The OWLE Bubo turns your vanilla iPhone 3GS into a tripod-mountable camcorder. It’ll allow you to add lens adapters, external mics, and different lighting units. The Bubo goes on pre-sale October 27th for $99.

If you thought Google Streetview was cool, you haven’t seen what yellowBird can do. This camera uses six cleverly divided lenses in order to capture video in every possible viewing direction. The data stream generated by the camera is impressive. Through a double glass-fiber connection, a stream of 1200 Mbit per second is captured and saved in an uncompressed format. Next to the camera, a surround sound microphone system enables to record audio at 96 khz as well.

The yellowbird camera can be utilized in a variety of ways. First of all, videos can be captured from a regular tripod. Additionally the camera can be setup within a steadycam suit and “float” above the head of the camera operator. Furthermore, multiple connections support the camera to be mounted on a car or under a helicopter.

Check out the demo video below!

Kodak today announced an exciting new addition to its popular line of Digital Video Cameras – the Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera ($180), featuring a sleek design, high-quality full 1080p High Definition video capture, and built-in electronic image stabilization.

The slim and stylish KODAK Zi8 Pocket Video Camera is designed to meet these needs at the touch of a button — no lens cap, dials to turn or settings to adjust. The new camera’s range of advanced features includes:

• Full HD 1080p video capture wherever you go;
• Built-in electronic image stabilization for sharper videos and reduced blurring;
• Vivid 2.5″ color LCD;
• Flexible swing-out USB arm for fast uploading, sharing, and charging;
• 5 MP 16:9 widescreen HD still pictures;
• Easy upload to Facebook and YouTube;
• Compatible with PC and Mac operating systems;
• Record up to 10 hours of HD video* with the expandable SD/SDHC card slot that can hold up to 32 GB;
• Capture family and friends in their best light with smart face tracking technology;
• See more details and accurate colors in low light;
• External microphone jack;
• In-box HDMI cable;
• Record from a distance or playback on your TV conveniently with optional KODAK Pocket Video remote control;
• Grab attention and define your style with the ultra compact design, stunning looks, and a range of colors.

The Samsung HMX-U10 ($200) is the ideal solution for the consumer looking for ultimate portability and ease‑of‑use in an HD camcorder. The HMX-U10 offers full-HD video recording with 1920×1080 resolution. The HMX-U10’s 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensor also gives consumers the ability to capture impressive 10 mega-pixel digital still images, all which can be reviewed on the camcorder’s clear, two-inch LCD screen. At 56mm x 103mm x 15.5mm, and weighing just 95g including the battery, the HMX-U10 is ultra-compact with an ergonomic design that breaks free of the traditional look and feel of pocket-sized camcorders.

Consumer HD camcorders are starting to hit the market in full force. Last year, Sony released their HDR-HC1 for prosumers and less feature-rich but cheaper HDR-HC3 for consumers. Now Canon has released their first HDV consumer camcorder, the HV10 in direct competition. This is defnitely the year for point-and-shooters looking for HD quality without having to break the bank. The Canon HV10 can be bought for $1299 from most authorized dealers.

The Canon HV10 utilizes a large 1/2.7” CMOS chip that records in 1080/60i mode giving a resolution of 1920 x 1080 at 60 interlaced fields per second. If you’re looking to record your upcoming vacation in HD, this is the camcorder to get. It’s compact size and built-in optical image stabalization make it the best portable HD camorder in the current market. No microphone input is included, but most casual shooters won’t miss having this feature,.since the built-in microphone will cover sound duty.

Official Canon HV10 Site

Sony releases their first consumer HD video camcorder, the Sony HDR-HC3. The HC3 is about 3/4 the size of the prosumer HDR-HC1 released last year and retails for $1700 ($300 less than the HC1). The camera still uses DV tape, instead of microdrives like many other companies are leaning towards. Home made HD movies are going to soon become a mainstream staple.

Thanks to highly efficient MPEG-4 technology, the HD1 is able to create high-definition videos at 1280 x 720 pixels at 30 frames per second with far higher quality when compared to conventional video cameras. These are richly detailed images that will display beautifully on any big screen TV. Choose from six different video resolution modes (and six different resolution levels for your still photos!), depending on how your images will be used.

