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Handycam® in close-up

Learn more about the technologies that make Handycam® unique

Packed with advanced Sony technology, Handycam® makes it easier than ever to capture beautiful images and fantastic digital sound. Here’s the inside story on some of the features that set Handycam® apart from other camcorders.

Carl Zeiss lenses

Carl Zeiss lens

All HD and SD Handycam® models feature high quality lenses by Carl Zeiss, the world-famous name in optical excellence.

You’ll enjoy superlative resolution, vivid colours and ultra-low distortion at all settings from wide angle to telephoto.

Great-looking video and still pictures start with a great lens. That’s why Sony insists on premium Carl Zeiss optics for every Handycam®.

Experience the full picture about Carl Zeiss lens

ClearVid CMOS Sensor

It’s all in the detail. The advanced ClearVid CMOS sensor inside HD and some of SD Handycam® features Exmor derived technology for clearer, detail-packed images.

Whether you’re shooting video or stills, you’ll experience vivid colour, increased sensitivity, a wider dynamic range and lower noise. It all adds up to extraordinary results with any subject.

Get even more detail about ClearVid CMOS Sensor

x.v.Colour

Discover colour as true as the eye can see. x.v.Colour dramatically extends your creative palette with truer, more vivid blues, reds and greens.

Accurately mimicking the characteristics of the human eye, x.v.Colour makes sure that Handycam® sees exactly what you're seeing.

Don’t compromise your vision with flat, insipid colours. Get real with x.v.Colour.

Explore wider possibilities with x.v.Colour

Face Detection

Make sure everyone’s clearly in the picture. Face Detection automatically fine-tunes focus, exposure, colour balance and skin tone for more natural looking faces.

Better still, it works with video as well as stills to flatter any subject. Face Detection with Bit Allocation goes further still, allocating more digital information to faces within the frame for the best possible quality.

Make it personal with Face Detection

Face Index and Film Roll Index

A thousand special memories: but how do you find the right one? Now it’s quicker and easier to search through all your shots and find the perfect moment.

Face Index uses Sony Face Detection technology to find faces of family and friends in your footage.

Film Roll Index automatically splits longer scenes into a series of shorter, more manageable chapters. You’ll be lost without it.

Track down more about Face Index and Film Roll Index

40x optical zoom and wide angle lens

40x zoom and Wide Angle lens

Get closer to the action. Powerful 40x optical zoom pulls distant subjects closer for crystal clear, full resolution close-ups.

Want to make sure no-one gets left out of the picture? Handycam® features a wide angle lens that lets you pack more into every shot without having to stand further back from your subject.

With Handycam® you’ll always enjoy the view – wherever you are and whatever you're doing.

See what you’re missing with 40x zoom and Wide Angle lens

Zoom microphone

Rustling leaves, birds and other background noises can distract from what’s happening in front of the camera. Zoom in and enjoy pristine 5.1 surround sound with clearer dialogue and foreground subjects.

Hear the full story about Zoom microphone

Still Image recording

Still Images

Freeze frame with the crispest, clearest still pictures you’ve ever seen from a camcorder. Handycam® captures gorgeous, detail-packed stills up to 10 megapixels resolution.

You can even shoot still pictures without interrupting video recording.

Super SteadyShot reduces camera shake for sensational results when you’re shooting handheld or in low light. Then hook up Handycam® to your Sony photo printer for sumptuous, lasting images you’ll treasure.

Capture every detail about still images