Sony slips out SR5C, SR8 HD video cams

Without a press release, Sony today has launched a pair of upgrades to its HD-capable camcorder lines. Though details are unclear, the HDR-SR8 appears to be a close variant of the SR7 announced in April. It shares the same 3.2-megapixel video sensor and 10X optical zoom, and should also include true optical image stabilization. Sony lists the official ship date of the camera as July 9th and expects to sell it for $1,600.

A more direct upgrade is the SR5C, according to Sony. The handheld primarily upgrades storage, increasing capacity from 40GB to 100GB; using the AVCHD (H.264) format, the space should allow for roughly 36 hours of 1080i-resolution HD video, based on Sony's earlier estimates. It too should be available July 9th but will be priced at $1,300, a full $200 more than the basic model.