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The HDC-SD7 measures 52 millimeters by 110mm by 87mm, which gives a volume of 330 cubic centimeters. The HD video camcorder weighs 350 grams with the battery and memory card compared to 400 grams for the SD5.

One of the secrets of making the HDC-SD7 so small is the use of an SD memory card to record on. The electronics and socket needed for a flash card takes up so much less space than a DVD or hard-disk drive thus contributes to the size and weight savings over other high-def models.

Panisonic’s HDC-SD7 records full HD (1,920 pixel by 1,080 pixel) MPEG4 AVC/H.264 video at a range of quality levels. The camcorder will only be available in Japan and will launch on September 8.

Don’t get too excited, this new technology is not out for the mainstream market yet. However this is pretty good news for photographers and photo enthusiasts. Eastman Kodak Co. said it has developed a color-filter technology that at least doubles the sensitivity to light of the image sensor in every digital camera, enabling you shutterbugs out there to take better pictures in poor light.

Kodak expects to provide samples of its new technology to a variety of camera manufacturers in the first quarter of 2008. This new technology is likely to be incorporated first in mass-market point-and-shoot cameras and camera-equipped mobile phones beginning sometime next year.

Usually new technology like this goes into the high-end products then trickle down, however the low end cameras can benefit from this more and there’s a huge market for camera phones to have better sensitivity in low light.

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Panisonic is entering the 12 megapixel realm with it’s new DMC-FX100. Panisonic claims the Lumix DMC-FX100 is the world’s first 12.2Mp digital camera with a 28mm wide-angle lens. This of course comes after Casio’s announcement that they have come up with U.K.’s first 12Mp digital camera.

Panasonic’s DMC-FX100 is equipped with a 28mm wide-angle lens featuring f/2.8 brightness, a 3.6x optical zoom and a 12.2Mp CCD.

The 28mm wide-angle lens should allow photographers to easily capture a large group of people, or expansive architectural structures and landscapes with dynamic width and rich perspective. Panasonic squeezed the 28mm wide-angle lens and large CCD into a compact body.

The new lens unit comprises seven elements in six groups, including an EA (extra-high refractive index aspherical) lens and four lenses with five aspherical surfaces to generate high optical performance.

The zoom ratio can be extended up to 7x in 3Mp resolution mode with minimal deterioration thanks to the Extra Optical Zoom.

Panasonic has also squeezed an image stabiliser into the compact DMC-FX100. This minimises the jitter from shaky hands that causes photos to look blurred.

Like the Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z1200, the Panasonic contains intelligent ISO control comes in. This system detects whether the subject is moving and, as necessary raises the ISO setting and shutter speed according to how fast the subject is moving and the light conditions. This happens automatically and should reduce blurring from object motion.

Panasonic claims a 0.009 second shutter release time lag (the time between pressing the button on the camera and the photo being taken) and shutter interval as short as 0.9 seconds. Panasonic says the DMC-FX100′s burst shooting mode boosts the capability of sequential shots to a rate of two frames per second at full resolution.

The DMC-FX100 can shoot hi-definition 1,920×1,080 pixel photos that are ideal for full-screen viewing on a wide-screen (16:9) TV.

The DMC-FX100 will be available from July. Pricing details were not available at the time of writing.