camcorder Tests (P. 9/13)

"Panasonic HDC-HS9 Camcorder"

Published on: 3/2008

On test: Panasonic HDC-HS9

Panasonic's dinky HDC-SD9 may have grabbed the lion's share of our attention, but it was released in tandem with another new model. The HDC-HS9 doesn't have quite the same miniaturised appeal, being about 10mm wider and noticeably heavier. However, it does pack the same features which have helped make the HDC-SD9 the most exciting camcorder we've seen so far this year. It also has a built-in hard disk, so you don't need to invest in a large SDHC card to store a respectable amount of video. → More

"Sony HDR-CX6EK MemoryStick Camcorder"

Published on: 3/2008

On test: Sony HDR-CX6

The writing may be on the wall for tape, but its successor is far from certain just yet. Hard disk camcorders still have the upper hand in terms of storage capacity, but you can't beat Flash Memory for enabling the smallest, most desirable form factors. Sony, of course, has gone its own way in this respect and incorporated its proprietary MemoryStick format into camcorders, rather than Secure Digital. Latest in this line is the HDR-CX6EK. Weighing in at 450g including a battery, it's a little larger than Panasonic's miniscule HDC-SD9. It's noticeably heftier, too, and far less pocket-friendly. But the HDR-CX6EK is still enticingly tiny, and feels reassuringly solid. Has Sony created its own perfect pocket video companion? → More

"Sony HDR-HC9E HDV Camcorder"

Published on: 3/2008

On test: Sony HDR-HC9

Sony was the first manufacturer to introduce consumer high definition cameras to the UK in the shape of the HDR-HC1E, and although manufacturers are now turning away from the tape-based HDV format, Sony has continued to release models. The HDR-HC9E represents the fourth generation of Sony consumer HDV camcorders, and is essentially a development of the HDR-HC7E. → More

"Canon HG10"

Issue: 4/2008

On test: Canon HG10

In the past couple of years, Canon has held back from new camcorder formats, but that hasn't prevented it from producing some splendid products. Canon's HV20 is currently the best sub-£1,500 HDV camcorder on the market and the HG10 - its belated first stab at a high-definition hard-disk-based product - is attempting the same feat. → More

"Toshiba Gigashot A100F"

Published on: 2/2008

On test: Toshiba Gigashot A100F

Toshiba has put both high definition and large capacity into the hands of the everyday shooter with its venture into the HD camcorder world. The Gigashot line of A and K series models present a 100GB hard drive in the top-end A100F costing around £849. But with this much power, will expectations be on filming epics rather than the everyday? → More

"Aiptek AHD200"

Published on: 2/2008

On test: Aiptek AHD200

The Aiptek AHD200 has to be one of the best deals on high definition camcorders going, at a meagre £150. While Sony, Canon and other manufacturers compete on image quality and features, Aiptek has nipped in with models like this. We gave this affordable camcorder a thorough going-over to see if it's cheap at twice the price or a false economy. → More

"Canon DC50"

Published on: 1/2008

On test: Canon DC50

The DVD camcorder has plenty of consumer appeal. If you don't fancy the idea of editing your video, or just don't have the time, it's very convenient to simply slip the discs from your camcorder straight into your DVD player. Although the format used to command quite a premium, now that high definition models are pushing standard definition down, even fully featured DVD camcorders have fallen to keen prices. Canon's DC50 comes in at below £400, yet could hardly be called a budget model. In fact, it's the pinnacle of Canon's standard definition DVD camcorder range. → More

"Panasonic SDR-S150"

Published on: 1/2008

On test: Panasonic SDR-S150

Where Sony pioneered consumer high definition camcorders, and JVC brought hard disks to the masses, Panasonic has concentrated its efforts on flash memory. The company has also made three-CCD technology affordable. The SDR-S150 combines both of these into one dinky camcorder that promises high video quality in a pocket-friendly package, although it only offers standard rather than high definition recording. → More

"Canon MD160"

