During the 2012 IFA conference in Berlin on Wednesday, Sony unveiled its hardy new action video camera --- the lightweight and ultra-compact HDR-AS15 Action Cam, which will hit the US markets in September.

Measuring 2 x 2.6 x 0.9 inches in height, depth and width respectively, the newly-unveiled Sony Action Cam is a super-compact, shockproof and waterproof camcorder, which boasts the capability of shooting high-definition (HD) video in almost any condition --- rain or snow, or even at a depth of 60 meters.

The rugged new Sony HDR-AS15 Action Cam offers the users an ultra-wide 170-degree viewing angle, with as many as five video recording modes - 1080p30; 720p30; 480p30;
720p120 for 4x slow-motion capture; and 720p60 for 2x slow-motion capture - which range from full HD to VGA for extra time-consuming shoots.

The $200-priced camera - capable of shooting 16-megapixel still pictures - also boasts some other advantages, such as digital image stabilization and time-lapse photography.

To be available in two models - one with in-built Wi-Fi, and the other without it -, the Sony HDR-AS15 Action Cam will not have any on-board storage, though it does have a card slot which can support both microSD and Memory Stick Micro cards. In addition, the camera also has a removable battery and a Micro-HDMI output to allow users to watch their videos on a big screen.