For more info on the Sanyo HD1, click here.

The world of Camcorders is changing…

JVC Launch New G Series of Everio with Embedded Hard Disk Drive. No Tape. No Disc.

Just as we are seeing with music – where the progression from tape to disc, then disc to Hard Disk Drive (HDD) devices has revolutionised the way we listen to music – so HDD is now the hottest property in the world of Camcorders. The launch of the Everio™ C Series, in 2004, heralded a new era in the way we use our camcorders – high-quality, long-time recording and instant access into those recordings. And all using a small, removable 4GB Microdrive as the engine of the product, without the need for tapes or discs.

The new Everio G Series takes that concept and moves it on to the next stage. By increasing the capacity of the HDD, this extends the length of time for which you can record. Thus, making it even-more user-friendly. Plus the G Series retains the wide connectivity that the MC Series had, meaning you can connect the camcorder up to your TV, VCR, DVD Recorder or your PC to watch, edit or archive your recordings forever. Leaving the HDD on the camcorder empty once again for your next recordings.

The range to be introduced to the UK will be compact, yet at the same time offer enough step-up features to cater for a broad range of consumer needs. Three models will launch in September (MG20,MG30,MG50).

The lead-in model, the MG20, will house an 800,000 Pixel CCD, huge 25x Optical Zoom and will incorporate a 20GB capacity HDD, which will allow you to record between 4 ½ hrs – 25hrs of footage, depending on the mode. We expect this model to be ranged by most camcorder retailers.

The first step-up model – for those customers wanting more hours of recording – will be the MG30, the only difference being that it has a 30GB capacity HDD, which will cater for between 7 hrs – 37hrs.

The MG50 will offer 30GB HDD again, but possess a superior picture quality combination of 1.33 MegaPixel CCD with our F1.2 Superbright Lens. This will also enable a higher still image capability, though with a 15x Optical Zoom.

In addition, there will be many standard features which will be common to all models in the line-up – 2 ½ inch LCD Screen, Built-in Light, SD Card Slot, USB 2.0 interface, Data Battery system and provided Software this time incorporating full Macintosh compatibility.

MPEG-2 Video Recording for DVD-Movie Quality Footage
The MG20 offers 4 ½ hrs storage at 9 Mbps at a Constant Bit Rate (CBR), which is close to the maximum bit rate for DVD movie quality recording, or 7 hours at 6 Mbps, comparable to DVD Camcorder recordings. Two more modes are available for even longer recording time. The MG30 & MG50 offer an impressive 7 hours storage at 9 Mbps, and 10 ½ hours at 6 Mbps. Either way, the high quality MPEG-2 recordings are in the same format used to produce DVD software, so no quality will be lost when burning them to DVD.

Shooting time (normal use)
GZ-MG50 /GZ-MG30 GZ-MG20 Bit rateMbps*
Ultra(DVD Movie) 7 hours 4.5 hours 8.9
Fine (DVD) 10.5 hours 7 hours 5.9
Norm (TV) 14 hours 9 hours 4.5
Eco (Internet) 37 hours 25 hours 1.6
*Combined A/V rates, Video Bit rate is fixed for Ultra and Fine modes, variable for Norm and Eco modes.

Sony today announced the world’s smallest and lightest high definition consumer camcorder with full HD resolution based on HDV 1080i.

The ultra-compact HDR-HC1 Handycam® camcorder fits comfortably in your hand, while delivering high-definition picture quality and lighting detail on both video and digital still images.

This camcorder’s introduction is in response to the growing demand for HDTV. With more broadcasters transmitting high-definition content, the demand for HD has been steadily increasing. In fact, the Consumer Electronics Association estimates that nearly 15 million HDTV sets will be in US households by the end of 2005.

“As HDTV becomes more pervasive in American households, it is a natural progression to want to create personal content in high definition,” said Linda Vuolo, director for camcorder products at Sony Electronics. “This introduction is a key step in bringing high-definition video recording to a broad cross-section of consumers. For about $2,000, there is now an easy-to-use solution.”