Canon targets bigger share of HD camcorder market

Canon Inc is focusing its efforts this year on capturing a larger slice of the High-Definition (HD) camcorder market. It is shifting its focus from SD (standard-definition) camcorders.

It said that currently sales of the SD vs HD cameras is about 60/40 but expects the difference to even out this year as the demand for HD continues to grow. The demand is in line with the increasing popularity of HD TVs and monitors worldwide.

"Also, we are seeing a growing demand for HD recording devices, which include flip cameras and mirrorless-system cameras, as the prices for these products get more affordable," said Edakubo Hiroo, group executive for Canon's video products group.


The camera maker is also shoehorning professional-grade features into its mid-range consumer products.

Yoshito Okada, general manager for its video products marketing management division, said the Canon XA10 and Legria HF G10 will have a full megapixel HD CMOS Pro sensor.

"This is the same sensor that we use in our range of cameras aimed at professionals, and offers greater light sensitivity and dynamic range," he said.

It is also introducing new features, such as Cinema Style, on its Legria camcorders.

"Cinema Style enables consumers to use filters to add various artistic effects to their videos," Okada explained. There is also a Story Creator feature that makes it easy for users to edit videos on the camcorder.

Canon hopes that the introduction of these new cameras and unique features will set its products further apart from those of its competitors, as well as help it boost its share of the camcorder market.

It recently launched a slew of products at its headquarters here. Journalists attending from several other countries were also given a tour of the production line.

Canon targets bigger share of HD camcorder market

Canon Inc is focusing its efforts this year on capturing a larger slice of the High-Definition (HD) camcorder market. It is shifting its focus from SD (standard-definition) camcorders.

It said that currently sales of the SD vs HD cameras is about 60/40 but expects the difference to even out this year as the demand for HD continues to grow. The demand is in line with the increasing popularity of HD TVs and monitors worldwide.

"Also, we are seeing a growing demand for HD recording devices, which include flip cameras and mirrorless-system cameras, as the prices for these products get more affordable," said Edakubo Hiroo, group executive for Canon's video products group.


The camera maker is also shoehorning professional-grade features into its mid-range consumer products.

Yoshito Okada, general manager for its video products marketing management division, said the Canon XA10 and Legria HF G10 will have a full megapixel HD CMOS Pro sensor.

"This is the same sensor that we use in our range of cameras aimed at professionals, and offers greater light sensitivity and dynamic range," he said.

It is also introducing new features, such as Cinema Style, on its Legria camcorders.

"Cinema Style enables consumers to use filters to add various artistic effects to their videos," Okada explained. There is also a Story Creator feature that makes it easy for users to edit videos on the camcorder.

Canon hopes that the introduction of these new cameras and unique features will set its products further apart from those of its competitors, as well as help it boost its share of the camcorder market.

It recently launched a slew of products at its headquarters here. Journalists attending from several other countries were also given a tour of the production line.

Canon targets bigger share of HD camcorder market

Canon Inc is focusing its efforts this year on capturing a larger slice of the High-Definition (HD) camcorder market. It is shifting its focus from SD (standard-definition) camcorders.

It said that currently sales of the SD vs HD cameras is about 60/40 but expects the difference to even out this year as the demand for HD continues to grow. The demand is in line with the increasing popularity of HD TVs and monitors worldwide.

"Also, we are seeing a growing demand for HD recording devices, which include flip cameras and mirrorless-system cameras, as the prices for these products get more affordable," said Edakubo Hiroo, group executive for Canon's video products group.


The camera maker is also shoehorning professional-grade features into its mid-range consumer products.

Yoshito Okada, general manager for its video products marketing management division, said the Canon XA10 and Legria HF G10 will have a full megapixel HD CMOS Pro sensor.

"This is the same sensor that we use in our range of cameras aimed at professionals, and offers greater light sensitivity and dynamic range," he said.

It is also introducing new features, such as Cinema Style, on its Legria camcorders.

