(Nov 23, 2009)
Lori Grunin
Senior Editor
You've heard all the hype about the digital video revolution and how it could make you the local Spielberg. But what if you just want to make a nice-looking home video and call it a day? These digital camcorders offer good image quality and lots of useful features without giving you more video power than you'll need to shoot the next holiday gathering or Little League game.
Canon Vixia HG20
Like its cousin, the flash-based HF11, Canon's Vixia HG20 delivers excellent HD video quality and performance albeit in a slightly larger, heavier package. However, you do get more storage space and a lower price.
Price: $749.99 - $899.95 (check prices)
Review date: Sep 29, 2008
Excellent
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Canon Vixia HF100
One of a pair of Canon's first flash-based camcorders, the Canon Vixia HF100, delivers excellent HD video quality and performance in a tiny package.
Price: $499.99 - $1,699.99 (check prices)
Review date: Apr 16, 2008
Excellent
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Canon Vixia HF10
Canon's first flash-based camcorder, the Canon Vixia HF10, delivers excellent HD video quality and performance in a tiny package.
Price: $499.95 - $720.00 (check prices)
Review date: Mar 3, 2008
Excellent
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Canon Vixia HV30
An extremely minor upgrade from the HV20, the Canon Vixia HV30 remains a quality HDV camcorder with a couple of performance issues.
Price: $599.95 - $1,499.99 (check prices)
Review date: Feb 25, 2008
Excellent
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Panasonic HDC-HS250
A very good prosumer HD camcorder, the Panasonic HDC-HS250 is the best deal of its product line, but has the same annoying touch-screen interface.
Price: $629.00 - $1,023.24 (check prices)
Review date: Jun 1, 2009
Very good
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Sony Handycam HDR-CX100 (black)
You can tell where Sony cut corners on this compact, flash-based HD camcorder. While it's decent, there are better options for the money than the Sony Handycam HDR-CX100.
Price: $379.00 - $599.00 (check prices)
Review date: Mar 30, 2009
Very good
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JVC Everio GZ-HD40
JVC's CMOS-based Everio GZ-HD40 offers high-definition recording flexibility with very good results, but a few shortcomings keep us from giving it a full recommendation.
Price: $481.63 - $824.95 (check prices)
Review date: Mar 9, 2009
Very good
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