About a year ago, Sony made some waves when they released a video camera called the NEX-VG10. What was unique about the camera was that it was a true video camera, yet offered interchangeable lenses and depth of field like DSLR cameras. It was the first of it’s kind and for the most part still is. You can read about the original NEX-VG10 here and here.
And now Sony has announced an updated version of the camera, called the NEX-VG20. It’s still pretty much the same camera…it looks and works the same. However, this time around Sony has addressed common user complaints with the original model. Here are the highlights of the changes:
Recording modes – The original NEX-VG10 offered recording in 30p. The new NEX-VG20 will offer multiple recording modes; 24p, 60p and 60i. 30p has been dropped.
Auto-Focus – The original NEX-VG10 was slow(ish) to focus. The new NEX-VG20 is said to have much faster auto-focus, along with a focus assist function.
Audio – 5.1-channel surround sound recording and full audio level control have been added to the NEX-VG20
Megapixels – The image processor hasn’t changed, but megapixels for still photos have been bumped from 14.2 to 16.1. This doesn’t effect the video portion of the camera, only the still photo quality the camera can produce.
RAW – Again, a still photo function of the camera. The original NEX-VG10 shot photos only in the JPG format. And a lot of people complained. The new NEX-VG20 can do JPG or RAW.
The new NEX-VG20 is slated for release in November 2011 with a price of $2,199 for the camera with a 18-200mm lens or $1,599 for the camera body only. The major reasons someone would want to upgrade is to take advantage of the new recording modes and speedier auto-focus. In the meantime, you can see a promo video for the camera below:
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