Canon has announced two successors to its HG10 camcorder: the HG20 and HG21.

These hard disc based high definition camcorders feature up to 120GB of storage (triple that of the HG10, translating to 45 hours of high-def recording using AVCHD), a dual recording system allowing users to record to removable SDHC memory cards as well as the internal hard drive, plus an improved user interface, 12x optical zoom Canon HD video lens, DIGIC DV II processing, instant autofocus, and lower power consumption.

The HG20 has a 60GB hard drive, with the HG21 offering the larger capacity drive and a multi-angle Vivid LCD.

Both will be available from early September, with pricing to be confirmed.

Toshiba has announced the latest addition to is Camileo range of digital camcorders. The H10 offers 720p high definition recording (1,280 x 720 resolution) for a very reasonable £180.

The camcorder comes with an internal memory card with 64MB capacity, but fortunately can also record to external SDHC's of up to 8GB, offering up to 4 hours of broadcast-quality film.

Canon has announced that it will launch two new high definition camcorders to the Japanese market in late August, both priced the same but one featuring 32GB of flash memory and the other a 120GB hard drive.

The lighter HF11 features the large 32GB memory store, giving up to 12 hours of HD footage when shooting in AVCHD, and nearly three hours in full 1080p quality. An additional SD card can double that recording time.

Lancerlink has announced its DDV-1080HD, a compact high definition camcorder which it claims is able to shoot 1080p video at 30fps or 720p at 60fps in the .MOV format.

It features a 1/2.5-inch five megapixel CMOS censor, can use up to 32GB SD/SDHC/MMC cards, has a three-inch LCD, 2x digital zoom, and USB 2.0 connection.

Likely to be available for around €300 (£240) but exact availability isn't known.

Lancerlink (via Akihabara News)

Panasonic has announced two new 1080p high definition camcorders, the HD-SC100 and HD-HS100.

They utilise a 3-CCD sensor array which Panasonic says results in greater sensitivity and higher dynamic range.

The HD-SC100 records to SD Memory Card, while the HD-HS100 has an internal 60GB hard drive and can also record to memory card.

As well as full manual control over zoom, focus, iris, shutter speed and white balance, the camcorders feature Panasonic's Intelligent Auto mode which can handle image stabilisation, face detection, contrast control, and scene selection.

Kodak has announced that its Zi6 pocket high definition video camera will be available from August, offering 720p recording at 60 frames per second, a 2x optical zoom, 128MB of internal memory with card expansion slot, capture in the H.264 format, three megapixel still photos, and a mono microphone.

It has a 2.4-inch colour LCD screen for viewing and reviewing, is powered from two AA batteries, though you could use rechargeable ones, measures 64 × 114 × 23.5 mm and weighs 107g.

Available in the US for $179.95. If it makes it over here for under £100 it'll be quite a nice little pocket camcorder for home use.

Product page

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There's no doubt that high definition recording gear is getting smaller, and DXG's DXG-567V mini camcorder proves that point.

It measures just over four inches in length and can record in 720p resolution at 30fps using the MOV file format and H.264 compression. It has a 2x digital zoom but no optical zoom, macro mode, connects to PC via USB 2.0, and is powered from two Ni-MH AA batteries.

It supports up to 8GB SD cards, has 32MB of built-in memory, and features a two inch TFT monitor screen.

Available in the US for $179, but no word on a UK availability.

Product page (via Oh Gizmo!)

Sony has announced its latest Handycam, the HDR-CX11E full HD camcorder featuring "Smile Shutter" and Face Detection technology which monitors the picture and captures stills whenever someone smiles.

Yes, really. The camcorder can be set to scan for different "levels" of smile - from a gentle smile to a full-on beaming grin - and focus primarily on kids or adults, and when it spots a smile, it can grab a still photo, even if it's recording video footage, thanks to the Dual Capture mode.

JVC has announced three additions to its Everio line of high definition camcorders, the GZ-HD40, GZ-HD30, and GZ-HD10 models.

