Analog to digital conversion with pass through Digital Camcorders

The Bottom Line: An extremely minor upgrade from the HV20, the Canon Vixia HV30 remains a quality HDV camcorder with a couple of performance issues.

Specs: Camcorder, CMOS, 10 x, Mini DV (HDV), 1.2 lbs

The Bottom Line: Canon's XH A1 and XH G1 are excellent camcorders for entry-level professionals and independent filmmakers, with hard-to-beat prices for what they offer.

Specs: Camcorder, 3CCD, 20 x, Mini DV (HDV), 4.7 lbs

The Bottom Line: Canon's XH A1 and XH G1 are excellent camcorders for entry-level professionals and independent filmmakers, with hard-to-beat prices for what they offer.

Specs: Camcorder, 3CCD, 20 x, Mini DV (HDV), 4.6 lbs

The Bottom Line: Canon's HV20 camcorder is a great choice for HD-happy amateurs, but its low-light performance could have been better.

Specs: Camcorder, CMOS, 10 x, Mini DV (HDV), 1.2 lbs

The Bottom Line: Canon's new MiniDV top model, the ZR850, continues the ZR tradition of offering affordable, easy-to-use wide-screen movie-making, though low-light performance is still subpar.

Specs: Camcorder, CCD, 35 x, Mini DV, 1.07 megapixels, 13.4 oz

The Bottom Line: An excellent HD video camcorder with some annoying quirks, the Canon HV10 delivers almost everything a technophile wants for making home videos.

Specs: Camcorder, CMOS, 10 x, Mini DV (HDV), 2.96 megapixels, 15.5 oz

The Bottom Line: There are better choices than the Sony Handycam DCR-DVD305, a so-so DVD camcorder.

Specs: Camcorder, Advanced HAD CCD, 12 x, DVD-R (8cm), DVD+RW (8cm), DVD-RW (8 cm), 0.69 megapixels, 1.1 lbs

The Bottom Line: The Sony Handycam DCR-DVD405 is a solid DVD camcorder, as long as you don't mind fiddling with a touch-screen interface on a too-small display.

Specs: Camcorder, Advanced HAD CCD, 10 x, DVD-R (8cm), DVD+RW (8cm), DVD-RW (8 cm), 2.05 megapixels, 1.3 lbs

The Bottom Line: Excellent video quality, a broad feature set, and decent photos make the Sony Handycam DCR-HC96 an excellent choice for those seeking a compact MiniDV camcorder. Navigating the small touch screen may encourage you to stick with its automatic features, however.

Specs: Camcorder, Advanced HAD CCD, 10 x, Mini DV, 2.05 megapixels, 1.1 lbs

The Bottom Line: Full-featured but somewhat bulky, the Sony Handycam DCR-DVD505 DVD camcorder matches its MiniDV competitors in most areas, while offering the convenience of direct-to-disc recording.

Specs: Camcorder, CMOS, 10 x, DVD-R (8cm), DVD+RW (8cm), DVD-RW (8 cm), 1.1 lbs