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.

Today’s announcement marks the launch of a new category of camcorder for Sony: Its Hybrid Plus line allows users to record to DVD, a memory stick, or flash memory (up to 8GB). In addition to two Hybrid Plus models, Sony also launched 11 Hybrid camcorders, which combine DVD and Memory Stick recording. There’s the high-end HDR-UX20 ($999), for instance, which has 8GB flash memory, in addition to support for DVDs and MS. We’re not sure having this many choices of formats—much less models—is necessary. But we can see where the Hybrid Plus models in particular would be a godsend for people who take their camcorder everywhere and need flash memory for short clips, and a hard drive for, say, epic homages to their children.

As for the rest of the lineup’s features, we’re noticing a continuing trend: a convergence between cameras and camcorders. Seven of Sony’s new Handycams include face detection, a popular feature imported from its Cybershot cameras. Two, including the HDR-S12 and the 60GB, high-def HDR-SR11 ($1,199)– take ten-megapixel photos, a luxury for which camera buyers still pay a premium. Conversely, the ability to search by face in playback mode is unique to the Handycam line but would also be useful to the camera user who takes a hundred pictures at a party and wants a quicker way to rifle through the day’s shots.