All can shoot in the AVCHD video format, while the GZ-HD40 and GZ-HD30 models offering full 1080p resolution and MPEG-2 format recording.

Sanyo has extended its Xacti range of compact high definition camcorders with the launch of the Xacti HD1010, a 1080i-capable camera featuring "Face Chaser" technology, slow-motion video mode, and seven frames-per-second sequential still image shooting.

Face Chaser technology monitors the subject's face and adjusts brightness and focus to enhance photos. It can be used to recognise up to 12 faces at a time in both video and still photos.

Slow-motion mode captures video at 300fps, which can then be played back at 60fps, while standard high definition can shoot at 1080i at 60fps. The HD1010 features an impressive 10x optical zoom, image stabilisation, 2.7-inch widescreen display, and HDMI output.

Available in the US from July, priced $799.99. Hopefully a UK launch will be soon after.

Following on from their Z300 camcorder, AIPTEK has launched the AHD Z500 Plus, a palm-sized camcorder capable of shooting in 1080p format at 30fps, and 720p at 60fps.

The camera features a 3x optical zoom lens with autofocus, macro mode for detailed 5cm close up video and still capture, up to two hours worth of recording on an 8GB SDHC card or eight hours on a 32GB SDHC, and still image capture at up to eight megapixels.

Other features for image improvement include red-eye reduction, flash, five different white balance modes, night mode, and three stills modes. There's also a timer.

The camcorder features a swivel-mounted 2.4-inch TFT screen, and has both component and composite video outputs. It uses a lithium-ion rechargeable battery, and comes with remote control, pouch, and cables.

Available from July for £249.99.

Following the success of its previous high definition advertisements, Sony has once again created a spectacular backdrop to showcase its latest high definition camcorder range.

Last month, Downtown Miami's streets were filled with over two million litres of foam, in which citizens were then left to fend for themselves.

Sony used same creative team behind the popular series of BRAVIA adverts -- the 'Balls', 'Paint' and 'Play-Doh' trilogy -- advertising agency Fallon London, for the shoot.

"We wanted this to be a magical event where people would be able to have a truly unique photographic experience, where they could actually take images like no other," says James Kennedy, General Manager, Marketing Communications, Sony Europe. "A place where we could show just how our products are designed to capture real life moments as they happen, in perfect detail. With Foam City, we have created somewhere you just can't put your camera down, even for a moment, as something totally unexpected and wonderful happens every second."

The advert will premiere on UK TV on 1st May.

AgfaPhoto has unveiled its DV-5000Z camcorder, which is able to record 720p high definition content onto SD/SDHC media.

It features a five megapixel Micron CMOS sensor, 2.5-inch flip-out LCD, and 3x optical zoom. It captures footage in the H.264 format, and can record 16-bit stereo sound to boot.

It measures around 12 x 7 cms, weighs in at 200g, runs off a lithium-ion battery, has USB and video out connectors, and will retail for around €249 (about £200).

It will launch in Russia later this month, but no word of when or if it'll come to the UK.

(Via Tech Digest)

We've been waiting for these two high definition camcorders from Panasonic since CES in January, and finally Panasonic has announced the availability and pricing for the HDC-SD9, and almost done the same for the HDC-HS9 camcorders.

Cutting to the chase, the HDC-HS9 offers full 1080p recording at 25 fps, with 17Mbps bit-rate, and utilising the increasingly popular AVCHD format. It comes with a 60GB hard drive, additional recording to SDHC memory cards, 10x optical zoom, face detection, intelligent shooting guides, and image stabilisation.

Panasonic has remained quiet about exact availability of the HDC-HS9, unlike the HDC-SD9 which offers much the same functionality as the HS9, but without the hard drive. It's available now for £699. Any guesses on how much more the SH9 is? We'll let you know as soon as we do.

Sony has introduced what it claims is the world's smallest, lightest full high definition camcorder, the HDR-TG3E Handycam.

