Contrast control Digital Camcorders

The Bottom Line: Sanyo's dual-camera Xacti VPC-CG10 has the design and features to easily shoot both HD-quality movies and 10-megapixel photos, but slow performance and mediocre photos keep it from being a solid do-it-all device.

Specs: Camcorder, CMOS, 5 x, Flash card, 6 oz

The Bottom Line: Sanyo's dual-camera Xacti VPC-CG10 has the design and features to easily shoot both HD-quality movies and 10-megapixel photos, but slow performance and mediocre photos keep it from being a solid do-it-all device.

Specs: Camcorder, CMOS, 5 x, Flash card, 6 oz

The Bottom Line: An excellent flash-based prosumer HD camcorder, the Canon Vixia HF S11 has the advantage of an excellent image stabilizer but it disappointingly lacks an eye-level viewfinder.

Specs: Camcorder, CMOS, 10 x, Flash card, 15.9 oz

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

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

Specs: Camcorder, CMOS, 10 x, Flash card, 10.5 oz

Specs: Camcorder, CMOS, 15 x, Flash card, 12 oz