Budget Flash Camcorders

The new generation of camcorders has a number of things in common – compact size, a cheap price, an upright design, and sadly, mediocre video quality. It also lacks a coherent category name, so we refer to them collectively as "Budget Compact" camcorders.

The leader by a long shot in this category is the American upstart, Pure Digital, whose Flip series of camcorders defined the new look and feel. Pure Digital has since been purchased by Cisco, so everyone is waiting for some kind of internet-enabled pocket camcorder (too bad Apple got there first with the iPhone 3GS).

In the wake of the Flip, a bevy of similar products flooded the market. Sony's Webbie series is available in multiple shapes and colors. Creative has its Vado camcorders, Kodak offers various models, including the Zi6, Zx1, and others, and RCA has the Small Wonder series. Sanyo also makes camcorders in this size, but the relatively complexity of the interface puts it in a slightly different class.

A benefit of most of these camcorders is their universality – typically, they can output in both PAL and NTSC. That means that any camcorder reviewed in Europe will have exactly the same results in the US or Japan, and vice versa. It also means that travellers can purchase one of these with some measure of confidence that playback will be supported everywhere (check the specs before you buy to be sure).

• JVC Picsio GC-FM1 Camcorder Review

  At first sight the Picsio GC-FM1, JVC's new ultra-compact camcorder, seems to be just another Flip competition. Beneath the metallic lustre, however,  the Picsio impressed us with an outstanding video performance, above all with very good colour accuracy and sharpness. Sadly, the Picsio has one big fault: it's build quality, a lot of controls and buttons feel cheap and unstable.

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• Kodak Zx1 Camcorder Review

  Kodak's Zx1 is a sturdy, water-resistant, ultra-compact budget camcorder. It offers several frame rates for recording video and it can take still photos. The still features are limited, and the 3-megapixel images are mediocre; but it does take stills, unlike any of the Flip camcorders. Instead of the not so practical pop-out USB arm, the Kodak Zx1 includes an HDMI terminal, a USB and AV-out port, and an SD/SDHC card slot—all well protected with rubber covers. Unfortunately, the Kodak Zx1 is not quite as intuitive or streamlined as the Flip camcorders, especially with its unclear button-labels and confusing interface. Nonetheless, the Kodak Zx1 can be a good alternative to the Flip or other ultra-compact camcorders.

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• Pure Digital Flip UltraHD Camcorder Review

  Pure Digital's Flip UltraHD (£159.99) is the upgrade of the Flip Ultra. Following its sister models, the mini-camcorder is just as easy to use. The UltraHD, however, features a little more: it is packed with 8GB of internal memory, has an HDMI port—the first Flip to have one—and records at a resolution of 1280 x 720 and a 30p frame rate. It also delivers the best overall performance yet from the Flip series.

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• Sony Webbie HD MHS-PM1 Camcorder Review

  The design of Sony's MHS-PM1 is very similar to the Flip series of camcorders, which has the strongest market share by far in this ultra-compact budget category. So how do you make a name for yourself? Sony is trying with a swivel lens that can be rotated up to 270-degrees. We like the features that Sony added to trump the Flip, but user experience is certainly not as fun.

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• Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 Camcorder Review

  Sanyo's model for more budget-conscious consumers is the Xacti VPC-CG10, available for about £229,99. The upright, pistol-grip design differentiates the CG10 from other ultra compact camcorders with the iPod design like the Flip series. The design is not the only thing that makes the CG10 so much different from other budget camcorders.  

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