Still using tapes in your camcorder? Okay, Grog — maybe you can take a second to show us your methods for hunting wooly mammoths...after you've mastered fire, of course. For the truly evolved, a flash based AVCHD camcorder is a must. Digi-cams recording with this format support full HD video, can easily burn to Blu-ray, with the best ones sporting__ prices that don't feel like you're being clubbed over the noggin'. __ — Jackson Lynch
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Panasonic HDC-SD9__
Despite being released back in January of this year, the 1920 x 1080, 10x optical zoom SD9 is (still) the top performer. Touted by Panasonic as the world’s smallest full HD cam, its slimmed down profile makes it a real winner with the portability crowd. HD image quality and compression are noticeably ahead of other cams in this round-up, but there’s still some ghosting and artifacts in certain (read: low light) situations. The menu system is classic Panasonic simple and easy to learn, but the joystick has been moved into the LCD cavity, hampering movement and versatility. The rest of the controls are nicely placed with smooth well-modulated zoom and a fumble-resistant dedicated optical image stabilization button.
__WIRED __Small, well-built design. Simple menu system. Top notch battery life.
__TIRED __Moving the joystick to the LCD bridled shooting ease. Shrunken size compromised comfort and usability.
$800, panasonic.com
Sanyo VPC-1010
Standing apart from the crowd with its unique form factor, this Sanyo AVCHD video cam is a pocket-sized video rocket shooting 1080p at 30 frames per second with a 38-380mm zoom. The novel design and sharp video are complemented by functions like Face Detection and Face Chaser which zero in on faces in the scene and both focus and adjust the exposure on the fly. It works surprisingly well and delivers some delicious video to the SD/SDHC memory format. The 1010 also records fairly sharp 4-megapixel stills as long as ambient light isn’t terribly low. In spite of all this goodness Sanyo may have been asleep at the wheel by not including optical image stabilization. If you can live with merely digital IS, then take good look at this multifaceted camcorder.
WIRED Easy to handle form factor. 10x optical zoom. 4-megapixel stills on the fly. Admirable video quality.
TIRED No optical image stabilization. Sound is a touch weak.
$800, sanyo.com
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JVC GZ-HD40
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JVC’s upgrade to a bigger CMOS sensor and the switch to AVCHD have reaped big dividends for the HD40 and its massive (and heavy) 120GB
hard drive. Video quality has greatly improved from previous JVC models and the dual compression option, which includes MPEG-2 TS and MPEG-4, gives you a choice between video quality and more content per gigabyte.
The HD40 is almost ceryainly geared slightly more toward experienced shooters who want more control over their settings. Making video in automatic mode delivered an occasional rollercoaster ride with auto focus lagging and white balance showing inconsistencies. JVC includes a few effective semi-auto function buttons like the Spot Exposure Control which provides more accurate reading of the setting; and Backlight
Compensation which opens up the exposure when there’s bright light behind your subject.
WIRED Sharp video with two compression choices. CMOS sensor a big upgrade for video quality. Comfortable ergonomics.
TIRED Auto white balance was inconsistent. 120GB HDD makes it heavy. Auto mode shooting is inconsistent.
$1300, jvc.com
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Panasonic HDC-SX5__
Yes, yes yes, we know...another Panasonic in our round-up. But we felt that if the HDC-SD9 is a role model for how to build a great tapeless camera, then the HDC-SX5 is a prime example of how *not *to build one__. __The convergence concept may have gone a bit awry when Panasonic schemed to combine DVD and SD/SDHC media into an AVCHD (1920 x 1080) shooter. In the quest to give consumers more options things only get more complicated. The snag isn’t the high def angle because the video quality is actually very admirable. The problem lies with the DVD
integration – it’s a headache, which adds time, expense, size, weight and a whole lotta mini DVDs to the equation. Complicating things even more is a somewhat arcane menu system that isn’t really geared to the novice and takes a while to get your arms around.
WIRED Comfy ergonomics. Good video quality.
TIRED Expensive and bulky. Not meant for novice shooters.
$1200, panasonic.com
(Images by Panasonic, Sanyo, and JVC)
