Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 (purple)

Price range:

$192.18 - $199.99
So far, Sony hasn't done too well in the fast-growing cheap pocket camcorder space dominated by Flip Video, characterized by candy bar vertical camcorder designs and prices ranging from about $150-$250. After an initial flop with the poorly named NSC-GC1 Net-sharing cam a few years back, it redubbed its pocket camcorder line to the also poorly named "Webbie." That move fell flat, and now it's now moved on to the marginally less poorly named "Bloggie" and returned one of the models to the pistol-grip design of yesteryear, which remains popular with small, zooming camcorders from companies like Sanyo and Aiptek. Though redesigned from its predecessor, the Webbie HD MHS-CM1, the Bloggie HD MHS-CM5 offers a similar feature set: 1080p video capture, a 5x optical zoom lens, a large 2.5-inch swiveling LCD, and a rechargeable lithium ion battery that's removable. It adds a mini HDMI connector and the capability to charge via the attached USB connector.
Weighing 6.9 ounces and measuring 4 inches high by 2.8 inches wide by 1.6 inches deep, this Sony will fit in big, loose pockets like a cargo pant pocket, but it's more bag-friendly than pocket-friendly. Sony also makes the smaller MHS-PM5, which updates the PM1 we reviewed last year.
Both Bloggie camcorders record real 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution HD recorded as H.264-compressed MPEG-4, support SDHC and Memory Stick Duo cards, add a new 60fps 720p mode, and now can run the Picture Motion Browser Portable software on Macs.
Overall, we prefer the smaller designs of the Flip-style camcorders, but going bigger does have its advantages. First, there's a significant difference between the digital zoom found in the Flip models and the 5x optical zoom found here. Digital zoom is basically useless because the picture degrades as you zoom. And while the CM5's optical zoom isn't stellar and the autofocus can be a little slow when you zoom, the image is relatively sharp. You must keep your hand ultrasteady at the higher zoom levels, however, or your video will appear very shaky.
This model can do one thing much better than the Flip Video camcorders: it can focus on objects as close as about 2 inches. Even the Kodak Zi8 can only get as close as about 6 inches in its macro mode. You can really get tight, almost macro-like shots of objects, which can be important for those who want to show close-up details of products--or people.
Interestingly, in the 1080 or 60 frames-per-second 720 capture settings you can't engage Sony's Steady Shot electronic image stabilization. It only becomes an option when shooting at 720p 30 frames per second or the lower resolution 640 x 480 mode. The video looked better without the EIS, though, less jittery and with fewer artifacts. For a rock solid image it obviously helps to use a monopod or tripod, and if you're so inclined to use one, there is a threaded tripod mount on the bottom of the device.
Overall, we found the image quality to be decent, faring well compared to the "standard" set by the Flip Mino and Ultra HD. The color is extremely warm and oversaturated, but the video is sharp and the camcorder adjusts for exposure reasonably fast; the autofocus responds more slowly, though. Like most models, it chronically underexposes backlit subjects. There's some noise and softness when you're shooting in low light, and it looks like the CM5 occasionally drops the shutter speed until it adjusts, resulting in brief bouts of slow motion. But the video looks solid.
Navigating the CM5 is fairly straightforward, though novice shooters will have to read the brief start-up handout to get a full handle on the settings; Flip camcorders are easier to use, but they have almost no settings to fiddle with, which some people will prefer. To turn the camcorder on, you simply open the LCD. Pressing a menu button brings up options such as resolution, image stabilization, and face detection (which tells the camcorder to look for faces and focus on them). Switch to still-image capture (5 megapixels), and opt whether to turn on such features as face detection.

GuideKodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera (black)

Price range:

