Holiday Gift Guide - Best Camcorders of 2007

Take a look at what's new in camcorders and see our picks for the best of 2007.

This may have been the most exciting year in camcorders since the things were first invented. We've seen a stunning array of new features and new ideas being presented into what had previously been a rather stable and, frankly, boring arena. It's been a pleasure to witness the advent of high-definition video, the introduction of hard disk drives and memory cards as recording media, and the emergence of inexpensive, simple camcorders due to the popularity of Internet video. We've sorted through this year's crop of new releases and singled out several highlights that would make an excellent gift this holiday season. Each has its own particular strength, and consumers of all skill levels and interests should be able to find the right camcorder for them amidst our picks.

Standard Definition

Best DVD Camcorder Canon DC50	It can't get much easier than the Canon DC50 DVD Camcorder. Recording directly to DVD bypasses some of the headaches involved with connecting your camcorder to a TV or computer via cables, or fumbling with awkward cassette adapters and other accessories. Simply record, pop the DVD into a compatible player, and enjoy and share your memories.
Best MiniDV Camcorder Our Top Panasonic Camcorder Panasonic PV-GS80 Grade: HQ Grade: F A is outstanding and exceptional, rated in the top 10% of camcorders. B means they are good, with some standout features. C means they are mediocre, and probably more trouble than they are worth. D & F mean they are absolutely awful or old. Avoid at all costs. from $350.00	The Panasonic PV-GS80 is a reliable, easy-to-use camcorder that's trying to adapt to new trends without compromising its affordable price tag or familiar style. The GS80 is a standard definition camcorder that records to familiar MiniDV tapes, but throws in a few twists like 16:9 widescreen recording (not HD, keep in mind) for playback on modern televisions, and a powerful noise-reducing zoom microphone. This is a great camcorder for novice or casual shooters, no fancy frills, just great video.
Best Web-Ready Camcorder Easy YouTube Videos! Pure Digital Flip Ultra (2GB) Grade: HQ Grade: A- A is outstanding and exceptional, rated in the top 10% of camcorders. B means they are good, with some standout features. C means they are mediocre, and probably more trouble than they are worth. D & F mean they are absolutely awful or old. Avoid at all costs. from $109.00	It's about time somebody put together a nice option for the wannabe web auteurs who want a quick and easy way to get their product on YouTube. The Pure Digital Flip Video Ultra is tailor made for such endeavors. It's a bare-bones camcorder, so don't expect much in the way of quality, but the videos are optimized for the Internet and the camera makes it blindingly easy to upload to your favorite website. Endearingly easy, excitingly innovative, the Flip Video Ultra is starting a revolution in camcorders by, surprisingly enough, getting rid of fancy features.

High Definition

Best HD MiniDV Camcorder Easy HD from Canon Canon HV20 Grade: HQ Grade: F A is outstanding and exceptional, rated in the top 10% of camcorders. B means they are good, with some standout features. C means they are mediocre, and probably more trouble than they are worth. D & F mean they are absolutely awful or old. Avoid at all costs. from $1,299.95	The Canon HV20 camcorder is a good introduction to high-definition video for the average consumer, perhaps the most approachable and understandable camcorder of this class. Canon has a reputation for excellence in their digital camcorders, and the HV20 is very appealing with a built-in HDMI output for easy HDTV connection and the use of familiar MiniDV tapes which most people should recognize and be comfortable with. It's expensive, but you get a lot for your money.
Best HD Memory Card Camcorder Powerful HD Camcorder Panasonic HDC-SD1 Grade: HQ Grade: D- A is outstanding and exceptional, rated in the top 10% of camcorders. B means they are good, with some standout features. C means they are mediocre, and probably more trouble than they are worth. D & F mean they are absolutely awful or old. Avoid at all costs. from $599.99	We got an opportunity to play with the Panasonic SD1 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this year, and we came away pretty impressed. The SD1 is a full HD camcorder capable of recording 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound. Even more amazing, it completely does away with traditional storage media like tapes or discs. Instead, the SD1 records directly to Secure Digital memory cards, the same kind you use in your digital camera. This makes transferring to a computer easy, and allows the camcorder to be significantly more compact.
Best HD Hard Drive Disk Camcorder The Smallest HD Camcorder Ever! Sony SR5 Grade: HQ Grade: F A is outstanding and exceptional, rated in the top 10% of camcorders. B means they are good, with some standout features. C means they are mediocre, and probably more trouble than they are worth. D & F mean they are absolutely awful or old. Avoid at all costs. from $1,269.99	Sony stumbled a bit when it first entered the Hard Drive Disk Camcorder arena, but the Sony SR5 seems to be a nice recovery. What you'll notice first about the SR5 is its compact size; in fact, it's the smallest high-definition camcorder available today. Inside that small body, however, is a very large 40GB hard drive that the SR5 uses to store your video instead of DVDs or tapes. You never have to worry about accidentally recording over a precious memory, and easy transfer to a computer makes sharing your video on the Internet or burning a DVD to share very easy.