"Cinema Style enables consumers to use filters to add various artistic effects to their videos," Okada explained. There is also a Story Creator feature that makes it easy for users to edit videos on the camcorder.

Canon hopes that the introduction of these new cameras and unique features will set its products further apart from those of its competitors, as well as help it boost its share of the camcorder market.

It recently launched a slew of products at its headquarters here. Journalists attending from several other countries were also given a tour of the production line.

Panasonic 3D camcorder

HDC-SDT750

Panasonic has unveiled the world's first consumer 3D camcorder, the HDC-SDT750, at a press event in Japan.

The camcorder, when attached with a special 3D conversion lens, is capable of shooting amazing true-to-life 3D videos.

The 3D attachment uses two lenses to capture two images simultaneously - just like the human eyes - to form a 3D video.

The HDC-SDT750 records video in full 1080p resolution in AVCHD format with 5.1-channel audio.

The camcorder is also capable of taking still pictures and features Intelligent Auto mode, face detection and Hybrid OIS shake reduction system.

For editing the 3D videos, the camcorder comes with HD Writer AE 2.6T application which allows users to splice together videos and save them on a PC or burn them onto a Blu-ray or DVD disc.

Users can watch their 3D movies on a 3D capable TV such as the Panasonic Viera Full HD 3D TVs by hooking up the camcorder via a HDMI cable.

The camcorder uses a 3MOS system with improved noise reduction and manual ring for full control of the camcorder's zoom, focus and shutter speed.

It also has a large 3in touchscreen for easily accessing the camcorder's functions.

Panasonic expects to launch the HDC-SDT750 by the end of September.

The HDC-SDT750 camcorder with the 3D conversion lens is expected to retail for RM5,499.

HDC-SDX1

Compact camcorders

Panasonic also unveiled its new pocket-sized video camcorder, the HM-TA1 and HDC-SDX1.

The HM-TA1 records in HD video in full 1080p resolution and captures 8-megapixel still images.

Also, the HM-TA1 has built-in image stabilisation and a small LED flash for illuminating subjects.

The compact camcoder has an integrated USB port for transferring videos to a PC. It can also upload videos to Youtube and

Facebook directly with just a touch of a button.

Another cool feature is that the HM-TA1 can double up as a webcam for Skype calls when hooked up to a computer.

The camcorder supports higher capacity memory cards, namely SDHC and SDXC. Meanwhile, the HDC-SDX1 has 2.7in LCD touchscreen and a 35.8mm wide-angle lens with 23x optical zoom.

It records HD videos in 1080i resolution and captures 3-megapixel still images. Like the HM-TA1 it can function as a webcam for chatting on Skype.

The compact camcorder records in a variety of different formats that include AVCHD, MP4 and iFrame (for use with Apple iMovie video editing software).

The HM-TA1 (RM599) will be released in September and the HDC-SDX1 (RM1,699) by the end of August.

Panasonic 3D camcorder

HDC-SDT750

Panasonic has unveiled the world's first consumer 3D camcorder, the HDC-SDT750, at a press event in Japan.

The camcorder, when attached with a special 3D conversion lens, is capable of shooting amazing true-to-life 3D videos.

The 3D attachment uses two lenses to capture two images simultaneously - just like the human eyes - to form a 3D video.

The HDC-SDT750 records video in full 1080p resolution in AVCHD format with 5.1-channel audio.

The camcorder is also capable of taking still pictures and features Intelligent Auto mode, face detection and Hybrid OIS shake reduction system.

For editing the 3D videos, the camcorder comes with HD Writer AE 2.6T application which allows users to splice together videos and save them on a PC or burn them onto a Blu-ray or DVD disc.

Users can watch their 3D movies on a 3D capable TV such as the Panasonic Viera Full HD 3D TVs by hooking up the camcorder via a HDMI cable.

The camcorder uses a 3MOS system with improved noise reduction and manual ring for full control of the camcorder's zoom, focus and shutter speed.