$179.00 - $259.99
Over the last few years, as the pocket camcorder market has taken off, pioneer Flip Video has narrowly hung onto the lead it built by offering models with arguably superior designs and slightly better video quality. A few companies, including Creative, Sony, and RCA, have been nipping at its heels for a while, but none has been able to overtake Flip's offerings. Until now. While Kodak's Zi8 may not be perfect, it has a lot of the little extras we've been asking for--including electronic image stabilization and external mic support--and delivers very respectable video for a mini camcorder well under $200.
For starters, Kodak improved upon the design of last year's Zi6 and this year's ruggedized Zx1, both of which we thought decent, but not great. The Zi8 looks slicker than the Zi6, and while it's far from the smallest or lightest pocket camcorder we've tested, it is fairly compact, measuring 2.4 inches by 4.5 inches by 0.9 inch and weighing 4.8 ounces.
This model comes in three colors Kodak dubs black, aqua, and raspberry, and it has a sharp and generously sized 2.5-inch LCD on the back. The only noteworthy drawback is that all three models are fingerprint magnets and you'll find yourself constantly wiping down the camcorder. The plastic finish is also susceptible to scratches, so you'll probably want to keep the unit in a protective cover, particularly if you've got keys in your pocket. Unfortunately, Kodak doesn't ship the Zi8 with any sort of case, though it does sell one, as well as a remote control.
To trim down the chassis, Kodak has gone with a slimmer lithium ion rechargeable battery instead of the AA NiMH rechargeables that ship with the Zi6. That's a good move, but you don't have the luxury of swapping in a standard pair of alkaline batteries should you run out of juice on the road. Like most competitors, you can charge the Zi8 directly from your computer via the flip-out cable, but the camcorder also ships with an AC adapter to connect it to a wall outlet.
As we say about all these pocket camcorders: while they may be billed as HD models, they really can't be compared with true HD camcorders that cost hundreds of dollars more and have superior lenses and sensors. However, the image quality is getting better and the Zi8 is the first pocket camcorder on the market to boast 1080p 30fps video capture and 5-megapixel still-image capture, thanks to its integration of a 1/2.5-inch 5-megapixel CMOS sensor. Like the Zi6, this model also records video in 720p resolution at up to 60fps, which Kodak says is "best for sports and action," as well as 720p/30fps ("best for sharing on YouTube or Facebook") and WVGA ("best for conserving memory card space").
Like the Zi6 and Zx1, this model comes with a trivial amount of internal memory and Kodak doesn't include an SD card in the box. We still wish Kodak would throw in a 1GB SD card, but the margins on these products are tight, so we can understand that Kodak needs to cut some corners to hit an attractive price point. Anyway, the long and short of it is, you have to supply your own SD card (the Zi8 accepts SDHC cards up to 32GB, so it can store a ton of video and still images). We calculated that when you record video at the highest level (1080p), you eat up anywhere from around 110 to 150MB per minute, depending upon video content, or about 14 to 18 minutes of video on a typical 2GB card. (Kodak quotes 20 minutes per gigabyte, but that's for 720p.) Similar to most competitors, videos are encoded as generally compatible QuickTime MPEG-4 MOV files, using H.264 compression.
As with all these mini camcorders, the Zi8 is designed to be easy to use. Kodak has made some improvements to the interface, and the inclusion of a four-way rocker control makes navigating the device's menus that much simpler. That said, it's a good idea to consult the manual to figure out exactly what the icons stand for in the settings menu and to make sure you have everything set correctly.
We like its four speeds of fast-forwarding and rewinding, and you can advance or rewind your footage frame by frame, if you want. The 2.5-inch LCD looks sharp and the sound plays back loud enough through the Zi8's little speaker as long as you crank up the volume. The mic seems sensitive enough as long as the subject is only a few feet away. But if you want to improve your recordings, you should opt for an external stereo mic, which will do a better job at picking up sound. (External mics range in price from about $16 to well over $100). For the moment, anyway, the external mic option is one of the Zi8's key differentiating features and will appeal to everyone from journalists to amateur documentarians.

Canon Vixia HV30

Price range:

$649.00 - $1,499.95
Don't look for any great advances here: the Canon Vixia HV30 is a very minor upgrade from the admittedly top-notch HV20. It has a sleeker-looking black body, introduces 30p progressive mode, and supports the high-capacity BP-2L24H lithium-ion battery, but otherwise remains the same as its 2007 predecessor.
Of course, that makes it a well-designed prosumer camcorder with a useful feature set, good overall performance, and excellent video quality. It's relatively big, weighing 1 pound, 5.4 ounces, though it fits into a large, loose jacket pocket. I like the black chassis more than the silver, but the tape housing feels a little flimsier than I remember; when gripped for shooting, the cover moves a bit. In all other ways the build quality seems solid, though, with tethered covers over the Advanced Accessory Shoe, HDMI/FireWire ports, and mic/headphone/component out jacks.

On the left side of the body sit a few, slightly difficult to feel, controls: backlight compensation, display, and video light, plus a manual focus toggle and somewhat loose focus dial.

