Sony announced a spat of new high-definition camcorders this week, but those won't be shipping for a few months. Right now, the company is still selling last year's HDR-HC1 and the new HC3, which has been selling out at photo stores across the country. PC Mag's photo analyst, Terry Sullivan, just finished testing the Sony HDR-HC3 ($1,500) and he was very impressed:

I loved how in the footage of my kids playing around and jumping in a pool on a bright, sunny summer day, the camcorder accurately rendered all the vibrant colors on my daughter's bathing suit, the thinnest strands of my son's spiky hair, and the tiniest droplets of water splashing up after a dive.

There is also a reference to the works of Leonardo da Vinci, but for that you will have to read his full review. The image quality is just head-and-shoulders above standard def. I stopped by while Terry was A/B-ing the HD video next to SD video and I can say the quality is really extraordinary. To be sure, working with HD video is wicked pain in the butt, but this is how you will want to capture your memories for the future. Now if only the prices could come down a bit.