Best HD Camcorders

Canon's flagship camcorder shoots pro-quality video

Every year, flagship camcorders from Panasonic, Canon and Sony jockey for the top spot in reviews. This year, the Canon Vixia HF G10 (*Est. $1,400) captures the crown.

"With the HF G10, you're essentially getting a professional camcorder in consumer body," conclude the demanding experts at CamcorderInfo.com.

Canon packs its CMOS Pro image sensor (the same one you'll get on Canon's entry-level pro camcorders) into the HF G10, along with an excellent 10x optical zoom lens, a rock-steady image stabilizer to quell hand shake and a ton of manual controls. Also, it's one of the few consumer camcorders that can shoot at a true, film-like 24p frame rate -- "not just the 24 frames per second captured as progressive but encoded as 60i, as is most common for AVCHD models, but 24p encoding," CNET's Lori Grunin says.

The result? "Sparkling HD footage even in hairy lighting conditions," says Wired's Dan Havlik, who gets great video of a child illuminated only by her birthday cake candles and a nighttime basketball game at a playground. Owners who post reviews at Amazon.com call the HF G10's footage "fantastic," "outstanding," "stunning" and "silky smooth." Nearly three hours of best-quality footage will fit in the 32 GB built-in flash memory, and you can add even more memory via the camcorder's dual memory-card slots.

There's one thing the Canon HF G10 can't do, though -- shoot in 3D. For that, you'll have to check out the following camcorders from Panasonic, Sony and JVC.

HD camcorder that can shoot in 3D

The Panasonic HDC-TM900 (*Est. $990; 3D lens sold separately) is a fabulous 2D camcorder, experts say -- and it can also shoot in 3D, if you buy Panasonic's add-on 3D lens (*Est. $285).

In 2D tests, the Panasonic's footage doesn't look quite as spectacular as the Canon Vixia HF G10's, although both camcorders come highly recommended by demanding critics at CamcorderInfo.com, CNET and elsewhere. But for several hundred dollars less, the Panasonic offers the same 32 MB of internal flash memory and full manual controls (although you can't use most of them in 3D mode).

Shooting in 3D with the Panasonic is still a bit of a pain, according to reviewers. The 3D lens is bulky, and TrustedReviews.com advises calibrating it every time you attach it -- "and this takes around 30 seconds." Even then, all of the planets have to align just right to give you good 3D footage. If you've got a tripod, plenty of light, subjects that stay 4 to 10 feet away from the camcorder and a 3D TV to hook the camcorder up to, you can get 3D images to pop, CamcorderInfo.com says, "although we didn't get the effect of subjects 'jumping' out from the screen that you sometimes see with 3D movies. The videos looked more like a funky diorama where you can see layers and the shape of the subjects within the frame. It is interesting and effective, but it may not be quite what you expect when you hear '3D capability.'"

Want a camcorder with a built-in 3D lens? You can get it, if you're willing to pay -- but experts warn that there are some trade-offs.

Sony and JVC both sell full-3D camcorders that are very similar. The Sony HDR-TD10 (*Est. $1,500) and JVC Everio GS-TD1 (*Est. $1,600) both cram two lenses side-by-side up front and two image sensors inside to achieve the 3D effect. Both have HDMI ports, so you can hook up your camcorder to your 3D TV to watch your footage. Unlike the Panasonic HDC-TM900, both also have LCD screens that show footage in 3D with no glasses required, although some owners and expert testers say looking at the screen makes them feel queasy or headachy.

Most owners are pleased with the 3D footage they get with these cameras, but experts aren't so sure. "The 3D effect is very respectable for objects more than a meter away, when viewed on a large 3D TV," TrustedReviews.com's James Morris says of the JVC Everio GS-TD1, but "we're still not entirely convinced by 3D either as a domestic viewing format or for grabbing your home movies."

CamcorderInfo.com likes the JVC's feature-rich 3D mode better than the Sony's, but tester Jeremy Stamas still sees "problems with trailing and interference" in the JVC's footage, "and it was nearly unwatchable if you moved the camcorder around too fast during recording. Shooting the perfect 3D video clip requires precise camcorder movements, intricate staging, and proper lighting."

3D camcorders are also bulkier and heavier than regular camcorders (the JVC is more than 7 inches long, and the Sony weighs nearly a pound and a half even without the battery), can't match regular camcorders for 2D high-def video quality in tests, and they're extremely pricey: "Only the very richest hobbyists will be interested," Morris says.

CamcorderInfo.com advises skipping 3D camcorders for now. "It is our feeling that 3D video in the home is still in its infancy, and it would probably be best to wait a bit longer before making a 3D camcorder purchase."

HD camcorders under $600

You don't have to spend a lot to shoot terrific HD video, experts say. The Canon Vixia HF M40 (*Est. $475) delivers "virtually the same stellar performance" as the top-rated Canon Vixia HF G10 in CamcorderInfo.com's test -- for about a third of the price.

The cheaper HF M40 gets the same superb CMOS Pro sensor as the HF G10 (it's also the same one found in Canon's even pricier entry-level pro video cameras) "but paired with a smaller, less expensive lens," CNET's Lori Grunin explains. Testers get similarly impressive video quality, even in dim light.

Like other camcorders in this price range, the Canon Vixia HF M40 omits some features that make pricier camcorders easier to use. There's no viewfinder and no manual-focus dial -- you'll have to frame your shot and adjust your manual controls using the LCD touch screen (which isn't terribly responsive, testers say).

You don't get the same wealth of manual controls as with the flagship HF G10 -- but pretty close, experts say. "Canon has attempted to cram the majority of its manual controls onto the HF M40, giving users as many reasons as possible to opt for this more affordable model," CamcorderInfo.com's Kaitlyn Chantry says. "What's missing? The HF G10 -- Canon's illustrious flagship model -- has far more zoom speed options (including soft zoom), plus ND filters and custom Kelvin control." The cheaper HF M40 also omits the viewfinder, so you'll have to frame your shot by looking at the LCD screen.

You do get the option to shoot in film-like 24p on the Canon Vixia HF M40 (although it's encoded as 60i, unlike the HF G10's true 24p, which degrades quality a bit, CNET's Grunin points out), and the lens extends to a healthy 10x zoom. You'll get half as much built-in flash memory with the cheaper HF M40 (16 GB versus 32 GB for the HF G10), but it still fits an hour and 25 minutes' worth of best-quality video, and it has dual memory-card slots so you can expand the memory even further.

"For experienced users looking to get the most for their money, the HF M40 is a sure thing," Chantry concludes.

Canon also offers a couple of nearly identical models in this series: The Canon Vixia HF M400 (*Est. $440) omits the built-in flash memory (it keeps the dual memory-card slots), while the step-up Canon Vixia HF M41 (*Est. $650) includes 32 GB of memory and an electronic viewfinder.