Toshiba has decided to test the waters of the digital camcorder market in the United States, today unveiling Camileo line, aiming at a range of every day consumers with a range of sizes and capabilities. The initial offerings include the pocket-sized S20, the compact H30, and the higher-end X100, and all shoot full-HD video, sport 3-inch LCD monitors, and feature one-button uploading to YouTube.
“The Camileo line is a very natural extension of our consumer electronics offerings in the U.S. and provides the quality consumers expect from the Toshiba brand,” said Toshiba America Information Systems marketing VP Ron Smith, in a statement. “The line is meeting a growing consumer demand for affordable HD camcorders that make sharing memories with friends and family easy and fun.”
The pocket-friendly Camileo S20 measures just two thirds of an inch thick can can take 5 megapixel still photographs in addition to full HD video. The unit features HDMI output, can be charged via USB, features digital video stabilization, sports an LED flashlight, and stores video and images to SD/SDHC cards (not included). Shooting 720p video, the S20 can manage a 4× digital zoom, but that’s gone in 1080p mode.
The Camileo H30 is a bigger package, but it sports a genuine 5× optical zoom, the ability to take 10 megapixel still images, HDMI output, and the same SD/SDHC storage. Stepping up still further, the Camileo X100 offers 4 GB of internal storage in addition to SD/SDHC storage, the ability to take 10 megapixel still photos, a 10× optical zoom—along with HDMI output.
All three Camileo camcorders feature four record modes, including a macro mode for close-ups, motion-detection for surveillance, slow motion for sports and action shots, and a time-lapse mode.
The Camileo camcorders should be available starting April 19; they’re available for pre-order now, with the S20 carrying a $179.99 suggested price, and the H30 and X100 going for $249.99 and $399.99, respectively.
