November 2007
New high-definition camcorders
Sharper home videos and much more, often for less than $1,000
New high-definition camcorders
Sharper home videos and much more, often for less than $1,000
The ability to capture home movies at high-definition video resolutions is probably within your reach. In our first Ratings of high-definition camcorders (available to subscribers), among a group of more than a dozen models, nearly half were priced well under $1,000. And our tests turned up three very good models in that price range worth recommending in our Quick Picks (also available to subscribers only). There were also several very good models priced at $1,000 or more.
Most models rated Very Good overall, produced either Excellent or Very Good picture and audio quality, and were easy of use. The most common weak spot was picture quality in low-light conditions. The best models were rated Good, while a handful rated Fair or Poor.
For help choosing a standard-definition or high-definition model, check our camcorder buying advice.
Every model had either a 10x or 12x optical zoom. At maximum zoom, most camcorders display some image vibration due to hand shake or other environmental factors. To compensate for that, all include an image stabilizer. Many were Excellent. For details on which individual models had the best stabilizer, check the Ratings.
HD camcorders offer the same variety of storage formats as standard-definition models: miniDV tape, DVD, hard-drive, and flash memory-card. One sub-$1,000 model we recommend, the Panasonic HDC-SX5, is especially versatile. It can store video on either a DVD or flash memory card. So you can record longer clips on, say, a 16GB memory card and shorter ones on a DVD. Or take the video recorded on the card and burn it to a DVD.
Before diving into the world of high-definition DVD camcorders, be sure to acquaint yourself with the different disc formats. The four models in our ratings store video on miniDVD discs, the type used in standard-definition camcorders. While they are the same size as those used by standard-definition camcorders, they won’t play on a standard-definition DVD player or computer DVD drive. Nor will they play on HD DVD players or computer drives. They'll play only on a high-definition Blu-ray player or a computer drive compatible with Blu-ray discs.
To complicate matters a bit, Hitachi recently introduced two camcorders--the Hitachi DZ-BD7HA (which has a 30GB hard drive plus a Blu-ray-compatible drive) and the Hitachi DZ-BD70 (which has just the Blu-ray-compatible drive)--that store HD video on miniBlu-ray discs.
Besides player compatibility, another big difference between miniDVD and miniBlu-ray discs is storage capacity. You can record 15 to 20 minutes on the former, but up to an hour of HD video on the latter.
In HD, as with standard-definition camcorders, hard-drive models are the most expensive, although our tests showed that you need not pay top dollar for the best performance. MiniDV tape and DVD models, comparable to each other in price, were less expensive than hard-drive models. Flash memory-card models were among the least expensive and tended to be lighter and more compact than other types, although none have the viewfinders found on most other types.
For more help on what to look for in a camcorder, check our Buying Advice.
Sharper home videos and much more, often for less than $1,000
The ability to capture home movies at high-definition video resolutions is probably within your reach. In our first Ratings of high-definition camcorders (available to subscribers), among a group of more than a dozen models, nearly half were priced well under $1,000. And our tests turned up three very good models in that price range worth recommending in our Quick Picks (also available to subscribers only). There were also several very good models priced at $1,000 or more.
Most models rated Very Good overall, produced either Excellent or Very Good picture and audio quality, and were easy of use. The most common weak spot was picture quality in low-light conditions. The best models were rated Good, while a handful rated Fair or Poor.
For help choosing a standard-definition or high-definition model, check our camcorder buying advice.
Every model had either a 10x or 12x optical zoom. At maximum zoom, most camcorders display some image vibration due to hand shake or other environmental factors. To compensate for that, all include an image stabilizer. Many were Excellent. For details on which individual models had the best stabilizer, check the Ratings.
HD camcorders offer the same variety of storage formats as standard-definition models: miniDV tape, DVD, hard-drive, and flash memory-card. One sub-$1,000 model we recommend, the Panasonic HDC-SX5, is especially versatile. It can store video on either a DVD or flash memory card. So you can record longer clips on, say, a 16GB memory card and shorter ones on a DVD. Or take the video recorded on the card and burn it to a DVD.
Before diving into the world of high-definition DVD camcorders, be sure to acquaint yourself with the different disc formats. The four models in our ratings store video on miniDVD discs, the type used in standard-definition camcorders. While they are the same size as those used by standard-definition camcorders, they won’t play on a standard-definition DVD player or computer DVD drive. Nor will they play on HD DVD players or computer drives. They'll play only on a high-definition Blu-ray player or a computer drive compatible with Blu-ray discs.
To complicate matters a bit, Hitachi recently introduced two camcorders--the Hitachi DZ-BD7HA (which has a 30GB hard drive plus a Blu-ray-compatible drive) and the Hitachi DZ-BD70 (which has just the Blu-ray-compatible drive)--that store HD video on miniBlu-ray discs.
Besides player compatibility, another big difference between miniDVD and miniBlu-ray discs is storage capacity. You can record 15 to 20 minutes on the former, but up to an hour of HD video on the latter.
In HD, as with standard-definition camcorders, hard-drive models are the most expensive, although our tests showed that you need not pay top dollar for the best performance. MiniDV tape and DVD models, comparable to each other in price, were less expensive than hard-drive models. Flash memory-card models were among the least expensive and tended to be lighter and more compact than other types, although none have the viewfinders found on most other types.
For more help on what to look for in a camcorder, check our Buying Advice.
