The launch of Sony's winter line-up has revealed 14 camcorders: comprised of seven DV models, six DVD units and the DCR-SR90E, which writes video to a 30GB hard drive.
The HC46E and HC44E models - which again are differentiated by the inclusion of DV-in - feature one-megapixel CCDs and Carl-Zeiss Vario-Tessar 12x zoom lenses. As with the HC96E and HC94E, the HC46E and HC44E have 2.7-inch Hybrid LCD screen and a Sony Memory Stick Duo slot.
The HC35E, HC24E and HC23E are all equipped with a 20x optical zoom lens, an 800,000-pixel CCD, and a 2.5-inch LCD touchscreen. The HC35E supports DV-in. Sony has not said what the difference between the HC24E and HC23E models is.
All of the models except the HC24E and the HC23E ship with a Handycam station that combines battery charging with video output via FireWire and USB (for streaming), plus analog connection via S-Video and composite.
The DVD505E can capture stills at resolutions of up to four-megapixels, and can capture while recording video. The camcorder features a 3.5-inch LCD screen and can capture 5.1-channel Dolby Digital surround sound.
The DVD405E and DVD404E feature 3.3-megapixel CCDs and Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lenses with a filter diamter of 30mm, which Sony says allows maximum light to penetrate the lens for enhanced picture quality. They support 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound capture. The DVD304E has a one-megapixel CCD for capturing footage and still images. It features a Sony Memory Stick for still image capture and supports 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound capture.
The entry-level DVD205E and DVD105E feature Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lenses with a 25mm filter diameter. The DVD205E can record 16:9 widescreen footage, while the DVD105E is limited to 4:3.
The SR90E features a three-megapixel CCD and a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 10x optical zoom lens, plus support for 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound capture.
The DV and DVD camcorders will ship in February, according to Sony, while the SR-90E will appear in April.