Canon's HG10 High definition HDD camcorder

Canon’s new HG10 Hard Disk Drive Camcorder is the latest to use the Advanced Video Codec High Definition format which was introduced by Sony and Panasonic in 2006 and offers greater compression than HDV and MiniDV. The hard disk drive HG10 records up to 15 hours of HD footage and features a 10x HD Video lens, an HD CMOS image sensor, Canon’s proprietary DIGIC DV II Image Processor, SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization and Instant Auto Focus.

This camera can capture still shots of 3.1 megapixels to a miniSD card and also has the ability to grab photos from recorded footage at a resolution of 1920x1080, or 2 megapixels.

A Quick Start function wakes the camera from standby mode nearly instantly, meaning it is ready to record at a moment’s notice and the new Navigation Control Dial on the LCD panel further is designed to further increase usability and efficiency. The LCD screen is 2.7 inches wide, but users also have the option to watch playback on High Definition Televisions with a one cable connection setup.

The HG10 HD Camcorder is bundled with a powerful software suite from Corel (although it’s compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista only). Corel Software includes AVCHD Editing which allows the user to burn edited video onto either a full size AVCHD DVD or Standard Definition DVD. The HG10 HD Camcorder also comes equipped with a Backup Utility Disc, enabling users to safely backup recorded video onto a computer’s hard drive.

A recent boom in HD Camcorder sales has seen Sony report a 542% rise since 2006. During this time Sony has released five AVCHD camcorders, Panasonic has released three AVCHD camcorders, and the HG10 is Canon’s second AVHCD camcorder.

The Canon HG10 HD Camcorder will be available in October this year for US$1299.