The Sony HDR-XR200VE stands out because in addition to a built-in GPS receiver to tag your videos and photos, the camera includes Sony's Active SteadyShot.
Sony is pitching Active SteadyShot as a sort of super stabilisation, proudly proclaiming it to be 10 times steadier than previous models. And judging by what we've seen - we believe the hype.
Sony tells us that the new stabilised lens uses gyros to support the lens, so shifting and bouncing of the camera shouldn't result in the Blair Witch effect.
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Fits in the palm of your hand; light (470g with battery) and easy to use
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The camera also offers a geotagging facilitywhich will no doubt be welcomed by frequent travellers, though might have less use for people who prefer to use a still camera. Could you image 50 geotagged way-points all pointing in roughly the same 15km radius of your home town? Slightly annoying to be sure. The GPS feature works in conjunction with Sony's own map features, but syncs up nicely with Google Earth for total geotagging bliss.
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| The GPS feature can be turned on or off to save battery life |
Speaking of geotagging, backpackers will love this camera. It's small enough to sit in the palm of your hand very light (470g with battery), and features a 120GB Hard disk drive - which is more than adequate and gives a few hours footage at the highest setting. A Sony Memory Stick slot is a welcome addition if extra storage is needed.
The camera shoots AVCHD at 1920 x 1080, which is more than enough quality for the average home/travel shoot and perfect for your typical big screen plasma/LCD screen playback. There's also 4.0MP of still image quality, though won't compete with a good photo compact camera.
A 6 hour battery life rounds out the package. There's also a 30 day trial of the Sony Vegas editing suite.
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The HDR-XR200VE feels super small, with or without the 6hr battery
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