Some could see it as tiresome - no sooner do we write one story about the world's smallest high-definition camcorder than we have to dig out our record books and make umpteen messy adjustments to reflect the latest superlative-seeking contenders - but we love it. The latest to tilt at the crown is the Xacti DMX-HD1000 from Sanyo Japan.
Claiming to be the world's smallest and lightest full HD TV camcorder, the HD1000 uses the popular AVCHD encoding format to squeeze 1920 x 1080i video onto SD cards. At 268g, it is 22g lighter than the previous record holder - Panasonic's HDC-SD7 - which was announced at the beginning of August.
Pistol with a twist
Like other video cameras in the Xacti range, the newcomer uses the unusual pistol-style grip, but with a twist. The handle of the HD1000 has been tweaked to create a 105-degree angle between the lens and the user's hand. This, apparently, avoids muscle strain during prolonged use.
Otherwise, the new 'Xacti Library' function allows PC-free file copying to an external hard drive and viewing, via an HDMI cable, on a TV set. The lens manages 10x optical zoom, still photos go up to 4 megapixels and an 8GB SDHC card can hold 85 minutes of video at the highest resolution.
The ¥120,000 (£522) camcorder will go on sale in mid-September in Japan, with a worldwide launch promised soon after.
