Sony Launches Waterproof Handycam HDR-GW77V in Japan

There is a new camera up for sale in Japan, one that Sony apparently based on the Handycam GW77VE that European stores have been selling since March. 

The new camera that Sony Japan has released in its home market is the first waterproof handycam to grace that island nation. 

The name is HDR-GW77V, not too different from the GW77VE we mentioned earlier, and which is detailed here. 

That said, the GW77V has its own product page, but one will have to know the native language in order to make any sense of it. 

We'll make it easy and just list everything that's relevant right here. 

To start off, the HDR-GW77V uses a 1/3.91 type (4.6mm) back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor, as well as a Sony G Lens with 10x optical zoom. 

That's 29.8mm to 298mm on a 35mm-equivalent when pictures are shot in a 16:9 format, F/1.8 to F/3.4. 

The digital zoom is quite a bit higher, at 120x, but this isn't really shocking. 

And now we get to the one difference between the GW77VE and the GW77V: while the former shoots/records in 1080/50p quality (PAL), the latter handles 1080/60p (NTSC). 

Prospective buyers should keep in mind that the internal memory is of 16 GB, not all that hard to fill when recording Full HD video. 

We may as well also mention that the handycam GW77V lacks an optical viewfinder. Fortunately, the 3-inch LCD touchscreen can help with adding frames and such. Speaking of which, the panel can be slid open and rotated, thanks to its special hinge. 

All in all, the product will make it easy to snap/shoot 20.4 megapixel photos and 20 megapixel videos, even in Scene Selection, Swing Paranoma and Smile Shutter modes. 

All these features are packed inside a frame that is both waterproof and dustproof (IP5X standard), as well as reasonably resistant to shock (up to 1.5-meter drops). 

The price will be of 70,000 Yen when sales begin (May 25). That's $860 / 652 Euro. Blue, silver and black color options will be available, as well as matching pouches for the latter two (4,410 Yen / $54 / 41.0 Euro).

Posted in: Camera, Preview