CES 2008: Digital Cameras and Camcorders

There were plenty of high-definition camcorders at this year’s show, but none of them rivals the innovation inside Sony’s HDR-UX20. This model not only captures footage at an impressive 1920 x 1080 pixels, it offers face detection for both photos and videos, allocated more pixels to the detected face on the fly. We really like the Face Roll Index, which remembers specific faces and lets you sort accordingly. The HDR-UX20 also has a built-in zoom mic, so as you zoom in closer visually on a subject, you should be able to hear what he or she is saying.

You won’t find more recording flexibity on any camcorder. You can record to the built-in 8 GB of internal memory (about an hour of footage in 1920 HD mode), Memory Stick Pro DUO, or DVD media. And you can copy images and videos from the internal memory or Memory Stick to DVD for playback. A 2.3-MP CMOS censor in combination with a BIONZ image processor ensures crisp video footage with a minimum amount of noise, and you can capture 4-MP still shots. If you’re going to shoot in high-def, you won’t find a more versatile or powerful option for the price.

Talk about fast. thanks to its high-speed LSI processor, the Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1  can shoot up to 60 frames per second at 6 megapixels, ensuring you never miss a shot. Its continuous flash means you’re not stuck waiting for that, either. And, unlike D-SLRs, this prosumer camera can record movies at at an amazing 1,200 fps. That means you can really slow down the action and make out striking details.

We really liked the way the EX-F1 groups your shots together. If you take a bunch of shots in rapid succession, it shows you only the first one, so you can either select the whole group of them or move on to the next individual shot when you’re in Play mode. It’s just one of those things that tells you Casio has thought of everything.

Yes, Sony announced a billion camcorders (okay, it was only 16). But a couple of them particularly caught our eye. The HDR-UX20 delivers high-definition recording, 10-megapixel stills, face detection, and optical image stabilization. Not only is Sony the first to bring 10-MP stills to the camcorder market, but the company also includes a cool new technology called Face Roll Index, which remembers specific faces and lets you sort accordingly. So for instance, if you want to find all the pictures you took with your daughter’s face over Christmas, this camera can find them quickly and easily.

We also got a chance to check out Sony’s face-detection technology a bit more. It requires two eyes, a nose, and a mouth to work properly, which means if someone is only partially in the shot (or wearing an eye patch), the face detection won’t focus in on that person. But chances are, if they weren’t totally in the shot in the first place, you probably didn’t want them there.

Lots of cool stuff from Sony this year. We can’t wait to get our hands on it.

We posted the specs from Casio’s lineup on Monday, but this morning, we got to see them up close. The most impressive is the Exilim Pro EX-F1, which will be available in the spring. At only $1,000, this DSLR offers lots of innovation. We tried out its claimed 60 frames per second for still shots and were quite impressed.

We shot off in the distance a ways and captured a man walking away from us, and it looked just shy of video–more like one of those old flip books with the cartoons. This means if you could see your kid about to kick the soccer ball, you could just hold down the shutter and know you’ll get the shot. When I took our soccer mom out with the super zooms recently, I know we missed a lot of good shots because of shutter lag, but this camera wouldn’t have missed a thing.

While Sony is choosing to unleash a whopping 16 camcorders at CES, it’s holding most of its cameras for PMA. The company is showcasing one camera at CES, however. The alpha DSLR-A200 is an upgrade to the 10.2-megapixel DSLR-A700. The confusing nomenclature might have something to do with the fact that the A200 is supposed to be easier to use.

It’s also supposed to be lighter and faster and sports a wider 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD. Sony is promising an easy-to-use function menu as well, along with improved noise control, 1.7X faster focus speed, and better predictive control performance. For shutterbugs who don’t need the old-fashioned shutter sound, this one should be quieter, and for those who never leave auto mode, it offers a pop-up flash, along with a battery life indicator.

There’s something for everyone in Sony’s new camcorder lineup. The company unleashed a blistering 16 Handycams today, including two MiniDV, four DVD, four HDD, and 13 multi-format models. Prices range from $250 to $1,399, still photo resolutions spike at 10 megapixels, and one– the HDR-SR12 ($1,399)– packs a whopping 120GB hard drive. Five boast full HD resolution, and users can play with face detection and face searching. The lineup is nothing if not overwhelming, but we can’t help but wonder at the variety of new features nonetheless.

Casio focuses on style and speed with its new Exilim lineup. The Exilim Pro Ex-F1 ($999.99) touts the world’s fastest burst shooting performance with a high-speed CMOS sensor and high-speed LSI processor. The Ex-F1 can manage up to 60 frames per second, according to the company, in burst mode for still imagesand 1,200 fps high-speed movie recording for ultra-slow-motion replay.
The other four models include the usual speed bumps. The Exilim Card EX-S10 ($249.99) is the world’s smallest and thinnest 10.1 megapixel model and sports a Super Clear LCD with a high contrast ratio and wide field of view. The Zoom EX-Z80 ($199.99) is 8.1 megapixels and is cool enough for fashionistas on the go.

Digital picture frames don’t seem like the sexiest of tech products, but boy are we hearing a lot about them. A search of my inbox came up with ten different vendors showing off recently-announced or brand new digital picture frames at CES. Some of them tout brand XGA, high resolution screens. Others get a bit more fancy like Colby’s Digital Photo Frame that has a Quartz Clock and Mustek’s frame which doubles as an iPod dock.

And NetworkWorld beat me to the punch in talking about digital pictures making their way onto the fridge door. Since magnets were just getting old, Whirlpool is putting screens on their refrigerators.

Every year, we expect a few staples to come out of the camera market. We expect more megapixels and a stronger zoom in a smaller, less expensive camera than we saw the year before. We expect better video quality, more video formats, and more ways to get HD video off your camera and onto your HDTV.

However, most cameras are already maxed out on specs, and consumers really don’t want more megapixels or higher zooms. So that leaves vendors differentiating in new ways, namely in terms of extra software features and some firmware upgrades. The one that’s kind of cool, however, is smarter auto modes.