Sony Corporation (commonly known as Sony) produces professional, consumer, and prosumer camcorders such as studio and broadcast, digital cinema cameras, camcorders, pan-tilt-zoom and remote cameras.
Analog models
Sony made many analogue camcorders, mainly under the Handycam line from the mid 1980s until the early 2000s. The analogue models mostly used 8mm tape formats before digital formats such as miniDV and Digital8 took over.
Handycam
Handycam, launched in 1985, is Sony's line of handheld (as opposed to shoulder-mounted) camcorders, originally recording to 8mm video cassettes.
Digital standard definition models
Sony DCR-VX1000
The VX1000, introduced in 1995, was the first digital consumer MiniDV camcorder. It is also widely used by professional skateboarding videographers. Century Optics designed the Mk1 fisheye lens just for the VX1000. The VX1000 excels at daytime colors.
Sony DCR-TRV900/DSR-PD100
These models gained wide-scale popularity when paired with Century Optics Mk1 or Mk2.
Sony DCR-VX2000 & Sony DSR-PD150
The VX2000/PD150 sister models improved on the VX1000 in low light sensitivity and added LCD screen. Both models have CCD sensors while the PD150 has XLR audio inputs and independent iris and gain controls. A modified version of the Camera was used on September 11 attacks Camera best known for Filming the first plane Impact .
Sony DCR-TRV950/Sony DSR-PDX10
Sony DCR-VX2100 & Sony DSR-PD170 The VX2100/PD170 improved on the VX2000/PD150 models with low light sensitivity of 1 lux, improved LCD screen, and 24 iris increments from 12. +DCR – VX series (1995–2009)ModelRelease dateSensor detailLens (35mm equivalent)LCD ScreenViewfinderMemory functionalityAnalog passthroughBattery typeWeightPhotoNotesDCR – VX100019953CCD 410k pixels42 – 420mm (10× zoom)NO180k pixels Color viewfinderNONOInfolithium L (can't take F970 batteries)???First ever MiniDV camcorderDCR – VX7001CCD 410k pixels300gPretty uncommon and rareDCR – VX900019983CCD 410k pixelsDetachable Monochrome CRT viewfinderInfolithium L3.4kgA shoulder-mount version of the DCR-VX1000 that uses full-size DV cassettes, a very uncommon and rare cameraDCR – VX200020003CCD 380k pixels (340k effective)43.2 – 518.4mm (12× zoom)2.5" 200k pixels (880×288)Color viewfinder640×480 stills (standard Memory stick)YESInfolithium L1.6kgDCR – VX21002003Almost the same camcorder as the VX2000, add buttons onto the handle, no longer had ridges on the underside of the handleDCR – VX2200E (PAL ONLY)20093CMOS 1.2M pixels (1M effective)29.5 – 590mm (20× zoom)3.2" 16:9 921k pixels (1920×480)Color viewfinder1440×810 stills (Memory stick PRO duo)NOSD version of the HDR-FX1000E +DCR – PC series (1996–2005)ModelRelease dateSensor detailLens (35mm equivalent)LCD ScreenViewfinderMemory stick typeStill resolutionCard video resolutionAnalog passthroughBattery typeSpecial featuresWeightPhotoNotesDCR- PC719961CCD 38 – 380mm2.5" 84k pixels (384×220)Color viewfinderNONOInfolithium F189gadvertised as a Passport sized camcorderDCR – PC10019991CCD 1/4" 1M pixels
(690k effective)40 – 400mm (memory mode) 48 – 480mm (tape mode)2.5" 200k pixels (880×288)standard Memory stick1152×864NORecord to tape onlyInfolithium M650gDCR – PC1102000320×240 8.333fps 15s 160×112 8.333fps 60sYESHas a flash for still photography690gFirst camcorder from Sony able to record videos onto flash storageDCR – PC5520051CCD 1/6" 800k pixels (400k effective)44 – 440mm3" 123k pixels (560×220)Memory stick PRO duo640×480320×240 8.333fpsInfolithium Asmallest MiniDV camcorder ever made360gRequires a DCRA-C131 dockDCR – PC10003CMOS 1/6" 790k pixels (670k effective)40 – 400mm (memory mode 44 – 520mm (tape mode)2.7" 123k pixels (560×220)1920×1440the only camcorder in this series to sport a 3 sensor setup470gRequires a DCRA-C140 dock
Sony DSR-570 & Sony DSR-390
The DSR-570 and DSR-390 are based on the DVCAM format developed by Sony. The DSR-570 utilizes three 2/3 inch CCDs which are natively in the 16:9 format. The large CCDs achieve a 570,000 pixel density and over 800 TV lines in 16:9 mode (It can also achieve 850 TV lines if set to 4:3 mode). Due to the CCDs Hyper Gain option they are extremely sensitive in less than favorable lighting situations; that may be as dim as 0.25 lx. Both DSR-570 and DSR-390 are intrinsically different from most camcorders because of its hybrid capabilities. Both camcorders, along with several other cameras in its family line, contain the 26-pin CCU port. This is unorthodox when compared with its successors and peers. In most cases a studio camera equipped with TRIAX or a CCU would not contain a VTR, but DSR-570 and DSR-390 did. A camcorder, which typically would contain a VTR, would not contain the ports traditionally associated with studio cameras. These camcorders married the two together in one package.
