Ten... active camcorders

Sony DEV-3 digital recording 3D binoculars


Admittedly not a compact, but Sony’s inventive DEV-3 digital binoculars certainly falls under the ‘active’ category. Aimed at twitchers and super-spys, the DEV-3 digital binos record in MPEG-4 MVC 3D and 2D AVCHD. There’s a 10x (2D) zoom enhanced with an effective SteadyShot Active Mode. Although mostly automatic, there’s convenient manual focus for when you want to hold what may be a flighty target in sharp relief.

Picture quality is high; Sony has grafted decent G lens optics to a Dual Exmor R CMOS sensor. The DEV-3 records to SD/SDHC/SDXC cards or Memory Stick; you can also snap digital still images with a maximum resolution of 7.1MP in 4:3 ratio or 5.3MP in 16:9. Battery life runs to around 3 hours. File under: utterly unique... and expensive.

Sony HDR-GW55VE waterproof Handycam

Buoyed by the success of its 'net share Bloggies, Sony has developed this waterproof pistol gripper. The HDR-GW55VE is dust and drop (to 1.5m) resistant, not to mention water proof down to an impressive 5m. The shooter uses the brand’s Exmor R CMOS sensor and Sony G lens, and boasts an extensive 10x optical zoom. There’s also Optical SteadyShot with Active Mode for judder free panning and 3in screen.

The HDR-GW55VE shoots 1080/50i AVCHD onto Memory Stick Micro or Micro-SD/SDHC card, and grabs still images from a 5MP sensor. To compensate for colour discrepancies when you go diving there’s an underwater shooting mode. Even better, the HDR-GW55VE will geotag all your footage thanks to on-board GPS. All well and good, but it is pricey with not much discounting around at the moment.