Published on: 1/2008

On test: Canon MD160

Manufacturers are winding down their standard definition camcorder ranges, particularly DV. But if you don't plan on switching over to a high definition TV anytime soon, buying a high definition camcorder could be a bit of a waste of money - particularly when you can pick up a DV model for around £200, tapes cost a few quid, and software capable of editing the footage is bundled with Windows. Canon's MD160 is one of only three consumer-oriented DV camcorders the company still sells in the UK. It's actually the flagship of the range, unless you spend thousands for one of the professional models. However, Canon is assuming that enthusiasts will be looking towards different formats, so this is very much a point-and-shoot model, with a £200 price tag and tiny palmcorder dimensions to match. → More

"Panasonic NV-GS230"

Published on: 1/2008

On test: Panasonic NV-GS 230

Three CCDs used to be the hallmark of professional-grade camcorders. But in 2003 Panasonic started to bring the technology down to models well under a grand. Now, amazingly, you can pick up a Panasonic camcorder with a trio of sensors for under £250 - well into bargain basement territory. The NV-GS230 is a MiniDV model, so is almost yesterday's technology. But if you're still resisting the urge to move up to high definition, or just don't want to spend that much on a camcorder, MiniDV remains a value choice. → More

"Canon HG10"

Issue: 2/2008

On test: Canon HG10

Hot on the heels of Canon's HR10 DVD HD camcorder comes the hard disk-based HG10. despite many technical similarities, the two models look and feel completely different. While the HR10 has attractive curves and bronze highlights, the HG10 is a far more brutish and technical-looking device. → More

"Sony HDR-FX7E"

Published on: 12/2007

On test: Sony HDR-FX7E

Sony appears to be distancing its consumer and professional ranges more and more these days. Its sub-£1,000 models are losing features which might appeal to the semi-professional, allowing Canon to sneak in behind its back and produce the best HDV camcorder for serious enthusiasts on a tight budget - the HV20. But Sony is still taking the slightly curious strategy of releasing two versions of its highest-end models - one for rich consumers, and one for true professionals. In the days of DV, the ‘prosumer' VX range had its professional PD counterparts, and when HDV arrived, the prosumer HDR-FX1E was rapidly mirrored by the fully professional HVR-Z1. Likewise, the pro-grade HVR-V1 has its cheaper HDR-FX7 doppelganger, and recently we've noticed the latter has become available from some vendors for as little as £1,500. But it's still around three times the price of the HV20. So what do you get for the extra money, and how does it compare to the HDR-FX1E, which was the first HDV camcorder to hit the market in the UK? → More

"Toshiba Camileo Pro"

Published on: 12/2007

On test: Toshiba Camileo Pro

The Toshiba Camileo Pro is the successor to Toshiba's Camileo model. It's a lightweight, entry-level digital camcorder with no fewer than eight functions. It captures video, takes stills, works as a webcam, records voice, plays MP3s, stores files, detects motion and displays ebooks. → More

"Tony Hawk Helmet Cam digital camcorder"

Published on: 12/2007

On test: Digital Blue Tony Hawk HelmetCam

Skateboarding icon Tony Hawk has lent his name to a 320x240 pixel webcam with microphone. → More

"Panasonic SDR-H20"

Computing Made Easy
Issue: 119

On test: Panasonic SDR-H20

Panasonic describes the SDR-H20 as a 'hybrid camcorder' thanks to its dual-storage capabilities. The unit is principally a hard disk camcorder, but boasts the option to store further content on an SD memory card. The hard drive on the camcorder weighs in at a healthy 30GB, while the SD slot is SDHC enabled. This presents the option to add a further 4GB or 8GB of storage. → More

"Sony Handycam HDR-SR5E"

Published on: 11/2007

On test: Sony HDR-SR5

With its £500 street price, HD video support, hard-disk-based recording and Sony provenance, the Handycam HDR-SR5E certainly seems like a bargain. → More

"Canon DC220"

Published on: 11/2007

On test: Canon DC220

Perhaps it's the convenience of popping a DVD out of the camcorder and straight into your living room player, or maybe you just don't feel comfortable with a hard-drive-based model, but whatever the reason, you're looking into buying a DVD camcorder. Positioned in the middle of the company's 2007 DVD-based camcorders at around £230, Canon's DC220 is a decent, though not very impressive model. → More

