From wireless mics to battery-powered lights, remotes and some cameras, we use lots of disposable batteries in the video-producing world, as well as in other areas of our day-to-day lifestyle. Unfortunately, disposable batteries are bad for the environment, and proper disposal techniques aren’t always available, so we guiltily drop the dead batts into the trash with the rest of the garbage. We know about disposal facilities, but not all towns offer them nor make their use very convenient. The Fuji company has come up with FujiEnviroMAX batteries that have no harmful elements, like mercury and cadmium, are landfill-safe and are packaged using recycled materials instead of the PVC plastic many packaging materials carry. Read the rest of this entry »

Sony announced today it’s consumer camcorder line-up for 2009, here is a listing of what to look for.

SONY HDR-XR520V 240GB HIGH-DEFINITION HARD DISK DRIVE HANDYCAM® CAMCORDER

Available in March for about $1500
Full 1920×1080 high-definition video recording and 12-megapixel still image capture
Large capacity 240GB hard drive holds up to 92 hours of video
New back-illuminated “Exmor-R” CMOS sensor improves sensitivity in low light conditions
Photo and video geo-tagging using built-in GPS receiver and Navteq maps
Improved Optical Steady Shot with Active Mode stabilization for smooth video and photos
Smile Shutter™ automatically takes photos when subject smiles, even while shooting HD video
Face detection technology recognizes up to eight faces and automatically corrects focus, exposure and color control

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