Sony claims world's lightest HD camcorder

Sony is adding two camcorders to its range; one it claims is the world’s smallest, lightest high definition camcorder, while the other is a 100GB hard disc drive model.

The Handycam HDR-CX6EK uses its proprietary Memory Stick for storing images and video – it has no internal hard disk or space for a tape or DVD. While this contributes to its small size and weight of only 370g (without battery), it does mean you’ll need a steady supply of high capacity Memory Sticks, especially if shooting in storage hungry HD.

It shoots video in 1080i and can take still photos at a resolution of 6.1megapixels. You can take 4megapixel photos while it is in Dual Rec mode, which means you can capture both video and stills at the same time. It has a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens with a 10x optical zoom, Super SteadyShot optical image stabilisation to prevent handshake at low light levels and a 2.7in touchscreen widescreen LCD.

Video is recorded using AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition) , a format developed by Sony and Panasonic. AVCHD uses the Mpeg-4 AVC video codec, so can apply more compression to captured images while still keeping the quality, which means it uses less space on the Memory Stick when recording.

The HDR-CX6EK comes out in July and there was no indication of price. But you’ll need to factor in the cost of buying expensive (compared to DVD or tape) Memory Sticks. An 8GB Memory Stick Duo Pro costs around £110 upwards, and that in standard definition LP mode this holds just under three hours. Set the mode to HD and it will be closer to an hour, so you’ll need to own several if your plan is to use it on holiday or out and about.

The second camcorder, the HDR-SR8E comes with a whopping (for a camcorder) 100GB internal hard disk, allowing for up to 38 hours of recording – more than enough to bore even your closest friend post-holiday.

Again, its HD (so encourage friends to use this mode on holiday; they’ll be able to record a lot less footage). Other HDD camcorders in the HDR range include the 40GB SR5E and 60GB SR7E (pictured).

The range shares many features with the HDR-CX6EK, including AVCHD compression, lens, zoom, while the SR7E and 8E also have the image stabilisation and Dual Rec features.