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Revolutionary compact size for Sony camcorder
Dennis Hissink : August 5th 2003 - 13:01 CET
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 Sony Europe has announced a Handycam the size of a playing card. The ultimate in portability chic, the Handycam DCR-IP1 is ideal for those spur-of-the-moment occasions you just have to catch on video. Small and light enough to fit in a handbag or shirt pocket, yet fully featured, this MICROMV Handycam is the latest word in mobility. As stylish as its intended market, the slim and light design of the DCR-IP1 makes it the ideal portable camcorder. Sony has downsized and streamlined all the main parts of the camcorder, incorporating a miniature lens, a slim line mechanical deck, a compact and streamlined LCD panel and a single-piece circuit board into the tiny camera body.
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Designed for portability, it still has all the great features and image quality of the camcorder range. Powered by a 1 Mega Pixel CCD for high definition video and excellent colour reproduction, the DCR-IP1 sports a top quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar Lens with a 10x Variable Optical Zoom as well as having the benefit of a 120x Precision Digital Zoom. It also features an integral automatic lens cover that slides open automatically when the power is on - so no more fumbling for the lens cap.
Once you have shot your movies you have to have some way to show them to the world or edit the footage, so connectivity is a key factor for the camcorder user. True to the spirit of the DCR-IP1, Sony has developed a way to keep the Handycam small yet able to connect fully to a TV, Video or PC when required. The camcorder comes supplied with the Handycam Docking Station, which incorporates all the essential connections in one self-powered unit. Slotting the camcorder into the cradle via a simple docking interface gives it immediate access to a high speed USB terminal, an i.LINK (MICROMV) interface, an audio/video (A/V) connector, which includes an S-Video terminal for TV and Video use, as well as DC power. The camcorder has A/V and power connections onboard, allowing you basic connectivity functions on the move but full and easy connection to a TV or PC with the Handycam Docking Station when you need it. This also allows access to some very useful features.
The new model is PictBridge compliant, which means you can print still images directly from the camcorder via the Docking Station’s USB port to a PictBridge compatible printer, without the need for a PC. USB Streaming, where the DCR-IP1 turns into a Web Cam, is also possible through the Docking Station when used with a PC with compatible software and an Internet connection. The DCR-IP1 also offers the Click-to-DVD facility for super simple direct DVD authoring when connecting with Sony VAIO via the Docking Station’s i.LINK interface.
Storage is a key factor for camcorders and in another space saving move, Sony has made the camcorder compatible with Memory Stick DUO for digital image capture. Half the size of a normal Memory Stick, the Sony Memory Stick DUO is available in up to 64Mb capacity and comes with an adaptor so it can be used in devices that use the larger Memory Stick format. The Memory Stick DUO slot of the IP1 is also compatible with the Memory Stick Pro format.
Battery life is very important to camcorder users and, taking advantage of Sony’s STAMINA system, the DCR-IP1 can run for almost three hours on a fully charged Sony InfoLITHIUM battery.
The Handycam features a versatile ?Hybrid’ LCD screen which provides a very bright picture for use in high contrast situations. It also incorporates a 3D touch panel menu and a new user interface for easier operability. As well as a means of controlling editing and playback and adjusting camera settings, this can display information about the battery level and available recording time.
The DCR-IP1 benefits from many innovative features of the Handycam family. This includes Super SteadyShot, which compensates for extreme camera shake such as that caused by vibration, and MPEGMOVIE AX, which allows you to record moving images directly to the Memory Stick Duo. In addition the use of MICROMV tape allows Multi Picture Search mode, where the camcorder displays a thumbnail view of up to 11 separate scenes on the tape, making it easy to find and go to the scene you want to replay.
Stylishly designed throughout, the camcorder is also one of the first to display Sony’s new brand logo for the Handycam range.
The Handycam DCR-IP1 is shipping throughout Europe in November 2003. |
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