It also has a large 3in touchscreen for easily accessing the camcorder's functions.

Panasonic expects to launch the HDC-SDT750 by the end of September.

The HDC-SDT750 camcorder with the 3D conversion lens is expected to retail for RM5,499.

HDC-SDX1

Compact camcorders

Panasonic also unveiled its new pocket-sized video camcorder, the HM-TA1 and HDC-SDX1.

The HM-TA1 records in HD video in full 1080p resolution and captures 8-megapixel still images.

Also, the HM-TA1 has built-in image stabilisation and a small LED flash for illuminating subjects.

The compact camcoder has an integrated USB port for transferring videos to a PC. It can also upload videos to Youtube and

Facebook directly with just a touch of a button.

Another cool feature is that the HM-TA1 can double up as a webcam for Skype calls when hooked up to a computer.

The camcorder supports higher capacity memory cards, namely SDHC and SDXC. Meanwhile, the HDC-SDX1 has 2.7in LCD touchscreen and a 35.8mm wide-angle lens with 23x optical zoom.

It records HD videos in 1080i resolution and captures 3-megapixel still images. Like the HM-TA1 it can function as a webcam for chatting on Skype.

The compact camcorder records in a variety of different formats that include AVCHD, MP4 and iFrame (for use with Apple iMovie video editing software).

The HM-TA1 (RM599) will be released in September and the HDC-SDX1 (RM1,699) by the end of August.

Panasonic 3D camcorder

HDC-SDT750

Panasonic has unveiled the world's first consumer 3D camcorder, the HDC-SDT750, at a press event in Japan.

The camcorder, when attached with a special 3D conversion lens, is capable of shooting amazing true-to-life 3D videos.

The 3D attachment uses two lenses to capture two images simultaneously - just like the human eyes - to form a 3D video.

The HDC-SDT750 records video in full 1080p resolution in AVCHD format with 5.1-channel audio.

The camcorder is also capable of taking still pictures and features Intelligent Auto mode, face detection and Hybrid OIS shake reduction system.

For editing the 3D videos, the camcorder comes with HD Writer AE 2.6T application which allows users to splice together videos and save them on a PC or burn them onto a Blu-ray or DVD disc.

Users can watch their 3D movies on a 3D capable TV such as the Panasonic Viera Full HD 3D TVs by hooking up the camcorder via a HDMI cable.

The camcorder uses a 3MOS system with improved noise reduction and manual ring for full control of the camcorder's zoom, focus and shutter speed.

It also has a large 3in touchscreen for easily accessing the camcorder's functions.

Panasonic expects to launch the HDC-SDT750 by the end of September.

The HDC-SDT750 camcorder with the 3D conversion lens is expected to retail for RM5,499.

HDC-SDX1

Compact camcorders

Panasonic also unveiled its new pocket-sized video camcorder, the HM-TA1 and HDC-SDX1.

The HM-TA1 records in HD video in full 1080p resolution and captures 8-megapixel still images.

Also, the HM-TA1 has built-in image stabilisation and a small LED flash for illuminating subjects.

The compact camcoder has an integrated USB port for transferring videos to a PC. It can also upload videos to Youtube and

Facebook directly with just a touch of a button.

Another cool feature is that the HM-TA1 can double up as a webcam for Skype calls when hooked up to a computer.

The camcorder supports higher capacity memory cards, namely SDHC and SDXC. Meanwhile, the HDC-SDX1 has 2.7in LCD touchscreen and a 35.8mm wide-angle lens with 23x optical zoom.

It records HD videos in 1080i resolution and captures 3-megapixel still images. Like the HM-TA1 it can function as a webcam for chatting on Skype.

The compact camcorder records in a variety of different formats that include AVCHD, MP4 and iFrame (for use with Apple iMovie video editing software).

The HM-TA1 (RM599) will be released in September and the HDC-SDX1 (RM1,699) by the end of August.