I am not a fan of shooting dSLR. Yes I can appreciate the filmic look and all that, but the ergonomics are all wrong. By the time you have bought all the accessories and rigs needed to get one suitably kitted out to act as a decent camcorder, you could have bought Pixar AND The Mill!

So I have been waiting for a decent camcorder using the interchangeable mount technology that IS a real camcorder and not a hybrid whatever. Yesterday I might have found the makings of such a breed in the Sony NEX VG20 E-Mount.

It has a true camcorder body with a 11x telephoto / zoom lens, records to Memory Stick, SD or even external hard disk and 5.1 surround capability from the inbuilt mic. It can even take 16MP stills in JPEG or RAW.

The 3” flip out LCD is a corker, and even in direct sunlight was visible, but hey, give me its viewfinder for framing any day.

The menu system via the touch screen is easily navigated though, even without a manual which cannot always be said.

There are a few party tricks such a second forward mounted record button, a programmable control dial also up front and HDMI output.

But of course the E mount is the USP. There are a number of lenses already available and Sony and others either have or are working on adaptors for A and F mounted lenses.

3K is not too much to pay for a camera of this calibre I reckon. Check it out if you are contemplating the dSLR route for video. I think this’ll change your mind. See www.auscamonline.com for a full review or www.sony.com.au for other details.