Sony HDR-HC3 camcorder

A manual for the European version of the HDR-HC3 camcorder, a lower-end follow-up to the popular high definition (HD) HCR-HC1, has been released on the Internet. The new HC3 features the ability to record 1080i HD quality video, a 1/3” CMOS sensor, a 2,103,000 gross pixel count, and a 10x optical zoom.

It is unclear if the HDR-HC3 is a replacement for the HDR-HC1 or meant to complement it in the line writes CamCorderInfo.

It is lighter and has many features taken away including the mic jack and zoom ring, according to the released manual. The HDR-HC3, the manual states, will use a Carl Zeiss-Sonnar T* lens, with a 30mm filter diameter with 10x optical and 80x digital zoom, a focal length of 5.1 – 51mm, with a 35mm equivalent of 41.3mm – 485mm in 16:9 aspect ratio, and 50.5 – 594mm in 4:3 aspect ratio.