Phantom Flex Camcorder Shoots 1080p Video at 2,800fps [Camcorders]

Mmm, perforation. 1,000fps may've impressed with the previous model, but a whopping 2,800fps at 1080p? Wow. If you crank the resolution all the way down to VGA, you can even shoot in 6,300fps.

Flex is the latest model from Vision Research, whose professional Phantom line of camcorders tends to the more expensive side of the market but the specs are pretty astounding. This particular one has a 4K 2,560 X 1,600 CMOS sensor with 12bit color depth. As mentioned before, when shooting 1080p it films in 2,800fps, but you can get 1,560 when pushing the resolution even further.
[Gizmodo via Phantom Flex via OhGizmo]

This $400 3D Camera May Not Be James Cameron Approved [Camcorders]

Panasonic may be aggressively pushing their $21,000 3D camera for broadcasters and indie film types, but already, smaller players are applying the laws of cheap manufacturing to 3D cams.
By DXG (if you've never heard of them, we don't blame you), this pistol-grip pocket cam shoots in dual-lens 3D. Its 3-inch display has been said to look 'almost holographic,' plus it comes with an extra 7-inch display for watching 3D content (I believe the screens use glassesless parallax barrier tech).
The video itself is recorded to motion JPEG, which while an accepted standard in 2D, probably won't be compatible with 3D systems into the future—plus there's no word on resolution. But hey, 3D, just like Avatar! Look for the 3D DXG camera this June.
[Gizmodo via DVICE via OhGizmo!]

JVC Steals Smallest and Lightest Crown With its GZ-HD620 Camcorder [JVC]

It was only last week that JVC dropped three new Everio camcorders on us, after nearly six months of quiet times. Today's Everio GZ-HD620, which was announced in Japan first, is the world's smallest HD HDD camcorder.
Weighing only 270g, it's also the lightest. The HDD has 120GB of storage for you to fill up with 1080p videos of your dog, and the sensor is a 1/4.1' 3.32 MP CMOS job. 30x optical zoom and 200x digital zoom, you can playback footage on the 2.7-inch LCD screen or upload easily to YouTube thanks to the quick upload function. A microSD/SDHC slot, USB and HDMI ports round the camcorder, which measures 53 x 63 x 115mm, off nicely.
Available in Japan from tomorrow in black, red and silver colorways, we should see more of the GZ-HD620 come January at CES.
[Gizmodo via Akihabara News]

Sanyo’s new camcorders are iFrame-compatible, and I say again, DO NOT WANT iFrame

Yesterday I lamented Apple’s decision to establish its own video standard, which, while little more than a suggested resolution and bitrate, does not fit will with any devices anywhere. The steady progression of VGA or WVGA, 720p, and 1080p are perfectly fine for the moment. That’s why every camera in the world shoots to one of them. 1080p is too much for most people to work with, but 720p isn’t that bad (though render times can be long), and VGA is really not that bad at all (Doug swears by it). So why the hell put a new one in there between WVGA and 720p? I don’t like the idea of Apple bullying companies like Sanyo, who make perfectly good camcorders already, to add an option which needlessly complicates things.
But let’s just get these camcorders out of the way, because they’re worth taking a look at. The two cameras are almost the same spec-wise except the horizontally-oriented FH1 has a 3-inch LCD as opposed to the pistol grip HD2000’s 2.7-inch. They appear to be quite versatile camcorders, able to take 12 stills a second or shoot up to 600FPS video at reduced resolution, something which was until recently the exclusive ability of Casio Exilims. They’ll shoot 1080p video at 60FPS, which is pretty amazing, though I don’t recommend you do it. Interestingly, they won’t shoot 720p or 640×480 at 60FPS — a bit odd. SD cards are the medium you record to, and both cameras have a 10x optical zoom. Quite a neat little package for $500! Or $600 if you want the pistol grip.
But to return to the rant. These cameras will also shoot, and in fact will default to, the 960×540 iFrame format. Come on. It can do so much and you’re defaulting it to this random format?
[CrunchGear]

Samsung SCH-W880: The Digital Camera that Can Call [Digital Cameras]

You don't fool us, Samsung. With its camera mode dial and dedicated shutter button, your 12 megapixel Samsung SCH-W880 with HD video recording, and 3x optical zoom looks a lot more like a real compact camera than a phone.

Apart from its clearly camera design, the Samsung SCH-W880 comes loaded:
• 3.3-inch AMOLED WGA screen.
• UMTS/HSDPA connectivity.
• Wi-Fi
• GPS
• Bluetooth
• Slot for microSD cards.
• HD video at 30fps
• Macro mode.
• Xenon flash.
We haven't tried yet, but this looks like the first cameraphone that can actually satisfy the photographer/Peeping Tom in us. [Gizmodo via Samung Hub via HDblog via Engadget]

Picsio: Victor JVC goes after the Flip with new 1080p camcorder

Victor JVC seems to finally have realized how well the Flip sells over in North America. The company has now announced the Picsio GC-FM1 [JP], a mini camcorder recording video at 2.03MP and shooting pictures at 8MP. The Picsio offers 1080p output at a 4:3 ratio (1,440×1080, 30fps). Alternatively, you can go for a 720p, VGA or QVGA mode.

Weighing just 95g, the device measures 53×97x17mm. It features a 2-inch LCD screen, an HDMI interface, USB 2.0, and 4xdigital zoom. Users can record video on SD or SDHC cards in MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 and upload them easily to YouTube or iTunes through a special “media browser”.

The GC-FM1 will go on sale in Japan within this week (street price: $220). There will be models in black, blue and purple. Victor JVC hasn’t said yet if the Picsio will ever be available outside Japan (which is highly likely).
[TechCrunch via AV Watch]

JVC GZ-HM400 HD Camcorder: Like the Slo Mo Everio X, With Better Controls and Optics [Camcorders]

We thought about passing on a post about this new JVC camcorder since its specs don't indicate much of an upgrade from previous cams, but the 1080p, slowmo capable machine has better stabilization, manual controls and full bitrate AVCHD recording.
Those are mild upgrades, I'll give you that. At first glance, the camera sounds suspiciously like the Everio X, but I decided to post anyhow. The camera has 32GB of internal memory and an SD/SDHC slot. Slow motion is possible at 600fps, albeit at a ridiculous resolution of 640x72 (yes, seventy two) pixels. It shoots at 300fps at a slightly less filmstrip-like res but the 120fps mode at 480x270 pixels is anywhere close to acceptable.
The HM400 also has 9 and 5.3MP still modes without interpolation, and captures its 1080p video at the AVCHD format's maximum bitrate of 24mbps. Glass has been upgraded here to use two prisms for optical stabilization. And the camera has new manual controls that put the camera into aperture and shutter priority modes. It goes for $1000 to a buyer who hasn't been seduced by a Flip HD and still needs real zoom and picture quality. [JVC]