The HDR-UX7 ($1,000 MSRP) is Sony’s crème de la crème DVD camcorder, a 1920 x 1080i high definition powerhouse outfitted with an impressive imager and perhaps the best handling of any Sony this year. The body is hefty, despite the serious slim-down from its predecessor, the HDR-UX1. The weight might be worth it. The top model gets all the fixings: a mic jack, headphone jack, big 3.5-inch LCD, and an interesting little knob on the front for tweaking adjustments. Does this feature-laden camcorder merit the $1,000 price tag? Let’s find out.

Architecturally, the HDR-UX7 follows in the footsteps of Sony’s top-of-the-line standard definition camcorder, the DCR-DVD508. Both models are nearly identical up front. It’s important to note that the UX7 is significantly smaller than last year’s monstrous HDR-UX1, both in size and weight.

The first thing you’ll notice about the HDR-UX7 is its 10x optical zoom Carl Zeiss lens, with a filter diameter of 37mm for fish-eye or telephoto attachments. You’ll also notice a flash mounted to the left side of the lens, rather than above, as featured on the HDR-UX1. This is generally a good position for a flash. However, throwing an external attachment over the lens will undoubtedly obscure it.

The online video community has been tossed yet another high definition budget cam, this time by Aiptek, manufacturer of pocket camcorders and other budget electronics. Joining Aiptek’s $300 optical zoom GO-HD cam, the A-HD records 720P 30fps HD video to SD/MMC cards and can fit comfortably in a pocket.
The A-HD is equipped with a 5MP CMOS chip and records HD video at a frame rate of up to 30FPS in the following modes: 1280 x 720 (H.264), 720 x 480 (D1), and 352 x 240 (CIF). Stills can be captured in the following sizes: 3200 x 2400 (8MP), 2560 x 1920 (5 MP), 2048 x 1536 Pixels (3MP). Video clips are recorded as .MOV MPEG-4 files and can be stored on SD/MMC cards up to 8GB in size. One hour of 1280 x 720 HD footage or 770 8MP stills will fit on a 2GB SD card. The A-HD also includes 6MB of internal storage, which will not even hold one second of HD video in the highest quality