Sony 1080p Handycams

Sony unveils two new 1080p Handycams

Nothing too remarkable about Sony's latest HD camcorders, but the new 64GB HDR-CX520V and 32GB HDR-CX500V are solid updates nonetheless. Identical apart from the built-in storage, both feature an Exmor R CMOS sensor with BIONZ processing that should offer solid low-light performance and decent 12 megapixel stills, Optical SteadyShot with a new active mode and three-way shake cancellation, Face Touch autofocus that allows you to simply point at faces to prioritize focus in order, and, most notably, 60p output, which'll interpolate your footage to 60 progressive frames per second when connected to a compatible HDTV. Not a bad piece of kit, but they'll cost ya: the HDR-CX500V will run $1,100 and the HDR-CX520V will be $1,300 when they arrive in September.

Sony has announced the launch of the HDR-CX520VE, the world's first camcorder to reduce camera shake in three directions during filming.

Sony claims that the Optical SteadyShot Active Mode gives up to 10 times less camera shake than previous systems, allowing you to pitch, roll and yaw about as if you'd had a couple too many G&Ts.

It also says that the Full HD camcorder, which saves AVCHD footage to 64GB of Flash memory, features its 'best ever' picture quality.

Exmor R sensor

That's probably down to the 6.6MP, 1/2.8-inch Exmor R CMOS sensor, first seen in the eerily similar HDR-XR520 (home to a 240GB hard drive instead of Flash storage). If it's anything like its older sibling, the benefits of such a back-illuminated sensor will be particularly visible in low light shots.

Like the XR520, the CX520 comes with built-in GPS, a touchscreen, Face Detection, Smile Shutter and is fronted by a 12x Sony G lens. A cheaper little brother, the HDR-CX505VE, will ship with 32GB of memory.