CES Stuff II

It's press preview day for CES today, so if it doesn't get announced today, then it probably won't be!

Sony is holding their press conference tonight (8pm EST). They may announce an NEX camera of some kind (probably not a primarily video camera.) There hopefully will be more information on the NXCAM 35mm camera, though remember this is the Consumer Electronics Show, and the NXCAM line is more pro-sumer....



The Contour Helmet cam is being updated with GPS and Bluetooth connectivity; you'll be able to stream video to an Android or iOS device and use it as a viewfinder. The ContourGPS will cost $349.99
Engadget: Contour adds Live Viewfinder



Canon has a refresh of it's consumer video line.

Most interestingly, they have introduced a new HD CMOS Pro Image sensor in the VIXIA HF G10 and VIXIA HF M-series camcorders. This sensor is just 2 megapixels (i.e. it matches the HD resolution.) This should improve image quality and low-light performance and dynamic range (at the expense of the quality of stills, but who really uses a video camera like this for stills?) They aren't using a larger sensor - so don't expect the shallow depth-of-field you get with DLSRs - but you should see improved image quality.

Canon HD CMOS Pro Image Sensor: A new 1/3-inch native 1920 x 1080 sensorwhich delivers professional-levelHD video performance. Unlike image sensors found in other consumer camcorders, Canon HD CMOS Pro uses fewer pixels, which are significantly larger (61 percent) and more sensitive, resulting in high video resolution, outstanding low-light performance, and expanded dynamic range[:

  • Video resolution of 900 horizontal and 800 vertical TV lines, for Full HD video with professional precision
  • A 25 percent improvement in low-light sensitivity with a minimum illumination rating of 1.5 Lux, Canon’s lowest Lux rating to date in a consumer HD camcorder
  • A 280 percent improvement in dynamic range for exceptional reproduction of both highlights and shadows

Canon has posted a video about it here: Canon HD CMOS Pro

[UPDATE: See all the new Canon consumer video cameras here: Consumer Cameras]

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