Panasonic, a producer of  High Definition and digital video technologies, announces two new full-High Definition 3CCD camcorders, the HDC-HS9, a hybrid model that can record to either an SD (or SDHC) Memory Card or its built-in 60-GB hard disk and the HDC-SD9,  SD card High Definition camcorder, weighing in at just 0.606 pounds.  Both the SD9 and HS9, which feature new Panasonic camcorder technologies, Face Detection and Intelligent Shooting Guide, will be displayed soon.

The Panasonic HDC-SD9 and HDC-HS9 offer full-High Definition, 1920 x 1080 progressive recording (24 frames per second) and use the AVCHD video format.  In addition, the new models feature Panasonic’s original 3CCD system, Advanced MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer, and a Leica Dicomar lens – three components that also contribute to the high-quality video output.  Advanced MEGA O.I.S. checks and compensates for hand-shake around 4,000 times per second, about eight times more effectively than Panasonic’s previous systems.  In a 3CCD camera system, the light received through the lens is split into its three primary color components – red, green and blue – and a signal from each is processed by one of the three CCDs to provide rich and detailed video images.

The SD9 and HS9 are the world’s first camcorders to feature Face Detection for use in recording moving images. Face Detection automatically locates any faces in the picture and adjusts the exposure, contrast and skin tone to achieve optimal results. Thus, even when the faces are backlit or the lighting is low, faces are clear and not lost in the shadows.

Panasonic’s Intelligent Shooting Guide makes important shooting features that are available on the camcorder, but often go unused by the consumer, more intuitive and obvious.  For instance, with Intelligent Shooting Guide, the SD9 and HS9 will detect when shooting conditions are poor and then display tips on the LCD as a way for the user to correct the error before recording the content.  Intelligent Shooting Guide can detect errors in the following common shooting situations: when the camcorder is panning too quickly or tilted; when the user's hand is swinging; when the subject is backlit; or the lighting is too low.  Now common shooting errors can be noticed prior to the playback and corrected accordingly.