Editors' Top Camcorders
updated June 5, 2006

Whether you're looking for a good travel camcorder or just want a model that's easy to carry every day, portability can be an important factor to consider. Fortunately for those of us who go through life without the assistance of a pack animal, lots of very compact video cameras have hit the market in recent months. These camcorders all weigh a pound and a half or less with a standard battery and a cassette loaded, and they capture the same high-quality digital video that bulkier models do. -- Lori Grunin, senior editor

Editors' Top Camcorders:

Budget camcorders | Home-movie camcorders | Pro and semipro camcorders |

Compact camcorders

| Prosumer camcorders

Compact camcorders

Camcorders	Editors' rating	Price	Summary
Sony Handycam DCR-PC1000 Released: 04/15/2005	7.6 Very good	Email me when product is available	Attractive and compact, the Sony Handycam DCR-PC1000 MiniDV camera offers excellent image quality for its class and brings CMOS technology to the world of camcorders. But its overly clever user interface doesn't do its feature set justice. Specs: Camcorder , 3CMOS , 10 x, Mini DV , 0.9 lbs

Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1 Released: 01/19/2006	7.0 Very good	$289-$999 from 2 stores	If you want the latest in cool toys, the Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1 certainly has the right gadget quotient. Once you look at the image quality, however, its allure dims quite a bit. Specs: Camcorder , CCD , 10 x, Flash card , 5,100,000 pixels, 7.4 oz

Canon Optura 500 Released: 07/15/2004	7.0 Very good	Email me when product is available	A very good pocket camcorder that, in a pinch, can double as a decent snapshot camera. Specs: Camcorder , CCD , 10 x, Mini DV , 2.0 megapixels, 1.1 lbs

Canon Optura 400 Released: 07/12/2004	6.8 Good	$399	A very good pocket camcorder that, in a pinch, can double as a decent snapshot camera. With a higher-resolution LCD and a video light, the Optura 500 is a better bet, though. Specs: Camcorder , CCD , 10 x, Mini DV , 2.0 megapixels, 1.1 lbs