The world’s first HD consumer camcorder with interchangeable lens

Handycam® launches the new NEX-VG10E for artists and serious videographers. It delivers camcorder video image quality with the creative control and flexibility of a DSLR. Swap lenses from a DSLR camera from Sony and you can produce artistic results with beautiful, background ‘defocus’ effects.

See NEX-VG10E product details

High performance in poor light – image quality and the XR520

The HDR-XR520 with a back-illuminated Exmor R™ CMOS sensor set a new standard for image sensors. Able to achieve twice the sensitivity of a conventional sensor, the Exmor R™ CMOS sensor ensures brilliant picture quality even in low light such as interiors, dusk or twilight. This innovative sensor is now available on even more Handycam® camcorders, including advanced Standard Definition models.

See XR520VE product details

Smile. Meet the world’s first camcorder with face recognition

The Handycam® HDR-SR12 was the result of years of hard work from engineers at Sony –so you wouldn’t have to do the hard work yourself. The SR12 was the first to feature Face Detection to automatically capture more natural looking faces. Now Handycam® camcorders also include smart features such as Smile Shutter and Intelligent Auto (iAUTO) which automatically optimises settings to suit your filming conditions.

5.1 channel surround sound & audio expertise from Sony

Handycam® has always been able to benefit from the professional sound expertise at Sony. From stereo sound to linking zoom microphones to zoom lenses, Handycam® has been at the forefront of camcorder audio innovation. The DCR-DVD403 made full use of the new DVD recording format in 2005. By computing time differences between microphones it could provide movies with an incredibly realistic, spacious 5.1-channel surround sound.

The TRV90’s flexible flip-out panel changes everything

Handycam® has always been specifically designed for handheld shooting. Until the arrival of the TRV90 in 1995, it was normal to hold the camera with both hands while viewing the LCD viewfinder. But the TRV90 with flexible flip-out panel changed everything. It was suddenly now possible to shoot comfortably with one hand while viewing the LCD screen – and then fold it away for easy storage.

The quest for steady shooting begins with the TR900

Keeping a camcorder steady while zooming or walking has always been a challenge. The CCD-TR900 was the first Handycam® to feature image stabilisation technology, using a prism in front of the lens which could be minutely adjusted to compensate for shake. Nowadays, a Handycam such as the CX305E uses Optical SteadyShot Active Mode which can automatically correct hand roll in three directions to deliver smoother, sharper video every time.

See CX305E product details

Small is beautiful – the “passport-size” Handycam® TR55

Every Handycam® is designed from the outside in to keep things small. Legend has it that during 25 years of Handycam® development, prototypes have even been thrown into water to show bubbles where space could be eliminated. The CCD-TR55 launched in 1989 embodied everything about miniature Handycam® design. Based on the concept of travel, the CCD-TR55 could fit perfectly into a handbag and be taken anywhere.

Handycam® is born – the new arrival weighs less than 1 kilogram

On 1 September 1985, the Handycam® CCD-M8 changed movie making forever. Filming was no longer just for professionals with heavy, shoulder-supported video cameras. The CCD-M8 was the first video camera in the world to break the one-kilogram weight barrier. Anyone could pick it up in one hand and start to film. Today, every Handycam® is still designed to be lightweight and easy-to-use – the CX550VE, for example, weighs as little as 440g.

See CX550VE product details