This summer will be a tad special for folks in Europe, and if you have anything special planned for the summer then don’t forget to record it  on your camcorder to cherish the moments for ever. What? You don’t have one. Ok, do not worry, remember we said that summer will be a tad special for folks in Europe, by that we wanted to give a good news to folks in Europe. So, here it goes, Sony will be launching their Sony Handycam SX21E in Europe this summer, and that is what makes the summer there special. The Sony Handycam SX21E sports 67x Extended Zoom for booting. To make it simple for you, let us tell you that the  [...]

Read More

Contour has revealed the latest high definition helmet friendly 1080p camcorder, which will be hitting all shops offline and online on 18th May with the price of $499. The designers have really improved on the original Contour high definition helmet camcorder initially launched by the company. It hangs on to maximum 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution for video, while the mini high definition media input port and microSD slot are now neatly designed. It also features the 170-degree wide view lens; on the other hand the helmet camcorder capabilities have been expanded. One of the extensive and exclusive features found in new Contour 1080p HD camcorder is the support for Bluetooth 2.1. With the help of this feature, this

Read More

Sony Bloggie Touch MHS-TS20 is a nice looking pocket camcorder as compared to other devices in this class which looks cheap and junky. There is brushed metal used in the chassis which makes it feel good in the hand. The front side just has lens and nothing else. The record button and three inch touch screen display are located on the back. You will have to hold the device horizontally for shooting videos and the whole screen can be use for shot framing. This is good as other minicamcorders just let you use the full screen for video playback. Sony Bloggie Touch MHS-TS20 comes with autorotation sensor and the device will automatically change the orientation of the video when you hold the camera vertically or horizontally. When you hold the  [...]

Read More

Panasonic HM-TA1 is a candy bar styled camcorder that it to be held vertically. The gadget is really attractive, compact and lightweight. But the design is disappointing from here. I didn’t like the glossy plastic body which gave a cheap look to the camcorder. It absorbs fingerprints really quickly and it is also slippery to hold. The memory card/battery compartment and power key are located on the right and depending on the size of your hand, the thumb might slide this compartment or hit the power key accidentally. Also, the door feels flimsy and cheap. The left side has a AV output under the door which is just composite. The manufacturer has included a cable for this in the package. However, I was disappointed to see that there was no component cable accessory option and no HDMI port.  [...]

Read More

Sony gives three models for this series. Two of them are flash based - CX110 and CX150 and the Sony Handycam HDR-XR150 that I got in my labs for reviewing has a built in hard disk. This review will apply to all three camcorders since there is no difference in quality; they just differ by storage modes. The CX150 has 16 GB flash memory, CX110 too is flash-based but doesn’t come with any memory, and the XR-150 has 120 GB built in hard disk. The prices of these gadgets range from $400-$600. The flash siblings are pretty compact because there is no hard disk inside. These devices have a touch screen interface but the display is a bit small at just 2.7 inches. For the menu system, you can put six menu choices on the custom menu that pops up before you enter the full menu listing. There are  [...]

Read More

Last year’s mainstream Canon flash HD camcorders were really good and the Canon Vixia HF M300 has carried over plenty of good features about it. The video quality is good and so is the performance and features especially for the price at which it is offered. Some people might find it a bit difficult to use the touch screen interface and the battery life too is relatively short. You also need use to highest video quality for most of the time. Amongst the various camcorders in this series, I would say that the HF M300 is the best. The bodies of the M series camcorders are lightweight and small. They have a plastic body but still feel well constructed. They are not too small either, larger hands can grip it comfortably. There is a physical switch for toggling between the full auto and manual  [...]

Read More

JVC Everio GZ-HM320 is a serious compromise on quality for people who are on a stiff budget. This device costs $60-$100 less than the HD camcorders and the only good thing about the device is that it is cheap and small. The screen has a very low resolution and the 20x zoom lens has no optical image stabilization (all you get is electronic). JVC is selling ten HD camcorders right now for less than $800. Four of these are quite identical versions and are priced between $450-$500. Three are based on flash technology and they differ only by the built in storage memory. Finally, the fourth has an 80 GB hard disk which can take in microSD cards instead of the standard SDHC/SDXC cards. The JVC's methods of naming their camcorders is pretty confusing, I first thought that the HD320 and HD300 are siblings  [...]

Read More

Before this, I got to review the Vixia HF S1x series by Canon last year but I didn't like it much because those camcorders didn't have an electronic viewfinder and it is a must for enthusiasts. Camcorders have which have an EVF built-in, offer better ergonomics while your record the video and you can always see through the EVF in the bright light when LCD fails to deliver. Canon has finally given an EVF on Vixia HF S21, the manufacturer's step up model. All this seems good on paper but we were turned off by the price tag of $200. It is a bit higher than what competition is offering. There are three models in the HF S series and they have different memory configuration. I got the HF S200 in my labs for review but this review applies to all the models in this series since all of them have  [...]

Read More

Kodak Playsport is also known as Zx3 and it is a successor to the Kodak Zx1. That device was weatherproof where as Playsport can resist water. It can stand water up to 9.8 feet under the water. There have been improvements made in other areas too which makes this device an excellent pocket video camera when you are in and out of water. There are some shortcomings on the Kodak Playsport but I’d be crazy to complain about it because the price of this product is really low. Maybe some of you have already made up your mind to buy this camcorder but if you are keen to learn about the features inside the device, read on. I will recommend you this mini camcorder if you are going to shoot in water a lot or need  rugged camera. For keeping water out of the ports, Kodak Playsport comes  [...]

Read More

This camcorder is the successor to the CX 100 series, there are three devices in this line up – Sony Handycam and all three are made for the budget consumer. The only difference between the trio is the storage option and color. CX 110 doesn’t have any built in memory, CX 150 has built in 160 GB, and XR 150 has a big 120 GB hard disk. Apart from the storage and color options, there are no major differences between them and I am writing a single review for all three models using CX150. I didn’t ask for the other two models in my labs since the Sony reps told me that they are pretty much the same in features. XR 150 comes only in black, CX 150 comes in red too and CX 110 comes with a blue option apart from the previous two color choices. All the three camcorders will easily fit in to  [...]

Read More