Sony HDR-TG1, the smallest 1080i camera, $900!
 

http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/news...+vacation.html

This looks great, it's AVCHD, it's tiny, and it's only $900. Looks like it records at 1920x1080i at up to 16mbps. It has a 10x optical zoom. I'm excited, this looks like a nice compact camera for those times when you want to slip something into your pocket instead of a camera bag.

I don't know if that's a little smaller than the Panasonic HDC-SD9 or not. I just stopped at Circuit City, popped an SDHC card in an SD9 for a couple minutes and shot a few very short 1080i and 1080p clips, last weekend. The SD9 is one dang tiny camera too (and even cheaper). Different shape though.

Here’s some more photos:
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/do...0403/sony1.htm
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/do...0403/sony2.htm

The press release shows the new Sony at 1.3in x 4.7in x 2.5 in (width, height, depth). The SD9 is roughly 2.5in x 2.6in x 5in, so the Sony is definitely a bit smaller. Weight-wise, however, they are almost the same at around 10 ounces (not sure if the Sony weight is with or without battery, the SD9 is without battery).

There comes a point when a camera can be too small. I found trying to use the little teeny joystick button on the SD9, to navigate menus, quite difficult. When shopping for a still camera, I intentionally look for bigger cameras, just so I can hold them reasonably well in my hand.

This is true, they can be clumsy especially if you have big hands, but these little guys do have their uses. I take my DSLR on vacations and specific photo shooting outings, but my wife's little P&S is always in her purse or backpack, so most of our family memories are captured on that camera.

Camcorders like this Sony or the Panasonic SD9 may bring some of that ability to video - not as your main cam, but something you can almost always have with you and that has reasonably decent image quality.

I found a P&S still camera that I like: Panasonic FZ8. Not to small, but not real big. It's easy to take along with and shoot quick pictures with, pretty much anywhere. The OIS works well, and it can actually shoot RAW. It's a small CCD, so the pictures are much noisier than a good DSLR, but the results are certainly good enough to make very nice 4x6 prints.

I found out that the camera weight is 8 ounces without battery. It takes the FH 50 series battery, but nothing larger than that one (apparently it fits inside the camera).
Available May 17 on Sony Style site.

Here is a good article although I’m certain they made a mistake on the zoom range because if you look at the camcorder’s body, you can see the words 10x OPTICAL ZOOM.
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english...080404/150013/

Depending on the situation, a very small size can be beneficial. When I was in the Azores back in 2002 and 2005, I looked like a tourist with a camcorder bag and to solve it, I usually carried a backpack although even carrying a backpack everywhere you go can look awkward. 3 months ago, when I brought the Aiptek A-HD, I could easily blend into the crowd with it in my pocket.

Sanyo does release camcorders very frequently so I wouldn’t be surprised if they announce a successor to the HD1000 before the HDR-TG1 is released in the U.S. Plus Panasonic might release a successor to the SD7 but if their smart, they’d bring it over here this time.

There are place right here in the US where I won't carry a camera bag (or a camera of any size). When I'm in Minneapolis, and in a run down part of town, cameras stay in the trunk, aside from a little DSC-P73. That easily fits in a shirt pocket, and isn't real hard to hold for shooting.

Watch.Impress review
 

Original Japanese:
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/do...9/zooma353.htm

English Translated:
http://babelfish.altavista.com/babel...2fzooma353.htm



That was quick!

Sony HDR TG1 Video Clip (Unboxing)
 

Video clip of it's unboxing here in the UK - worth watching the second half for sure. This thing is TINY!

http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/11/v...corder-unboxe/

just checked the specs, 2.3mpixel sensor? kind of weak don't you think for something that should be shooting at 1920x1080i? I guess you theoretically only need 2mpixel, but on the CX7 we're looking at a much larger sensor at 3.2mpixel, and even then some of the images seem a bit grainy at times. guess this cam is really good to take with you when you don't normally want to carry a full blown cam :)

unboxed
 

Variable frame rates?
 

Are we just assuming this thing only shoots in 30fps? I guess if it did 24p like the Panasonic HDC-SD9, they would have told us.