Best Standard Camcorders

Better image quality and features, but heavier

Compared to tiny camcorders such as the Pure Digital Flip Mino (*Est. $130), full-size SD camcorders are loaded with features -- better lenses, better microphones and the ability to do some things manually (like focus). Experts prefer these full-fledged camcorders to the pocket cams.

"Being able to cradle a lightweight camcorder in your palm with a handstrap means you get steadier footage without even trying," says Rosemary Hattersley at PC Advisor. "It also feels far more natural than holding a 'candybar' lump of plastic."

However, critics note that you can now get an HD pocket camcorder for less than what a regular SD camcorder costs. For example, you can also get Sony's entry-level, full-featured HD model -- the Sony Handycam HDR-CX100 (*Est. $430) -- for just a little bit over $100 more than most full-featured SD camcorders (see our report on HD camcorders).

Critics' favorite SD camcorder, the JVC Everio GZ-MG670 (*Est. $390), costs only a little less than Sony's low-end HD model (which doesn't get very high marks for video quality). The JVC camcorder is easy for beginners to use and offers "excellent video performance" in rigorous tests -- even in low light, say experts at CamcorderInfo.com.

There are no tapes or discs to juggle and the JVC Everio GZ-MG670 can store 14 hours of best-quality (720-by-480-pixel resolution) footage on its 80 GB hard drive. Testers like the JVC camcorder's 2.7-inch LCD screen and 35x optical zoom, which doesn't simply blow images up and make them look blocky and fuzzy like the pocket camcorders' digital zooms do. (The low-end Sony HD model has only a 10x optical zoom and no built-in memory.) At 4.5 inches long and 12 ounces, reviews say the JVC camcorder is small and comfortable to hold.

"Compare this to a Flip Mino with no zoom, a poor 1.5-inch screen and 640 by 480 clip quality. Basically, there is no comparison," says David Elrich in his review of the JVC Everio GZ-MG670 at DigitalTrends.com.

Uploading to YouTube is straightforward with JVC's included software, although testers say it's not really "one touch" like the manufacturer claims. If you want to watch your movies on your HDTV, the GZ-MG670 can upconvert its footage to flow through an HDMI cable -- "an improvement, but it's not close to true high-def," Elrich says. JVC offers two other versions of this camcorder: the JVC Everio GZ-MG680 (*Est. $430), with a 120 GB hard drive, and the JVC Everio GZ-MG630 (*Est. $340), with a 60 GB hard drive and no HDMI upconversion.

You can get cheaper SD camcorders, but reviews for these models are lukewarm. The JVC Everio GZ-MS120 (*Est. $240) is very similar to the top-rated JVC model, but stores its video on SD/SDHC cards instead of a hard drive. There's no built-in memory, and you have to buy your own SD/SDHC cards, so factor that into the price. The GZ-MS120 also has no HDMI upconversion to make its footage look better on your HDTV (though most HDTVs can do the upconversion themselves).

Panasonic's latest SD camcorders boast the longest optical zoom of any consumer camcorder -- 70x -- and reviews say it's excellent and very steady. You'll find this mega-zoom on two Panasonic camcorders that the company markets as straight-to-YouTube: the Panasonic SDR-H80 (*Est. $390), which has a built-in 60 GB hard drive, and the similar Panasonic SDR-S26 (*Est. $250), which records to SD/SDHC cards that you must buy separately. Reviews say the footage looks fine in bright light, but experts and users both find these Panasonic camcorders perform poorly in dim light.

Sony's SD camcorders are extremely easy to use, reviews say, but they get lower marks for video quality. The Sony Handycam DCR-SR47 (*Est. $330) offers a 60 GB hard drive and 60x optical zoom at a lower price than the top-rated JVC camcorder. However, testers say the Sony's footage is only so-so, with soft focus and a purple fringe around subjects. We found similarly mixed reviews for the Sony Handycam DCR-DVD850 (*Est. $380), which records to DVDs, and the Sony Handycam DCR-HC52 (*Est. $225), a Mini DV camcorder.

The pricey Canon FS22 (*Est. $550) outperforms a rival camcorder from Sony at InfoSyncWorld.com (the JVC is not tested there). This Canon camcorder has good video quality and "decent" features, which makes it one of the best SD camcorders you can buy, reviewer Mike Perlman says. However, this Canon camcorder's 32 GB built-in flash memory makes it awfully expensive for SD.

"High-definition models from last year can be found online for that price tag or cheaper," Perlman writes, "so the FS22 might be too much of a hard sell." A similar Canon camcorder, the Canon FS200 (*Est. $270), shaves costs by omitting built-in memory and recording only to memory cards. The Canon FS200 is a top pick at CNET.