The 2.7-inch wide-screen LCD is kind of small and at 211,000-pixels not very high resolution, but it's sufficient for manually focusing. The eye-level viewfinder is relatively large, but doesn't pull out or up, and I wish it had a softer eye cup. In addition, I just had to laugh at the Catch-22 diopter control. Since it's right on the viewfinder, you have to move your head away to get your finger on the switch, which means you can't set it for your eye pressed close. The HV30 supplies both a video light and a flash for shooting stills. As always, I really like the built-in electronic lens cover.

All the frequently used shooting controls--except for manual focus and zoom--fall comfortably under your right thumb.

The HV30's zoom switch has quite a bit of play. You can set it for variable speed or one of three fixed-speed zoom options.

Panasonic HDC-TM300 (Black)

Price range:

$1,089.00 - $1,149.00

Photos: Panasonic HDC-TM300

Panasonic's trio of top-of-the-prosumer-line HD camcorders--the flash-based HDC-TM300, and hard-drive-based HDC-HS300 and HDC-HS250--in many ways vastly improve over older models like the HS100 and SD100. Panasonic jettisoned most of what I disliked about those models, including the too-low-resolution CMOS sensors, connector placement, and how the manual controls function, and retained everything I liked, notably the breadth of manual controls and eye-level viewfinder, at least on the two highest-end models. While the company replaced the awkward ring-based manual operation with an equally awkward touch screen, the improvement in video quality and performance make these a far better bet.
The three models incorporate the same 12x zoom f1.8-2.8 lens--the same lens as the HS100/SD100--as well as the same trio of 1/4.1-inch 3-megapixel 3MOS sensors, with an effective resolution of 2.07-megapixels each for 16:9 video. The real 3-megapixels for the predownsampled AVCHD video finally breaks the resolution barrier; normally, 3-chip systems use lower-than-HD resolution sensors, which don't seem to produce terribly sharp HD video. Because of the different media, the camcorders have slightly different designs, but the same feature sets and should have identical video quality. (As such, for the purposes of this review, we ran our standard video tests on only the TM300.) The highest video quality they offer is 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution at 30 frames per second at 17 megabits per second, and can record about 8 minutes of video per gigabyte of storage space, or approximately 4 hours of video in the internal memory. The next level down, 13Mbps, gets about 10 minutes per gigabyte.
The TM300 and HS300 share the same higher-end features as the HS100--manual focus ring, EVF, accessory shoe, and microphone input--while the HS250 trades those for a more compact design. Both the HS250 and HS300 have a 120GB hard disk. As the name indicates, the TM300 is analogous to the HS300, but records to SD cards or the built-in 32GB memory. They all include the optical image stabilization and Intelligent Automatic features of the older versions.
Weighing just less than a pound, with dimensions of 2.8 inches wide by 2.8 inches high by 5.5 inches long, the TM300 is the lightest, though not the smallest, of the three and is larger than competitors like the Canon Vixia HF S10. It's comfortable to hold, especially with the slight upward curve toward the back that makes the zoom switch and photo button easier to reach. The earlier models had a toggle to switch between the LCD and EVF; with this one, you pull out the EVF to enable it, which is a nicer and more utilitarian design.
In contrast to the older models, only the optical image stabilizer button lives inside the LCD recess, and most of the controls have been replaced by a hybrid button/touch-screen interface. Within the recess, under hard covers, are all but one connector--AV, component video out, mini HDMI, and USB--and the SD card slot. (Panasonic recommends a Class 4 card.) In an interesting design move, Panasonic added an accessory shoe to the TM300, but put it in the side rather than the top--a more practical location given how far your hand covers the top. Mic and headphone jacks are on the front right side, beneath the flash and adjacent to the shoe.