Older high definition models
HDC Series System Cameras
Sony HDC-700 Series Introduced in 1998 for HDTV video broadcast era. HDC-700A/750A were Sony HDVS compatible and equipped with 2 million pixel frame-interline-transfer (FIT) CCD imager that could capture 1080 of active lines per frame. For sensitivity, it achieved F8.0 at 2000 lux. HDC-700A Series inherits many of the main features of the field proven SDTV Sony BVP-700/500 Series cameras. Sony HDC-700A – HD studio/OB camera Sony HDC-750A – HD portable companion camera Sony HDC700A/L Sony HDCU-700A
Sony HDC-900 Series Introduced in 2000. HDC-900/910
Sony HDC-1000 Series
Point of view cameras Sony DXC-H10 is a small HDVS (high definition video system) point of view HD camera introduced in 1998 capable of recording 1000 TV lines of resolution and weighs 1.2 kg.
Sony HDR-HC1
The Sony HDR-HC1, introduced in mid-2005 (MSRP $1999 US), was the first HDV CMOS camcorder to support 1080i. The CMOS sensor has a resolution of 1920×1440 for digital still pictures and captures video at 1440×1080 interlaced. The camera supports digital image stabilization.
The camcorder can convert captured HDV data to DV data for editing using non-linear editing systems which do not support HDV or for creating edits which are viewable on non-HDTV television sets.
The HVR-A1 is the prosumer version of the HDR-HC1, having additional manual controls and XLR ports.
Sony HDR-HC5
The Sony HDR-HC5, introduced in May 2007 (MSRP $1099 US), was the third DV tape HDV CMOS camcorder to support 1080i. The CMOS sensor has a resolution of 2MP and interlaced 4MP for digital still pictures and captures video at 1440×1080 interlaced. Digital photos can be stored on a Sony Memory Stick. It requires a minimum of 2Lux.
Sony HDR-HC7 The Sony HDR-HC7, introduced in 2008 (MSRP $1399 US), was another DV tape HDV CMOS camcorder to support 1080i. The 1/2.9 CMOS sensor has a resolution of 3MP and interlaced 6.1MP for digital still pictures and captures video at 1440×1080 interlaced.
The camera includes a manual focus wheel, mic and headphone jacks, and a slightly larger imaging sensor, producing 3200K gross pixels versus the HC5' 2100K. The HC7 also sports Sony's Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization system.
In December 2007, Sony released the HD1000, the shoulder mount version of the HC7. Its advantage include much more stable off-tripod footage; full-size zoom control; custom ring to manually control focusing, exposure (iris and gain), zoom, or shutter speed; support for a large video light on its front cold shoe; and wireless audio.
Sony HDR-FX1
The Sony HDR-FX1, introduced in late 2004, was the first HDV 3CCD camcorder to support 1080i (1440 × 1080 resolution with 4:2:0 color sampling). The Sony HVR-Z1U and HVR-Z1E are the "professional" versions of this camera with additional features such as balanced XLR audio inputs, DVCAM recording, and extended DSP capabilities (i.e. cine/gamma controls).
