Pocket HD camcorders have bitten off a huge chunk of the market

The latest $1,000-plus high-definition camcorders can put near-professional quality literally in the palm of your hand, reviews say. But the first truly cheap ($200-and-under) HD models have emerged within the past year. The Pure Digital Flip UltraHD (*Est. $160) shoots surprisingly good (720p) high-definition video for a cheap little camcorder, critics say. Its absolute simplicity especially charms testers.

For top-notch HD footage, experts recommend the mid-priced Canon Vixia HF200 (*Est. $600) or the top-rated Canon Vixia HF S10 (*Est. $1,140). Reviewers say that the Canon Vixia HF200 strikes a great balance between performance, features and price. It records to SDHC memory cards rather than internal memory. The HF S10 outshines the competition in video quality and allows for more manual control over shooting. It has 32 GB of onboard memory and accepts SDHC memory cards.

For more on these and other top-rated shooters, see our newly-updated report on HD Camcorders.