JVC Everio GZ-HM400

Compared to the JVC GZ-X900, the GZ-HM400 is a huge improvement, which is a very nice surprise. And with nearly identical prices, the decision between these two shouldn't be too hard. The HM400's performance was better and it features more controls and manual settings. The design is chunkier and less portable, but the advantages are certainly worth it.

Having said that, the HM400 is definitively not the best high-end camcorder you can get. It does have a couple of significant downsides. The low light performance was very bad, although better than the X900's by a substantial margin. Due to the weird right side design, it is tricky to hold the camcorder comfortably. So, the only advantage of the X900 over the HM400 is the more compact design. Unfortunately, JVC continues to use the Laser Touch system, which has a very slow response and can be hard to get used to.

The JVC GZ-HM400 does, however, get a lot right: the video quality is fantastic, the sharpness is better than the best camcorders, the zoom rocker is probably the best zoom control out there, and the adjustment dial is fantastic. But Panasonic's HDC-HS300 is still the top camcorder. Plus, Sanyo's VPC-HD2000, Canon's LEGRIA HF S100 and Sony's HDR-XR520 are not that far behind and offer similar, if not better, performance. Still, the HM400 is cheaper than most of these camcorders, giving you a great bargain for consumers that want a high-end performer with decent options.