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Camcorders:

Best HD camcorders

(Updated November 20, 2011 8:30 AM PST)
Lori Grunin

Lori Grunin

Senior editor

HD's higher resolution, broader color space, and advanced compression algorithms have opened the door for a substantial improvement in video quality, even for the most prosaic of home movies. Though prices for consumer models hover well above the budgets of many wanna-haves, as more units trickle into the market in 2007 we expect the prices to drop into mainstream territory. And pros need HD capabilities to stay competitive: even if you're not quite ready to go HD-only, some of the entry-level pro models are priced reasonably enough to merit an educational investment.
Canon Vixia HF G10 (Black)

Canon Vixia HF G10 (Black)

While it's got a great shooter feature set and good video quality, the Canon Vixia HF G10 still feels a bit expensive for what it offers.

Price: $1,079.00 (check prices)

4 stars Excellent Read full review
Canon Vixia HF S21

Canon Vixia HF S21

Though they're an excellent trio of camcorders, the Vixia HF S21, HF S20, and HF S200 are significantly more expensive than their respective competitors, especially since the S20 and S200 lack electronic viewfinders. If you can forgo some of the subtleties of the manual controls, you can probably get what you need with a cheaper camcorder.

Price: $1,499.99 (check prices)

4 stars Excellent Read full review
Panasonic HDC-TM900

Panasonic HDC-TM900

Panasonic's trio of prosumer camcorders, the hard-disk-based HDC-HS900 and flash-based TM900 and SD800, deliver generally excellent video quality and provide the full set of manual controls and features advanced users want. But you have to be willing to baby the white balance a bit. The TM900 is my top pick of the three for its EVF, but if you're on a tight budget the SD800 should suit just fine.

Price: $1,999.99 (check prices)

4 stars Excellent Read full review
Panasonic HDC-TM700

Panasonic HDC-TM700

The flash-based Panasonic HDC-TM700 and its hard-disk sibling, the HDC-HS700, stand out for their low-light video quality and broad set of manual controls. However, while the TM700 is very attractively priced for its class, the HS700 is not, and not worth the price premium unless you absolutely need the hard disk.

Price: $1,433.94 (check prices)

4 stars Very good Read full review
Canon Vixia HF M400 (Black)

Canon Vixia HF M400 (Black)

A fine follow-up to last year's M3xx series, the Canon Vixia M4xx series should please most home-movie-oriented videographers despite its relatively high price. If you don't need the EVF, the M400 is your best buy, but if you'll be shooting a lot in sunlight, it's worth it to step up to the M41.

Price: $598.00 (check prices)

4 stars Very good Read full review
Panasonic HDC-SD60K (Black)

Panasonic HDC-SD60K (Black)

Panasonic's quartet of entry-level HD camcorders--the HDC-HS60, TM60, TM55, and SD60--delivers a nice manual feature set and good performance, as well as solid video quality for their class. As long as you don't pay list price, the SD60 is a great value, and if possible, avoid paying the unnecessary price premium for the hard drive in the HS60.

Price: $380.00 - $602.72 (check prices)

4 stars Very good Read full review
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