Under your right thumb lies a traditional mode dial for choosing among power, video and still recording, and playback. Above the LCD on the body are the Intelligent Auto and 3-second prerecord button; on the LCD's bezel are zoom and record controls, a delete button, and Q(uick) Menu and Menu buttons. Through the Quick Menu you choose video quality, time lapse, picture size, onscreen display options, LCD brightness, and guidelines. Via Menu you select options such as where to record (built-in memory or SD card), choose from a handful of scene modes, Digital Cinema (24p) mode, mic options (surround, zoom or focus; bass settings; and levels), and display options like Zebra and histogram. To the left of the lens are two buttons for invoking manual controls. Pressing manual focus switches the lens ring operation between zooming and focusing. The Function button brings up three options on the touch screen: white balance, shutter, and iris.
Primary operation occurs through the touch-screen menus, which fly out from a small icon in the lower-left corner. In auto mode, there's spot AE and AF, backlight compensation, intelligent contrast, fade, soft skin mode, telemacro, and MagicPix night mode. In manual mode, you select via a scrolling menu on the left.
White balance offers the typical options, and shutter speed and iris are as broad and flexible as you'll get on an entry-level pro model. For instance, the iris opens as wide as 18dB in 3dB increments and closes to F16 in half stops. Although the shutter speeds start at a rather high 1/60 sec (in auto modes they'll drop lower and 24p mode drops to 1/48 sec), they go as high as 1/8,000.
At 2.7 inches, the LCD is a typical size for this class of camcorder; overall, it's fairly good. However, it's not very effective as a touch screen. There's visible feedback when you press one of the virtual buttons--it turns yellow--which helps when you're frustrated and pressing them repeatedly, attempting to get them to register your touch. I found the system in the HS100/SD100 awkward, but at least you could use it with the EVF. Since this model uses a touch screen, you can't change any of the manual settings while using it, which is a major drawback.
It performs relatively well, including booting quickly from a cold start. The EVF, while coarse and not particularly color accurate, is far better than nothing, which is what you get on most competitors. The zoom feels relatively precise and easy to control, and the camcorder focuses reasonably quickly in all but the lowest light. The audio sounds a tad thin, but acceptable. And Panasonic's optical stabilization works solidly out to the end of the zoom range.
The video quality is quite good, showing none of the artifacts that plagued the older models. Video looks sharp, though a tad softer than competing models from Canon and Sony, but color and exposure live up to what you'd expect for a camcorder in its price range. Low-light video looks a bit soft, though not nearly as soft as we've seen in previous models, and remains quite noise-free. The audio sounds the same, however, a bit thin but with adequate volume and microphone coverage. And while the stills look quite nice zoomed out and printed as large as 11 inches by 16 inches, you can see all the interpolation artifacts when viewed at 100 percent on screen--though Panasonic claims 10.6-megapixel resolution, the real resolution is only as high as any individual sensor.
The annoying touch-screen interface holds back a solid prosumer HD camcorder that otherwise effectively competes with models like the Canon Vixia HF S10. If you don't need the EVF, accessory shoe, or mic input, and you don't do a lot of manual focusing, the HS250 is the best value of the lot, and you should probably save yourself the $300 or so price difference. Between the TM300 and HS300, I favor the TM300; it's cheaper and most people don't really need the overwhelming storage capacity on the HS300's hard drive.

