Small addition to Sony AVCHD line

Sony has announced a new entry-level addition to its NXCAM range. The HXR-MC50E camcorder records AVCHD and should cost less than £1,600.

However, it only has a single 1/3-inch Exmor CMOS sensor (although it promises reasonable low-light performance of about 3Lux).

There isn't a lot of information about it yet, but it seems to be an upgraded consumer camcorder (I think it is the Sony HDR-CX550), recording to SDHC or Memory Stick cards at 24Mbps. It includes improved audio control plus an ECM shotgun microphone (instead of the in-body mic), a higher capacity battery, and a lens hood for the Sony 10x G lens (with a could-be-wider wide angle of 29.8mm).

It is not, however, a proper replacement for the much-loved and now venerable HVR-A1 (with its ability to shoot infra-red for night shots and dual XLR connectors). That would be more interesting.

By David Fox