The HDR-FX1 includes three 16:9 1.12 Megapixel gross CCDs. Each CCD measures 1012 × 1111 pixels total, 972 × 1100 effective. It includes a 12× optical zoom Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens, a 3.5-inch LCD screen, a zoom ring, focus ring, and an iris / aperture adjustment knob.
Cineframe The FX1 offers Cineframe shooting modes at 30 and 24 frames per second. The camera uses an interlaced image but extracts progressive images from individual fields by doubling them. The 30fps and 24fps do not offer the same resolution as true progressive scanning. The 24fps Cineframe shooting mode does not offer the same resolution, or motion cadence as true 24fps progressive scanning.
Known flaw When the audio mode of HDR-FX1/HDR-FX1E camcorder is switched to the 16-bit setting (in DV mode) and the unit is then turned off, the unit resets to the default 12-bit setting, though the LCD indicator of the unit continues to display the 16-bit audio setting.
Sony HDR-FX7 The Sony HDR-FX7, was introduced in September 2006. The new camcorder was the first camcorder below $3,000 to offer full 1080 HD resolution with a three-chip sensor. Resolution: Sony claims "full" 1080 HD Sensor: changed to 3 × 1/4" ClearVid CMOS Light sensitivity: worse by 33% (4lux) Zoom: increased to 20× optical zoom (30× digital) Lens/filter: decreased to 62mm/bayonet mount Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS, SteadyShot 4 settings) Video out: included HDMI Weight: reduced to 1.6 kg (3.52 lb.)
The company claims that HDR-FX7 has much improved resolution (full 1080i HD) under good lighting. In low-light situations, Sony FX1 will still produce better results.
Sony HDR-SR1/HDR-SR5/HDR-SR7 The Sony HDR-SR1, introduced in late 2006, was Sony's first high definition hard disk drive based camcorder. It launched with a 30 gigabyte internal drive and – along with the Sony HDR-UX1 – is the first camcorder that records high definition video in AVCHD format. In June 2007, Sony released two new AVCHD format HD Hard Disk camcorders, a 40 GB (HDR-SR5) and 60 GB model (HDR-SR7). All three have the ability to record Dolby Digital 5.1
Newer high definition models Sony HDR-CX7 In June 2007, Sony released the HDR-CX7, the first Sony AVCHD camcorder to record video to a memory card. The product comes bundled with a 4 GB Memory Stick Duo that holds 30 mins of HD video.
Sony HDR-CX7 weighs 15 ounces with the supplied battery and can record nearly one hour of full HD 1080i video on an 8 GB memory card. It can record longer videos at a lower resolution.
This handycam features a crash-proof recording system. It is equipped with a 6.1-megapixel CMOS image sensor and a 5.4-54mm/F1.8-2.9 zoom lens.
It saves files with a resolution of 1440 × 1080i. The video format specifies a rectangular pixel shape. Most players render this as 1920 × 1080 format after adjusting for the rectangular pixels.
For this camera, the maximum recording rate is 15 Mbit/s.
Sony HDR-CX12 In August 2008, Sony released the successor to the HDR-CX7, the HDR-CX12, with a retail price of $899.99.
Major features include: 1920×1080i Recording ClearVid CMOS sensor Dolby Digital 5.1 audio 10.2MP still image capture Face Detection and Smile Shutter technology
Sony HDR-CX500V Sony released the HDR-CX500V in 2009. The CX500V added GPS tagging capability, a new 1/2.8-inch sensor, and enhanced optical image stabilization.
Sony HVR-Z1 The Sony HVR-Z1 is a professional, broadcast quality, HDV camcorder. It is popular for producers of documentaries and other television programs because of its small size and relatively low cost. It records in 1080i.
It uses the DV recording format, and can record in the DV, DVCAM and HDV variants. It can also record in PAL (25 frames) and NTSC (30 frames).
Sony HVR-Z5 The Sony HVR-Z5 was introduced in October 2008. It uses Sony's new G-Lens, alongside the 3 ClearVid CMOS Sensor system, which works well in low light. The HVR-Z5E can switch between HDV 1080i, DVCAM and standard DV recording.
Sony HVR-Z7/HVR-S270