Camera Reviews | Digital Camera Reviews

Sony’s MiniDV Handycam is more expensive than a lot of seemingly similar models, but offers quite a few useful bonus features.

The integrated touch screen display is considered a luxury in the world of budget camcorders, while a docking cradle brings a lot of convenience to the process of charging your batteries or moving photos to a PC or television.

One slight weakness was the below-average 12X optical zoom, meaning that this device probably won’t make the cut for filming at a distance.

Video quality wasn’t entirely perfect due to a slight blue cast in some footage, but the HC46’s performance was above average in both low-light and fast-action situations.

Overall, this should be seen as an all-round solid device with its fair share of benefits for the extra money you’ll pay.

Product Type: Digital Camcorder
Price: $500*

The JVC GR-D396U digital camcorder offers a few useful features for a low price, but its all round design and quality will probably be deemed inadequate by many users.

It’s 16:9 wide screen mode is impressive at first glance, but makes video looked squeezed when coupled with the very minimalist 2.5-inch display. Footage is generally sharp, but this is overshadowed by the off-balance colors.

Design-wise, the D396U is bulky with controls that are difficult to find. A 32X optical zoom is the one notable bright spot, making it a great choice for filming wildlife at a distance. For general use, however, there are other budget camcorders that can most likely do a better job.

Product Type: Digital Camcorder
Price: $380*

This camcorder’s overall design might take a bit of getting used to, but its ergonomics are cleverly set up to make one-handed shooting a breeze.

A 2.7-inch wide screen LCD makes it easy to see what you’re doing, while 16:9 recording and a 30X optical zoom should benefit your overall experience. Rugged construction, meanwhile, make this device much more hardy than many of its competitors.

The GS39’s image quality is adequate, but nothing special. It exhibits good contrast and color when filming in daylight, but did produce some noise with indoor shots.

All in all, this camcorder is as close to perfect as you’ll find coupled with such a reasonable price tag.

Product Type: Digital Camcorder
Price: $349*

Weighing a mere 8.5 ounces, the SDR-S100 is the smallest 3CCD digital camcorder in the world. It features an image stabilizer, 10X optical zoom, and Leica Dicomar, and has the power to provide high-quality video recordings in the palm of your hand.

3.1-megapixel videos can be recorded onto SD cards in MPEG-2 format, and previewed on the camcorder’s integrated 2.8-inch LCD display.

This device’s drawbacks include its mediocre-quality microphone (and lack of external audio input), as well as its inability to take clear footage in a dimly lit room. The included software’s lack of compatibility with Mac computers could also be deal breaker for some users.

Although the SDR-S100 has quite a few strong points in terms of performance, it has some quality issues that prevent it from truly being a professional quality camcorder. It’s high price, meanwhile, keeps it out of the range of most consumers.

The main thing that this device has going for it is its incredibly small size, which is sure to attract a few gadget enthusiasts at the very least.

Product Type: Digital Camcorder
Resolution: 3.1-megapixels
Display: 2.8-inch LCD
Weight: 8.5 ounces (241 grams)
Price: $829*

As a tiny, convenient, and easy-to-operate camcorder, the Eacti VPC-C5 seems to have it all.

When you start using the device, however, you’ll realize that in this case, what you gain in portability, you pay for in quality.

The maximum video resolution tops off at an unimpressive 640×480 pixels, presenting generally fuzzy details, indistinct edges, and frequent graininess.

These problems seem to disappear when you switch to still picture mode, as the 5.1-megapixel still frame camera works like a charm. Do you really want to spend $599 on a glorified 5.1-megapixel camera though? I didn’t think so.

Connecting your VPC-C5 to a TV or computer is also a big hassle, and once you’ve taken footage, you have to transfer it onto a PC or DVD before the device is usable again.

All in all, this is an amazing little machine as far as size and portability go, but unless those are your only deciding factors, you’ll probably find this camcorder inadequate for your needs.

Product Type: Digital Camcorder
Resolution: 0.3-megapixels (5.1-megapixels still frame)
Display: 2-inch LCD
Weight: 5.1 ounces (145 grams)
Price: $599*

This handy 5.1 ounce device is Samsung’s answer to the ultra-portable digital camcorder. It measures just 2.3 x 3.7 x 1.2 inches, and takes both MPEG-4 videos and JPEG still frame shots.

512MB of internal memory, along with an expansion slot for additional storage ensure that you’ll never run out of space to store the pictures you take on this lively little pint-sized camcorder.

Product Type: Digital Camcorder
Resolution: 0.48-megapixels
Display: 2-inch LCD
Weight: 5.1 ounces (145 grams)
Price: $499*

A good choice for the serious movie maker, the Everio GZ-MG40 comes with a whopping 20GB built-in hard drive to store hours of high quality video.

At under one pound, this is a fairly lightweight machine, but it features a solid design, and build-in motion sensor allowing it to anticipate drops and prevent damage.

The bright 2.5-inch LCD display lets you preview your videos with pleasure, before editing them and burning them onto DVD with the included software suite.

Product Type: Digital Camcorder
Resolution: 1.33-megapixels
Display: 2.5-inch LCD
Weight: 14 ounces (397 grams)
Price: $900*