"Pansonic HDC-SD5"

Published on: 11/2007

On test: Panasonic HDC-SD5

If you thought the Panasonic HDC-SD1 was small, just wait until you see the Panasonic HDC-SD5. It's a 3CCD hi-def camcorder that records to flash memory, and is available now for just under £600. → More

"Sony Handycam DCR-SR290E"

Published on: 11/2007

On test: Sony DCR-SR290E

Viewfinders have become an endangered species in the camcorder world. More and more, as is the case with Sony's Handycam DCR-SR290E hard-drive-based camcorder, we're seeing manufacturers remove viewfinders from models geared toward the mass market. Perhaps it's a nod to the still-imaging world -- where users frequently shy away from viewfinders when framing their shots -- or perhaps it's just an easy target for cost cutting. Either way, if you're a finder fan, you'll immediately have one strike against the DCR-SR290E, priced around £525, which forces you to frame your shots on its 69mm (2.7-inch) wide-screen touchscreen LCD. → More

"JVC Everio GZ-HD3EK HD Camcorder"

Published on: 11/2007

On test: JVC Everio GZ-HD3

JVC has always been a little different from the other big brands in the camcorder business. The company struck out alone with hard disk-based camcorders for consumers when it launched the Everio range around three years ago. Although Sony and Canon have now emulated JVC with their own hard disk models since then, JVC is differentiating itself again in the move to HD. Instead of adopting AVCHD, JVC is sticking with MPEG-2. → More

"Genius G-Shot DV1210 digital camcorder"

Published on: 11/2007

On test: Genius G-Shot DV1210

The Genius G-Shot DV1210 is a very affordable digital camcorder, but is it worth its low cost? → More

"Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2"

Issue: 12/2007

On test: Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2

The Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2 is neither a digital stills camera nor a digital video camera; it's both. You can take standard photos and then, with the flick of a button, shoot video. Unlike a normal camcorder, the Sanyo uses neither tapes nor disks, instead following the stills camera route of saving to a memory card. This keeps the size down but does add to the cost of the camera, as no memory is included. That's fairly sensible, given that the cost of memory keeps falling. A 2GB card, around a tenner from online dealers, will hold about 30 minutes of video at full resolution. If you do a lot of shooting, you'll want more than one card to keep you going. → More

"Panasonic HDC-SD5 and HDC-SX5"

Issue: 21/2007

On test: Panasonic HDC-SD5, Panasonic HDC-SX5

Two new tapeless high-definition camcorders from Panasonic promise full-specification 1920 x 1080i HD recording and playback and, depending on which model you choose, the ability to read and write to either high-capacity SD card or hybrid SD/DVD media. To achieve this, the AVCHD system uses Mpeg-4-AVC/H.264 video compression to shoehorn a lot of data into a very small space - such as the high-capacity SDHC cards Panasonic uses in both models, and which now provide up to 16GB of storage capacity. → More

"Sony Handycam HDR-CX6EK"

Published on: 10/2007

On test: Sony HDR-CX6

Join me, if you will, along the slow march toward the obsolescence of tape in video. We've definitely got a long road ahead of us, but it's fun to notice how much camcorders have changed already. Though it's been on the market in various camcorders for a while now, the AVCHD format has been slow on the uptake in software for editing and playback. Ultimately, the easiest way to watch your HD video is still a direct connection to your HDTV, but there is a modest, and slowly growing, list of software out there if you like to watch on your computer or edit your footage. For an AVCHD camcorder, this Sony Handycam HDR-CX6EK does produce very nice video, and will likely blow your socks off if you're used to a standard-definition camcorder. → More

"Sony HDR-CX6EK digital camcorder"

Published on: 10/2007

On test: Sony HDR-CX6

Sony’s HDR-CX6EK records high-definition video directly to a removable memory card, making tape, DVD and even hard disk-based camcorders seem like dinosaurs in comparison. → More