Compact HD Camcorders

Tiny HD camcorders fit in your pocket

The first high-definition pocket camcorders hit the market in 2009, and they all look pretty similar at first glance. Most have been stripped nearly bare of features -- making them simple enough for a child to use -- but they shoot relatively decent HD video. Just don't expect the footage to look as stunning as the HD recordings produced by a $1,000 camcorder, reviewers widely caution.

Kodak has introduced the first pocket camcorder that shoots in full 1080p high-def, the Kodak Zi8 (*Est. $180). It's a close race, but ultimately reviews still prefer the cheaper, easier to use Pure Digital Flip UltraHD (*Est. $160) -- even though it shoots in 720p.

PC Advisor, Pocket-Lint.com and Macworld all test both the Kodak and the Flip UltraHD, and they choose the Flip UltraHD. Its absolute simplicity charms testers: Hit the big red button to record, and you'll wind up with surprisingly good video and audio, they say. The on-board, Windows- and Mac-compatible software launches whenever you plug the UltraHD's USB jack into your computer, making it easy to edit clips and upload them to sites like YouTube.

The Flip UltraHD isn't the smallest or sleekest camcorder out there. That crown goes to the iPod-sized Pure Digital Flip MinoHD (*Est. $160). However, the Flip UltraHD offers the same advanced features as the latest, costliest MinoHD at a much cheaper price.

Pure Digital still sells the first-generation MinoHD (*Est. $160), but critics say it suffers from a few shortcomings, including a tiny 1.5-inch display and one-hour recording time. Most importantly, the first-gen MinoHD lacks an HDMI connection. You can output its video directly to an HDTV, but only in standard definition.

The second-generation MinoHD (*Est. $230) fixes all of these problems. Like the UltraHD, it now offers a 2-inch screen, two-hour recording time and HDMI port and cable. However, the UltraHD does all of this for the same price as the inferior first-generation MinoHD -- and the UltraHD allows for the use of regular AA batteries, a big plus if the camcorder's rechargeable batteries run out before you're finished shooting.

The Kodak Zi8 HD camcorder does a few things no other pocket camcorder can do -- yet. It shoots in full 1080p HD, cuts hand shake with an image stabilizer, and it accepts an external microphone. Although it lacks internal memory (you have to add an SD card), it does include an HDMI port -- one of the Flip UltraHD's most important features. The Zi8 leaps past the Flip UltraHD camcorder in a few expert tests, including those at PCMag.com, PC World, CNET and About.com.

"Quite simply, test footage shot with the Kodak Zi8 in 1080p mode is the highest-quality video we've seen in a pocket camcorder to date," says Tim Moynihan at PC Advisor.

Yet PC Advisor still prefers the Flip UltraHD -- as do a half-dozen other sources, including Pocket-Lint.com, Macworld and users at Amazon.com. In PC Advisor's tests, the Zi8 would spontaneously quit filming. Amazon.com users largely complain that the on-board mic on the HD camcorder is horrible.

Macworld's Christopher Breen says the touted 1080p video plays back jumpy and grainy, not good at all. CNET says this is only a problem for Mac users, since the Zi8 camcorder's included software (which smoothes its computer playback, among other things) isn't Mac-compatible. But that doesn't explain the Zi8's disappointing image stabilizer or its sluggish adjustment to light -- "the Flip [UltraHD] adjusted a good half second before the Zi8" when moving between shadow and light, Breen says. Several experts say Zi8's video seems just as shaky as any other pocket camcorder's.

Kodak is still selling its older pocket camcorders alongside the Zi8. The Kodak Zi6 (*Est. $130) costs less and shoots in 720p; it was the critics' favorite before the Flip UltraHD came along, and a couple of top sources still include it on their recommended lists. The Kodak Zx1 (*Est. $110) added an HDMI port to the Zi6, but oddly, testers found that it also added a jerkier zoom, a smaller LCD screen and omitted the built-in USB arm that makes pocket camcorders so handy. Top sources no longer recommend the Zx1 HD camcorder.

Other pocket camcorders get a nod here or there, including the Creative Vado HD (*Est. $200) and the Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 (*Est. $175). Sony's foray into the pocket market, the feature-rich Sony Webbie HD MHS-CM1 (*Est. $170), impresses the experts at CamcorderInfo.com more than the simpler models do. However, most reviewers prefer the Pure Digital and Kodak camcorders for their greater simplicity, portability and/or quality.