Camcorders - Independent Camcorder Reviews, Ratings & Comparisons

Panasonic HDC-SDT750 Camcorder Review

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:00:00 -0400

With the HDC-SDT750, Panasonic is bringing 3D videography to the masses. It is definetly not cheap, but it is still comparable in cost to other flagship models.

Kodak Playsport Zx3 Camcorder Review

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 12:27:00 -0500

The Playsport Zx3 is an exciting ultracompact camcorder from Kodak that combines a Full HD recording capability with a body that is waterproof up to 3 meters. The camcorder's durable construction—and the fact that it did surprisingly well in our video testing—may spell trouble for its competitors, primarily the Flip series.

Canon Legria HF G10 Camcorder Review

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:25:00 -0500

With the Legria HF G10, Canon's latest flagship camcorder, the company decided to use a completely different image sensor with a smaller amount of pixels. If you check out the results from our performance testing, you'll quickly see the change paid off—particularly in low light situations. The only drawback? The HF G10 cannot capture high-resolution still photos.

Sony Bloggie Touch MHS-TS20 Camcorder Review

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:51:00 -0500

The Bloggie Touch MHS-TS20 is Sony's newest ultracompact camcorder, and its name should give you a hint about its key feature—a 3-inch touchscreen LCD. The Bloggie Touch isn't simply an upgrade over last year's Bloggie camcorders from Sony (the MHS-PM5 and MHS-CM5), it's a completely different camcorder with unique features and a stylish design.

JVC Everio GZ-HD620 Camcorder Review

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The GZ-HD620 is a mid-range HD camcorder from JVC that records to an internal 120GB hard drive as well as offering a MicroSD card slot. The camcorder is low on frills, captures high-quality video, and has a reasonable price tag.

Panasonic HDC-HS60 Camcorder Review

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 01:00:00 -0400

The HDC-HS60 is part of Panasonic's new crop of mid-range camcorders for 2010. It boasts a 1/4.1-inch CMOS sensor, 25x optical zoom lens, and 120GB internal hard drive. The camcorder impressed us with its strong performance, but we expect a lot of good competition in the mid-range camcorder market this year.

Canon Legria HF M31 Camcorder Review

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The HF M31 is a new mid-range HD camcorder from Canon that is essentially last year's Canon HF20 with a few minor tweaks and updates—including a new touch-screen interface and a slick menu redesign.

Sony HDR-CX550VE Camcorder Review

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 16:00:00 -0400

Sony's flagship 2010 model, the HDR-CX550V, is a larger camcorder than its predecessor, but it is loaded with a wide angle lens, new manual controls, and stronger performance.

Canon Announces New Compact Professional Camcorders—the XF105 and the XF100

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0400

August 31, 2010 – Canon updated its professional line of XF camcorders today with the release of the XF105 and XF100. Both camcorders share many similarities to the XF305 and XF300 pro models that Canon unveiled earlier this year, but the new camcorders have a more compact design as well as built-in 3D and infrared shooting options.

JVC Everio GZ-HM1 Camcorder Review

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0400

Other than a new silver paint job, JVC's newest flagship model, the Everio GZ-HM1, looks exactly like its predecessor, the GZ-HM400. JVC's biggest alteration comes in the form of a back-illuminated CMOS sensor that did wonders in improving the low light performance of this new model.

Full Details Released on the World's First 3D Consumer Camcorder The Panasonic HDC-SDT750

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:00:00 -0400

July 27, 2010 – After rumour, speculation, and accidental leaks, Panasonic has officially unveiled its 3D consumer camcorder—at last! The HDC-SDT750 will have many of the specifications and features of the impressive HDC-TM700, but includes a removable 3D conversion lens, allowing consumers to create their own 3D videos for viewing on 3D televisions.

Canon Legria HF S21 Camcorder Review

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 07:21:00 -0400

Canon's new flagship model, the HF S21, has a lot of exciting new features and controls. Its 64GB of internal flash memory, two SD/SDHC memory card slots, and the touchscreen LCD make the HF S21 one of the most appealing camcorders of 2010.

Panasonic HDC-TM700 Camcorder Review

Mon, 24 May 2010 11:00:00 -0400

As the update to Panasonic's 300-series, the expectations for the Panasonic HDC-TM700 are high... especially since the HDC-HS300 won our 2009 Selects Award for Camcorder of the Year. With exciting new features like a 1080/50p recording mode, higher pixel count, an upgraded lens ring operation, and a fairly reasonable price (£930), this camcorder should exceed its successor.

Samsung HMX-R10 First Impressions Review

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 06:26:00 -0500

The Samsung HMX-R10 has one of the most unusual designs we’ve come across. The compact camcorder features a tilted lens, pointing upwards, so you can hold the camcorder more comfortably. It also boasts a 1/2,33-inch CMOS sensor, shoots in full HD at 1080/50i and takes 9 Megapixel stills—the same as the GZ-X900—and records to SD & SDHC memory cards. It is also one of the best dual camcorders we have tested in 2009, and for £350 a nice and affordable mid-range camcorder.

