Canon releases its first hard-disk camcorder

Canon finally hops on the hard-disk camcorder train with the announcement of additions to its range of high-def consumer camcorders.

At a press briefing, Canon rounded out its range of consumer high-definition camcorders with the addition of a hard-disk model, the HG10, and a DVD unit, the HR10. They complement the miniDV/HDV HV20 which has been out on the market for a few months already, as well as last year's slightly awkward HV10.

The new models feature a CMOS sensor capable of capturing footage at 1920 x 1080 in progressive scan, as well as 3.1-megapixel stills. Like the HV20, the HG10 and HR10 feature a seperate rangefinder which makes focussing -- usually a task handled slowly by consumer camcorders -- much faster. Other features include optical image stabilisation, a 25p mode which is meant to mimic the look of film, and a low drain "quick start" standby mode. There's also a 2.7-inch flip-out LCD screen with integrated control wheel.

Hard-disk
HG10	Price: AU$2,099 (TBC) Available: October 2007 Hard-disk: 40GB 10x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilisation Sensor: CMOS (1980 x 1080 progressive scan video; 3.1-megapixel still) 2.7-inch LCD Instant AF QuickStart standby mode 25p cinema mode HDMI out
DVD
HR10	Price: AU$2,099 (TBC) Available: October 2007 Media: DVD 10x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilisation Sensor: CMOS (1980 x 1080 progressive scan video; 3.1-megapixel still) 2.7-inch LCD Instant AF QuickStart standby mode 25p cinema mode HDMI out
miniDV/HDV
HV20	Price: AU$1,999 Available: Now Media: miniDV 10x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilisation Sensor: CMOS (1980 x 1080 progressive scan video; 3.1-megapixel still) 2.7-inch LCD Instant AF 25p cinema mode HDMI out
HV10	Price: AU$1,799 Available: Now Media: miniDV 10x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilisation Sensor: CMOS (1980 x 1080 video; 3.1-megapixel still) 2.7-inch LCD Instant AF Read our review here