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I’ve only owned Sony camcorders… a total of five. The one I currently own is the TRV-950, and it’s great! This was my first 3CCD camera, because in the past, they were way to big and now after using it for about a year and a half, there is no turning back to a single CCD. Today, Sony has unveiled an even smaller super-compact three-CCD camcorder… the DCR-HC1000 weighs in at less than two pounds and features Sony’s three-chip, one-megapixel Advanced HAD progressive scan CCD technology. And for the first time on a 3CCD camcorder, high-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar(R) T* optics have been incorporated. The camcorder’s new grip swivels forward a full 90 degrees allowing your hand to be placed near the buttons, so you can gracefully control the camcorder with one hand. The DCR-HC1000 is loaded with optional manual controls, including a 12X optical and 150X digital zoom, zoom ring, zebra pattern, spotlight compensation and spot focus. And with the LCD’s touch-panel menu system with bit-map technology, tough to adjust manual operations such as color level and shutter speed can be modified with precision. It does however lack 3MP digital still capabilities like the Panasonic 3CCD offers. There isn’t a reason for me to upgrade to this model, since it doesn’t do HD… but for those of you that are looking for a super-compact 3CCD camcorder, the DCR-HC1000 is definitely worth checking out. The DCR-HC1000 will be shipping in Japan on July 10th and is priced about $500 less than the previous model (TRV-950) for $1599. Not bad, just please… Sony, release a super-compact HD camcorder!