JVC has taken the wraps off a pair of new rugged camcorder product lines, the JVC GZ-R550 and the GZ-R440. The two lineups bring with them a total of three camcorder models, the GZ-R440B, GZ-R440D, and the GZ-R550B. These camcorders are designed for outdoor environments, ones where there's a good chance of rain or bodies of water, wild temperatures, and accidental drops.
Among Canon's lineup of consumer-friendly cameras and camcorders lies the new HF G40, the successor to the G30 camcorder and an overall improvement to an already solid product. Unlike the other new Canon camcorders, the HF G40 is aimed at the so-called "prosumer," those who still operate at the consumer level but who need something more robust than the average device.
The Bublcam does one thing very well: describe itself - in its name, in its industrial design, and in its product. While several 360-degree "spherical" cameras are already on the market, Bubl Technology have done the best job in creating a device that's simple to understand and use from start to finish - WITH high-quality results. This device has four cameras, each pointing in a different direction to create videos and photos that are spherical in shape, fully prepared for immersive viewing online and in the new virtual reality ecosystem.
As far as smartphone cameras have come, to get real, professional quality video, it's best to turn to the real thing. If you're going to be out in the elements, your video camera best be suited to brave the weather, otherwise your camera could end up becoming a fancy paperweight. The latest camcorders to join the weather-proof JVC Everio collection are the GZ-R450 and the GZ-R320. Both are waterproof up to 16.4 feet under water and withstand damage from freezing at temperatures as low as 14 degrees farenheit. The camcorders are also dust-proof and are designed to withstand being dropped from almost five feet off the ground.
In Las Vegas, Sony is introducing their newest Handycams at CES 2015. The lineup is mostly an update to their existing lineup, but Sony seems to have cracked the 4K code at CES this year. In addition to their Action Cameras, Sony has brought 4K to the Handycam by way of the FDR-AX33. The camcorder is the most compact 4K Handycam to date, checking in 30% smaller and 20% lighter than Sony’s current 4K Handycam, the FDR-AX100.
Printers, PowerShot cameras, and a content hub -- all parts of Canon's CES 2015 offerings, and joining them are a trio of new VIXIA HR R-series camcorders, all of them similar in design but with their own unique flavors. There are several enhancements on board for this product line up, and among them is the promise of excellent low-light performance alongside the new high 57x zoom (all three models). Two of the models in particular also bring with them NFC and WiFi.
Designer Graham Rowan has a camera he’d like to show you. This camera goes by the name FPS1000 and it’s apparently able to capture video at up to 10,000 frames per second. Even the newest smartphones on the market are only able to capture video at a maximum of 120 frames per second, and most are able to capture video at only 30 frames per second. This device is being positioned as a Portable, Low Cost, High Frame Rate camera and it’s on its way to real-deal consumer production in the near future.
Remember Panasonic's wearable HX-A500 camcorder? The company has taken a different route with marketing it, strapping it near the ear of soccer star Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, showing off his footwork in conjunction with a basketball hoop, of all things.
JVC, which recently introduced a couple new rugged cameras during CES, has detailed its 4K efforts, dropping details on a handful of prototype cameras boasting Ultra HD recording. Included among them are a couple of UAVs -- unmanned aerial vehicles, more commonly called drones -- equipped with small 4K cameras.
Among the smattering of wearables news this month comes one that joins the ranks of recent action camcorders: the Panasonic HX-A500, the first wearable 4K 25p camcorder. The device is a two-piece unit of sorts, featuring the lens for head mounting attached to a cable that connects it to the main control unit.
For shooting videos, nothing comes in handier than a small camcorder. For actually viewing those videos, nothing is more frustrating. We’re often left to huddle around the small screen, or fumble with cables in an attempt to tether it to a TV or monitor. Sony has an interesting new take on viewing video, which we got the chance to check out at CES 2014. Their new lineup of Camcorders with projectors built right in seems like unnecessary novelty, but we’re not so sure about that.