Canon Vixia HF200

Price range:

$449.99 - $749.99

Photo gallery:
Canon Vixia HF20

Canon's acquitted itself quite well with a nearly identical trio of flash-based AVCHD camcorders, the HF10/HF11/HF100, and follow-up models HF20 and HF200 manage to improve upon their legacy. The only difference between the two models is color and memory configuration: the HF20 has 32GB built in, while the HF200 has none. We tested the HF20.
Smaller and slightly less powerful than their twin brothers, the HF S10 and the HF S100, these models offer a physically smaller but longer 15x zoom lens and smaller, lower resolution 4-megapixel sensor. And though they retain much of the same feature set as those models, they don't supply more enthusiast-oriented niceties like a manual control dial, zebra stripes, and color bars, or a pop-up flash. Still they're a definite upgrade from the older versions. And while they're both more expensive than competitors like the Sony Handycam HDR-CX100 and Panasonic's HDC-TM20/SD20, those camcorders lack features some users consider essential regardless of camcorder size, including an accessory shoe, microphone input, and headphone jack, which the Canons provide. Like most all new models, however, the HF20 and HF200 lack an eye-level EVF.
You wouldn't call it a featherweight, but the HF20/HF200's 13.9 ounces is relatively light for a midrange camcorder, and its 2.8-inch-by-2.4-inch-by-4.9-inch dimensions mean it fits comfortably into a jacket pocket, albeit with some bulging. It's very comfortable to grip and use, with the photo button and zoom rocker on a slight rise to fall naturally under your forefinger. Most of the shooting controls live on the LCD bezel. The function button pulls up both the frequently used settings as well as the full menu system another level down. In addition to the usual--white balance, image effects, digital effects, video quality, and still-photo size, program, and a handful of scene modes--the camcorders offer real shutter- and aperture-priority shooting modes with a shutter speed range of 1/8 to 1/2,000 second and aperture options ranging from f1.8 to f8, giving you more control over depth of field than you generally see in a consumer model, especially a compact one. It also offers Canon's Cine mode for adjusting color and gamma to go with its 24F progressive modes, though it and 30F get recorded as 60i. In still mode you can select metering and drive modes as well. Other high-end features accessible via the menus include three fixed or variable zoom speed and x.v.Color mode.
Navigating down on the joystick while shooting triggers a fly-up menu to turn on the video light, digital effects, 3-second prerecord, backlight and exposure compensation, manual focus, mic level, and face detection. In still mode you gain flash and lose the prerecord. The menu system itself has been updated for a smoother feel and the ability to choose font size. Since the 2.7-inch display is the typical low-resolution model, the small fonts look pixelated and would be hard for some to read. It does stand up pretty well in direct sunlight, however. As we've seen with lots of camcorders, however, the recordings on the LCD look far more contrasty and blown out than the actual video, which means you can't trust it for making exposure or white balance adjustments
Like the HF S models, the HF20 and HF200 incorporate this year's features, which include Video Snapshots, 4-second clips used to create a "highlights reel" effect (the camcorders ship with a music CD). I like the idea, but the implementation can be annoying. You enter Video Snapshot mode by pressing a hard-to-feel button on the left side of the camcorder in the LCD recess. A blue outline appears on the display. When you press record, a highlight travels around the blue outline counting down your 4 seconds. It stays in Video Snapshot mode until you switch to playback or press the button again. While I like the way the display feedback works, I think I might have preferred a separate record button, or a choice on the mode dial rather than the have the isolated button. (For a complete accounting of the HF20/200's features, you can download the PDF manual.)
Performance and quality are top notch at both its maximum 24Mbps bit rate and at 17Mbps. (Recording capacities are about 5.5 minutes per gigabyte and 7.8 min/GB, respectively. Canon recommends a Class 4 or better SDHC card.) The camcorder focuses quickly and accurately, even in low light. Battery life is pretty good--about 1.5 hours--and Canon sells higher-capacity batteries to double or quadruple that. Unlike the HF S models, these don't offer quick charging. The optical stabilizer, as usual, works well out to the end of the zoom range. I did run into a problem with it failing to recognize my SD card (a normally bulletproof SanDisk Extreme III 30MB/sec edition) after initializing it and using it for a couple clips, but I was unable to reproduce the problem. Having internal memory "just in case" may be worth the price tradeoff for some users.
The video looks great, especially considering the small lens: surprisingly sharp, with saturated colors, and excellent exposures with relatively few blown-out highlights. The DigicDV 3 processing does a solid job maximizing the dynamic range. Living-room light-level recordings look quite good as well. There's a bit of noise and softness, but that's to be expected. The audio records crisp and clear, too, though the microphone placement tends to pick up wind noise. There are some flaws, however. While they lack the fringing I saw on the higher-end models, outdoor shots do show a bit of haze over light, brightly exposed objects, and I think there's a bit more ghosting than usual on fast moving subjects. Still-photos looked good and even a bit better than the HF S models, though they're lower resolution.
The Canon Vixia HF20 and HF200 are excellent camcorders, but do cost a lot more than the competition. Of course, you could also look at it reversed: they're smaller and less expensive than high-end models like the HF S10/S100, while offering a lot of the same features.