Created with a pure titanium body and scratch-resistant Premium Hard Coating, it features a ClearVid CMOS Sensor with Exmor derived technology and BIONZ image processor, face detection which automatically adjusts focus, exposure, colour balance and skin tone, built-in zoom microphone with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, and BRAVIA Sync.

It features an 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD Plus touchscreen, and a thumb lever and buttons for accessing record, movie/photo, and zoom functions.

The camcorder records to Memory Stick PRO Duo media, and comes with a 4GB card. A 16GB card will record nearly six hours of full HD content in LP mode.

It comes with USB and component A/V cables, Handycam Station and wrist strap.

Available from May, it can be pre-ordered now, though there's no mention of it yet on Sony's web site. Price to be confirmed.

Sony Style Europe

Vivitar has made a few initial murmurs about their forthcoming DVR565HD high definition camcorder.

The SD-card camcorder will feature H.264/MPEG recording at 720p and up to 30 fps, playback at 1080i (not sure why), and comes with an HDMI cable for connecting to TV or other high definition devices. It will take SD cards up to 4GB.

It will come in silver or black, and be available from the end of April. Price and more details to be confirmed.

I'm not clear whether the image shown is the actual product or a mock-up. Hopefully we'll find out next month.

Vivitar (via Afterdawn)

AIPTEK has announced that it's launching the Z300 HD-V, a palm-sized high definition camcorder featuring a 3x optical zoom, up to 32GB storage on SDHC card, 720p shooting at up to 30fps, macro mode, and still image capture up to eight megapixels.

It features a 2.4-inch swivel-mounted TFT LCD screen, for easy previewing and playback of both video and still images. It can also be connected directly to a TV via component or composite leads.

Other features include red-eye reduction, flash, five different white balance modes, night mode, three photography modes, one touch recording, and auto focus.

The unit measures 13 x 70 x 33mm, and runs off a lithium-ion battery. It comes with a remote control unit, carry pouch, USB cable, and AC adaptor.

The AIPTEK Z300 HD-V will be available from late March 2008 at around £199.99.

Toshiba has brought its Camileo Pro line of camcorders into the high definition era with the launch of their Camileo Pro HD.

Offering 720p video recording, the Camileo Pro HD has a five megapixel CMOS sensor and shoots in MPEG4/H.264 format, features a 128MB internal storage plus up to 32GB of additional storage on SDHC.

It has a built-in 2.5 inch TFT LCD colour screen which can be rotated to a 270 degree angle, features HDMI output, and also offers other features such as MP3 player, webcam, motion detection, and digital voice recorder.

Coming in April for a RRP of £149.99.

Toshiba

Toshiba has announced that it's entering the high definition camcorder market, with the introduction of two series of its new Gigashot HD camcorders.

The Gigashot A series is a compact camcorder (78.1mm x 135.4mm x 79mm) that captures 1080i MPEG-4/H.264 video at either 1,920 x 1,080 or 1,440 x 1,080 resolution, and features a high quality Fujinon 10x optical / 80x digital zoom lens and single 1/3 inch CMOS image sensor.

The two camcorders initially available are the Gigashot A40F, which uses a 40GB hard disc, and the Gigashot A100F, which has 100GB. The hard disc is safeguarded by a unique projection system incorporating gel cushioning and a freefall censor.

Along with their HD700 720p camcorder, Sanyo has announced what they claim is the world's smallest, lightest camcorder (as of August last year — a lot could have changed by now).

Unsurprisingly, it looks very similar to the HD700, and offers a similar feature set. Sanyo is happy to claim that their 1080i camera is "full HD" - strictly speaking it's a "p" short but that doesn't detract from this being a pretty capable little camcorder.

It uses the AVCHD recording format, features an impressive 10x optical zoom lens, 2.7-inch widescreen display, a HD recording time of up to five hours, ergonomic design, and weight of 9.5oz.

Its suggested retail price is US$799.99, which is just $200 (about £100) over the 720p version, and it's available now.