Sanyo VPC-HD1 hi-def SD recording camera

Sanyo has just unloaded the VPC-HD1, which looks to be the first camcorder to record high definition video to an SD card (and something which should also make it one of the smallest high-def cameras available). The $800 camera measures 3.1-in. x 4.7 in. x 1.4 in and weighs only 8.3 ounces with the battery, but despite its size, the VPC-HD1 still packs a 10x optical zoom lens.

The camera can record 720p video at 30 frames per second and uses real-time MPEG-4 compression -- still pics come in at a nice 5.1 megapixels. It also has a handful of manual controls, including focus, aperture, exposure compensation, shutter speed, ND filter toggle, and manual white balance control. Look for it in March.

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