JVC Everio GZ-HM400 Camcorder Review

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:20:00 -0500

The Everio GZ-HM400 is JVC´s top camcorder, and a much more advanced version of the X900. Both have more or less the same specs, but the HM400 includes 32GB of internal flash memory and all the manual controls that were missing on the X900. There is even a magnificent control dial for focus and a stellar zoom rocker. The Laser Touch System continues to be frustrating for more advanced operation, but the HM400 is otherwise an impressive camcorder.

New JVC Everio GZ-HD620 Released in Japan

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:24:00 -0500

JVC Japan (Victor Company of Japan) has just announced its first high definition release for 2010: the new Everio GZ-HD620. In addition to the 1/4.1-inch CMOS sensor with 3.32MP, the HD camcorder features a 30x optical zoom. In spite of the big hard drive (120GB), the camcorder has a light weight of just 270g.
This announcement follows up last week's revelation of three new standard definition camcorders from JVC: the GZ-MG980, GZ-MS230, and GZ-MS210.

Canon LEGRIA HV40 Camcorder Review

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500

The Canon LEGRIA HV40 is an HDV camcorder, which records in MiniDV format. MiniDV isn't really the sleekest and newest technology out there, but there are still adherents to tape-based recording and the HV40 is one of the few HDV models on the market. It has a few improvements over the older HV30, including a native 25p recording, a Custom Key and some changes in the design. However, the HV40 is basically minor upgrade of last year's HV30.

JVC Picsio GC-FM1 Camcorder Review

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:01:00 -0400

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.

Kodak Zx1 Camcorder Review

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:40:00 -0400

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.

Sanyo's VPC-HD2000A and VPC-FH1A support Apple's new Video Format iFrame

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:18:00 -0400

19 October 2009 – Sanyo launched two new HD camcorders in the United States: the VPC-HD2000A and the VPC-FH1A. The vertically designed VPC-HD2000 and the traditional FH1 have been available in Europe since early this year, but not in North America. The new models will have the same specs as their predecessors, with only one difference: both the HD2000A and the FH1A, will support iFrame, Apple's new video format that makes video files smaller and easier to edit.

Pure Digital Flip UltraHD Camcorder Review

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:18:00 -0400

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.

Sony MHS-PM1 First Impressions Review

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:00:00 -0400

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.

JVC Announces New HD Pocket Camcorder in Europe: The Picsio GC-FM1

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:00:00 -0400

September 11, 2009 - At the IFA in Berlin, Germany, JVC announced a new ultra-compact camcorder, the Picsio GC-FM1.The pocket-camcorder records 1080p HD videos to SD/SDHC cards.

JVC GZ-X900 First Impressions Review

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0400

JVC's new flagship, the GZ-X900 (£999.95), is a stylish HD camcorder with an unusual design and some impressive capabilities. To make it more portable, JVC shaped into a lightweight, rectangular shape and omitted the hand strap. While the 10.3-megapixel sensor does promise a lot, the camcorder's performance is not as good as expected, especially in low light. But it's not all bad news. Great features and a unique appearance might be enough to get it into your pocket.

Canon Announces Legria HF S11 and Legria HF21 for the UK

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:00:00 -0400

Canon announced two new camcorders for the UK — the Legria HF21 and Legria HF S11. Both camcorders have 64GB internal flash, and add a few new tricks, to their predecessor. The two camcorders will be available in September.

Welcome to Camcorderinfo.co.uk

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:03:00 -0400

Camcorderinfo.com today announced the launch of Camcorderinfo.co.uk, a new website dedicated to providing UK readers with the same great coverage as ever, now with PAL testing and dedicated UK coverage.

Kodak Expands Ultracompact Line-up with New Zi8

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:00:00 -0400

This morning Kodak announced its third budget camcorder. As an upgrade of the earlier models, the Zi6 and the Zi1, the Zi8 has more features. It comes with a 2.5/inch LCD and image stabilisation. Additionally the Zi8 has face tracking and records videos in 1080p. The press release did not specify, however, if this means the ultracompact records 1440 x 1080 or 1920 x 1080).

Canon Japan With Two New HD Camcorders: the HF21 and HF S11

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:00:00 -0400

Canon Japan announced two new camcorders today, the iVIS HF 21 and the iVIS HF S11, both AVCHD models filling out its HD line as mid-year updates. The HF S11, presumably the new flagship camcorder from Canon, features 64GB of internal flash memory, doubling that of the previously released HF S10.

Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 Camcorder Review

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400

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.

With Three New Camcorders Samsung Enters Flip Territory: HMX-U10, SMX-K40, and SMX-K45

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 04:00:00 -0400

Samsung announced three new camcorders this morning, including the HMX-U10 (US$199 MSRP), an ultracompact budget model in the style of the Pure Digital Flip series. This marks a not-unexpected entry into the category, despite being crowded with competition from Sony, Kodak, Creative, RCA, and of course, Pure Digital. The HMX-U10 may be able to find a foothold by being the only one in this group to offer full 1920 x 1080 HD video.