CoolJunkie Gadget Update: Sony Cybershot HD

Miami

Receive weekly updates, guest lists, and other perks.
Enter your email address:

camera update, cooljunkie, cooljunkie gadget update, gadget article, miami, new camera, sony cybershot hd

home > arts,culture&fashion > CoolJunkie Gadget Update: Sony Cybershot HD

September 30, 2008 4:52 PM
by Michael Maryanoff

What could be better than a night of drunken debauchery? A night of drunken debauchery recorded in 720p HD at 30fps, of course. Or, in layman’s terms: You can now record your friends' hilarious inability to navigate a sidewalk in high heels in High Definition!

Until recently, HD video recording was reserved for those willing to dish out major cash and carry around cumbersome gear, but thankfully for us, that’s no longer the case. It’s like having a big-budget vodka-soaked production studio in your pocket. HD recording isn’t the only perk of Sony’s new bundle of optical joy. On top of shooting high quality video, it also can shoot at up to 10 Mega pixels, the same resolution supported by the cameras you see many club photographers toting around (even though the picture quality on their high-end cameras is much better).

Just in case a Kodak moment takes place while you’re recording video, you can also snap up to three pictures while taking video without no interruption in recording. The camera boasts image stabilization, an essential feature if you’ve had a few too many. It also has face recognition technology, a skill which slowly fades after a few gin and tonics. It supports wide-screen recording, stereo sound and can record clips up too ten minutes long, so you can answer the question, “So why aren’t Tim and Jessica speaking to each other anymore?” in widescreen cinema format with HD picture and sound.

The biggest downside to Sony’s sleek new offering is the fact that with a $400 price tag, it falls about $100 short of a low-end digital SLR camera (although a pretty girl in a small black dress and stiletto heels carrying around a camera with a 300 mm lens is a bit of an eyesore). It might have a myriad of great features, but is it really worth the price? I guess it depends on how much you want to wow people with your amateur beer pong documentaries.

PROS

- With an impressive feature set, this is one of the most advanced cameras to ever fit in a Gucci clutch.

- The large 3.5 inch LCD touch screen will be easy to navigate even when you’re three
sheets to the wind.

- With 720p HD video recording, no detail of your night will be spared.

CONS

- With 720p HD video recording, no detail of your night will be spared.

- The $400 price tag might scare away all but the most hardcore photophiles.

- The touch screen makes for a fragile camera (which might be a concern if you plan on
using it in situations with that may involve a possible lapse in coordination).