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World’s First 3Megapixel Handycam from Sony
Dennis Hissink : August 5th 2003 - 13:14 CET
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 Sony Europe has announced a new compact Handycam featuring a single 3.3Mega pixels CCD - a world first for consumer camcorders. Ideal for the semi professional or the home video enthusiast looking for the next leap in quality, the Handycam DCR-PC330 is also built to deliver the best colour reproduction in the world of consumer video. Equipped with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* Lens for perfect images with almost no distortion, a new CCD filter technology for highly accurate colour reproduction, up to nine hours battery life as standard and the ability to record in true 16:9 widescreen mode, the DCR-PC330 is set to take the lead in the consumer camcorder stakes.
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 This compact yet fully featured DV Handycam is the first camcorder to take advantage of Sony’s new Primary Colour Filter for high colour reproduction and high light sensitivity. The camcorder CCD has RGB filters for high colour reproduction. Using the new Sony technique four times more pixels of each of the Red, Green and Blue filters are used for higher light sensitivity.
The data transfer speed has also been increased by four times to optimise image-processing efficiency. This new technology, which will become a standard for the Handycam range, leads to high sensitivity and accurate colour reproduction, which nears that of the human eye.
For taking still pictures the outlook is just as good. The innovative filter sequence of the 3Mega pixel CCD allows for straight colour matching of one light to one pixel to produce high-colour, high-resolution still images with the fine definition that an effective 3 million pixels can deliver.
The Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* Lens on the DCR-PC330 features a 10x Variable Optical Zoom and the world-famous T* lens coating normally found on professional SLR (single lens reflex) cameras. This coating reduces reflections in the lens for a more faithful and accurate image, producing perfect images with almost no distortion. This high quality camcorder can also take full advantage of a 120x precision Digital Zoom and a precision colour viewfinder.
Unlike competitors, the DCR-PC330 is able to offer true 16:9 widescreen mode by using the whole area of the 3Megapixel CCD. As well as allowing direct recording in 16:9 mode onto the tape, this has the advantage of allowing a wider angle of view and a higher resolution picture than other methods. This also means you can take full advantage of the booming market in flat display 16:9 screen televisions to play back your movies in full widescreen glory with no loss of quality caused by cutting or extending the image.
Battery life is very important to camcorder users and accordingly the DCR-PC330 can run for up to 9 hours on a fully charge InfoLITHIUM battery. Storage is also a key factor, so Sony has made the camcorder compatible with both Memory Stick and Memory Stick PRO for digital image capture. Sony Memory Stick PRO is available in up to 1GB capacity and provides all the benefits of high-speed data transfer to capture still or moving digital images.
The Handycam features a versatile ?Hybrid’ LCD screen which provides a very bright picture for use in high contrast situations, such as beach or ski scenes. 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.
Connectivity is well served with the provision of a USB interface in addition to Sony i.Link and DV-In/Out. The new model is PictBridge* compliant, which allows direct printing without a PC from the camcorder via USB to a PictBridge* compatible printer. The DCR-PC330 also offers the Click-to-DVD facility for super simple direct DVD authoring when connecting with Sony VAIO via i.LINK.
All this functionality comes in a very compact package. The DCR-PC330 weighs 540g (without battery and Memory Stick) and measures just 59mm by 119mm by 113mm. Stylishly designed in matt black metal, the camcorder is one of the first to display Sony’s new brand logo for the Handycam range.
The Handycam DCR-PC330 will be shipping throughout Europe in October 2003. |
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