"The HDR-HC1 features a single 4:3 aspect ratio CMOS chip. This is a CMOS chip, different in aspect and type from the one featured on the HDR-FX1, Sony’s second most expensive HDV camcorder. The HDR-FX1 features three, native 16:9 CCDs each 1/3-inch in diagonal and including 1.12 megapixels gross. The CMOS chip on the HDR-HC1 measures 1/3 inch and features 1.49 effective megapixels in legacy 4:3 MiniDV video mode and 1.98 effective megapixels in 16:9 HDV video mode. CMOS sensors have only been used once on Sony camcorders—the DCR-PC1000, and while we were initially skeptical as to how these chips would perform, we were pleasantly surprised with the DCR-PC1000's performance and now with the HDR-HC1."