The Best Ever Camcorders

Canon XH A1

Giving independent videographers something to choose from besides its popular but long-in-the-tooth GL2, Canon offers up two HDV models designed to appeal to the prosumer and entry-level pro markets. Derived from the same technology that the professional-level XL H1 uses, the XH A1 and the XH G1 HDV models trade the XL H1's interchangeable lens system to lower the cost by one-half to two-thirds the price of the higher-end model. The two XH models share a single body, but the G1 includes the equivalent of the XL H1's JackPack--HD-SDI output with embedded audio and time code, Genlock synchronization, and Timecode In/Out--a group of connectors critical for anyone trying to mix multiple video input sources. In addition, the SDI output is the only way to get 4:2:2 output. We tested the lower-end XH A1.
All things considered it feels comfortable shooting with the XH A1; though it weighs almost five pounds, it's still considerably lighter than most. All the buttons and controls sit in logical locations, grouped roughly by function and generally in the same locations as they appear on competing models. They're good sizes, and various bumps and divots in the buttons provide enough tactile feedback to operate without looking. A large chunk of the camcorder's architecture lets you determine the speed and subtlety with which shifts occur during shooting, including focus, zoom and exposure changes, and white-balance adjustments. (For a complete discussion of the controls, click through the slide show.)
On the lens barrel, rings of different sizes and textures operate focus, zoom, and iris. In response to complaints about the mushiness of servo-controlled focus, Canon offers a Slow speed option; that option, plus a distance readout help to maintain a finer control over focus response, but you'll probably still want to try it and compare to others if you're picky about the feel. I think it feels about the same as the Panasonic AG-HVX200's.
The same three 1/3-inch CCDs with 1080i (1,440x1,080) native resolution that drive the XL H1 sit at the center of the XH series' imaging system, and like the H1, both models can record in 1080i at 30F or 24F frame rates. The latter comes in two versions, one which records to tape at 24 frames per second, and one which downconverts from 24fps to 30fps/60i using 2:3:3:2 pull-down before recording for greater editing compatibility. Their feature sets share many of the H1's technologies, including a Digic DV II processor, Super-Range Optical Image Stabilization, and the H1's customization architecture. The XH cameras have fixed 20x zoom lenses rather than the interchangeable lenses on the XL, but they offer a wider-angle view: 32.5mm-to-650mm equivalent.
The lens and focusing system perform very well. The lens displays very good edge-to-edge sharpness, albeit with a tendency to display a bit of magenta chromatic aberration on the sides, and the center focus looks great, especially when zoomed in tight. As usual, Canon's optical stabilizer works exceptionally well, even all the way out to 20x.
With Instant AF enabled, the autofocus works quickly, and the Push AF, which activates an Instant AF override in manual-focus mode, speeds manual focus considerably. As noted in the XH series' documentation, there's a bit of an autofocus lag in 24F and 30F modes; it's perceptible, but if you shoot a lot in those modes and use AF, your shooting rhythm should adapt after a while. Canon moved the Peaking and Magnify focusing aids out to the body of the camera--they were in the menu system in the XL H1--and you'll rely on them pretty heavily; the tiny, low-resolution LCD is pretty difficult to work with.
Canon provides seven gain levels: 36dB, 18dB, 12dB, 6dB, 3dB, 0dB, and -3dB (although, irritatingly, you can only program three on the L/M/H switch. At its lowest gain, video looks incredibly smooth, and even as high as 3dB you can shoot in low light with relatively little noise. At 12dB there's quite a bit of (mostly) luminance noise, but it doesn't really obscure much detail and you can shoot in near darkness. The quiet on-camera mic works pretty well in basic up-close-and-personal shooting, but you've got plenty of add-on options should your needs be more complex.
As you'd expect from camcorders in their class, the XH's produce excellent HD and SD video: sharp, saturated and smooth. The controversy that began with the XL H1 over the relative quality of Canon's 24F versus Panasonic's 24P--implemented by models such as the Panasonic AG-HVX200--continues, and applies equally to the XH series. To summarize: Panasonic's 24P is a full 720-line frame of video captured roughly every 1/24 second. Canon's 24F "fakes" progressive scan by slightly offsetting the vertical readout of the green CCD from those of the blue and red, generating a frame with 1.5x the lines of the 540-line field, or 810 lines, albeit ones using spatial rather than temporal interlace. As a result, the quality question arises: Do Canon's pseudo-progressive frames look the same as a true progressive frame or does one see artifacts?
I didn't see any; footage I shot specifically to test for 24F artifacts looked correct to me. (I played it back directly on our reference HDTV, the 50-inch Pioneer Pro-FHD1, to bypass the myriad software issues surrounding 24fps editing and playback.) However, if you want to see a bevy of test results, you can find them in the Texas Shootout on DV.com.
At their aggressive prices, the Canon XH A1 and XH G1 look mighty attractive compared to their respective competitors in the indie filmmaker and entry-level studio markets.

Price Range: Canon XH A1: $3,999.00 - $4,999.95