Lake Success, N.Y. — Canon announced its first hard-disk-drive-based high-definition camcorder today.

The AVCHD-based HG10 features a 10x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilization and Canon’s DIGIC DV II processor.

The camcorder’s CMOS sensor records 1920 by 1080i video to a 40GB HDD. It can snap 3-megapixel still images to a miniSD card and isolate 2-megapixel stills from video footage during playback with the Photo Grab feature.

A quick start mode and instant AF feature help speed camcorder operation, Canon said. Additionally, the HG10 features 24p Cinema Mode for theatrical film-style recording.

Canon's HG10

The camcorder features a new navigation dial on its 2.7-inch LCD, an HDMI port, and will ship in October for a suggested $1299. It will include software from Corel for editing AVCHD video.

In May, Canon announced its first AVCHD-based model, the HR10, which records HD video to standard DVDs.