Sony maintains HDV status quo
A new product with not much new comprises Sony's sole HDV announcement at CES 2008.
Don't look for any great leaps in consumer HDV technology from Sony, at least during the first quarter of 2008. The company's lone new HDV product, the Handycam HDR-HC9, replaces two older models, the HDR-HC5 and
The HC9 adds spot metering and focus, color bars, a center marker, peaking display, and infinity focus in manual focus mode; that's it. Otherwise it's pretty much the same as the HC7--the same 10x zoom lens and 3.2-megapixel ClearVid CMOS--and will cost the same $1,099 when it ships in February as the HC5 did when it initially shipped. So if you can find the HC7 at a bargain, snap it up now before it's gone. though it'll probably be just as good, there's no reason to wait for the HC9.