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Leaked specs were announced on some websites about a month ago of a new, smaller HD camcorder that Sony was working on.  Well, Sony Europe has now made it official tonight by announcing an April 2006 launch date in Europe for their upcoming HDR-HC3E camcorder.  According to the press release, the HC3E will be 26% smaller and 26% lighter than their current model, the HDR-HC1.

Besides its smaller size, this camcorder is packed with a few new features as well.  Sony put a new CMOS sensor in it that they call ClearVid.  This CMOS sensor has much better sensitivity, allowing for better video quality and up to 4 megapixel still shots.  Sony also added a feature called Dual Rec, which basically just lets you take still shots at the same time video is recording.  This may seem like a simple feature, but it wouldn’t be possible without the newer imaging processor that Sony put into the HC3E.  Finally, they’ve added a new video mode called Smooth Slow Rec.  This mode will leave you with extremely detailed slow-motion scenes by recording at a blazing 200 fields/second, as opposed to the standard mode’s 50 fields/seconds.  These are some of the main features, but Sony has also packed in plenty of other features such as improved lens quality and a more-detailed LCD screen to name a couple.

While Sony Europe didn’t mention an estimated price in this press release, I’m sure it will be more than I personally want to pay for a camcorder.  But if you’re an amateur videographer, or just a gadget nut like me (but with a higher salary), then I’m sure it would be worth the price.  I’m glad to see Sony and other companies continue to push forward at such a fast rate with consumer-oriented HD products like the HDR-HC3E.

Press Release: Sony Europe

Chris Leckness (3547 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook

Chris Leckness is the Owner/Administrator of Mobilitysite. He is a Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices and a member of the exclusive focus group, Mobius. Chris runs a Mobilitysite, GotZune, and a few other smaller sites and blogs. His personal blog is chris.leckness.com.