DXG Technology develops digital still cameras and video camcorders as an OEM for other brands, and has been expanding its own brand with some interesting new products, especially highly portable High-Def pocket video cameras.
The DXG-569V HD Camcorder is designed as a mini upright camcorder (at 5.4 oz.), complete with a 3" flip-out display (960 x 240). In addition to video, it shoots up to 8 megapixel still photos (3200 x 2400). It's available in black and silver for around $229 to $179.
The 569V is best held with a pistol grip, with the thumb resting on the navigation pad at the back of the lens barrel, with the record and function button on the back spine below. It runs on 3 AAA batteries.
Both of these DXG camcorders shoot video in three formats: HD (1280 x 720), standard def D1 (720 x 480), and Web-res CIF (~352 x 240), record on removable SD cards, have a Macro mode for close-up shots, and have video connectors for displaying your clips on either a standard and HD display.
The DXG-567V HD Camcorder is a vertical design like the Kodak Zi6 (see previous post), in the same size (~3.2 oz.), but with a different collection of features. It's available for around $170 in black, red, pink, and sky blue.
The 567V has a smallish 1.7" display, runs on 2 AA batteries, and has a pop-out USB connector to upload to a PC (with built-in software).
Both camcorders also include useful printed manuals, plus additional digital media software on CD. The video files are in QuickTime MOV format, with H.264 video and AAC audio, and so should be playable and editable with a variety of other tools.
While around the same price point, the Kodak Zi6 impressed me more, with a significantly bigger display (2.4" vs. 1.7"), and better video quality especially for indoor scenes (1/2 as compressed -- 9 vs 4 Mbps). The DXG camcorders do offer the option to shoot in lower Web resolution (for longer record times on a card), and support both NTSC and PAL formats (for compatibility with European TV).
DXG has introduced some interesting options for getting HD video in your pocket, with a variety of designs (and colors) for different types of users. Unfortunately, I did run into some glitches with the demo units of both products -- the DXG-567V seemed to hang a couple times (I had to remove the batteries to reset), and the DXG-569V had a wind noise effect on the audio track.
See my Digital Camcorders Gallery for specs and comparisons of pocket video camcorders.
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