summary, the reviewer found the HG10 to produce great quality video in different lighting situations, and auto-focus and auto white balance were spot on. Really the only things mentioned that were not liked were the lack of a manual focus ring and manual audio level adjustments.

The HG10 may not be a camcorder most semi-pros would look twice at, but, if image quality were the deciding factor, it would be hard not to take this little performer seriously.

Link

B&H has an interview on the Sony PMW-EX1 camcorder with Doug Jensen, a veteran of the production industry, who has worked extensively with Sony camcorders for years. He is asked many questions regarding the camcorder, workflow, and quality, among other things. If you are looking at the PMW-EX1 as either a primary or secondary camcorder, this is a great article to read.

Link [ via FreshDV ]

Want an opportunity to edit your own feature-length movie? Director Bruce McDonald is giving you that chance, as he recently made all the footage from his latest feature film available for download. There is also a contest involved, where you can win a prize pack and have your edited movie appear as bonus content on the DVD edition of the movie, but the catch is that you must be a Canadian resident.

Nevertheless, the footage is available to anyone via Bittorrent and is under a Creative Commons license. Each download package is approximately 4-5GB, and there are 4 packages available for download. Also available is the original score and dialogue script.

This is a great opportunity to work with professionally shot footage and to edit it in your own particular … idiom.

Link [ via Studio Daily ]

As I looked through the Black Friday ads for major retailers to see if anything was worth highlighting here, I began to wonder something. Why do so many people buy camcorders in the chain retail stores (especially on the “day after”) when everything is basically the same price (or even over a hundred dollars cheaper, as I found in one instance so far) online? Sure, you have to pay a little for shipping and wait for a few days, but the fact is, you can potentially save hundreds of dollars (and hours of sleep) by shopping online and having a little patience.

Now, if you are the type that hates any hassle of shipping in items to return them if you don’t like the product, buying locally would give you a return policy where you can just drive to the store. However, most places now have restocking fees anyway if the item is opened. On the flipside, it probably takes about the same or less amount of time to print out a shipping label and drop the product off at the nearest drop-off point for return as it does to drive to the store and wait in a long customer service line.

If you know what camcorder you want and would like to save some money, try buying online this holiday season. My favorite online shopping spot is Amazon.com. This is actually true, not just because I am an affiliate. But, yes, Amazon is an affiliate and, yes, Digital Camcorder News does benefit from any purchases made through the link. It is these purchases you make that keep Digital Camcorder News running, and it costs you nothing extra.

In conclusion, don’t just take my word for all this. Try comparing your local ads to online prices. You may find that it will be a good deal to head down to the store, or you may find a pleasant surprise of the type that saves you lots of money. So skip all those rainy lines and get some extra sleep this Thanksgiving weekend. Shop online.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!