Top Rank Camcorders That Record HD to SD
VIDEO TAPE IS ALL BUT DEAD AS A FORMAT for shooting home movies. YouTube is being filled by video recorded on phones, pocket cameras and – for the inure discerning – HD camcorders such as this, boasting first-class optics and the ability to record video and stills to both built-in drives and removable cards…
CANON LEGRIA HF M31 – Ease of Use
Incorporating a 3 megapixel CMOS sensor into a sleek, grippable chassis, this glossy 1920 x 1080p 50fps AVCHD model also offers stereo audio and records to a 32GB drive or SO/SDHC cards. A flip-out, 2.7-inch touchscreen allows the silky zoom to be controlled with a finger tap, while controls fall readily to hand. Replayed on a hi-def TV colours look natural, sound is generally decent and dimmer conditions are handled with ease,though we did get overexposed highlights.
(+) Great auto controls. Smooth touchscreen controls. Decent lens with a 15x zoom. Clear, realistic video footage
(-) Some exposure issues in auto mode
Price £750
SANYO XACTI VPC-SH1 – Budget Options
This ergonomic stylish range-topper offers 1920 x 1080i at 30fps and interpolated ten-megapixel snaps saved to SD. SDHC and high-capacity SDXC cards. The VPC-SH1 sports a digitally stabilized 35mm. 23x optical zoom and 30x “Advanced” zoom combining optical and digital. Footage saves in Motion JPEG format, which is more accessible than AVCHD. Colours are well saturated though detail suffers in low light. Audio is merely adequate but the compact dimensions, 235g weight, reachable controls and mini HDMI output ensure plenty of fun.
(+) Good value. Compact and easy to use
(-) Not great in lowlight. Average audio
Price £350
PANASONIC HDC-SD600 Best Features
Boasting a Leica 12x zoom and high quality3MOS sensor, the SD00 offers 1920 x 1080p AVCHD recording at 50fps to SD/SDHC card. You get natural colour reproduction to match the Canon and sound quality the equal of Sony, plus 14.2-megapixel stills. Composition is easy via the widescreen 2.7-inch LCD with intuitive touch control. Also handy are auto features from Panasonic’s stills cameras including an intelligent auto mode with face recognition and optical image stabilization. A very tine choice, all told.
(+) Natural colors. Sharp images. Auto features. Superb sound
(-) Bulkier than rivals. No mic or headphone sockets. Ropey menus
Price £600
SONY HDR-CX350 – Build Quality
Smaller than the Canc and Panasonic, this robust Handycam combines a wide-angle 274mm lens with 12x optical zoom, an Xmor R CMOS sensor that excels in the murk of evening. 1080i, AVCEID video at24tps and seven-megapixel stilts. Recording is to Memory Stick. SD card and 32GB internal drive. The CX350 gives the best, warmest colors on test – reds are particularly vivid — with plenty at detail and impressively cusp sound. Optical anti-shake assures iJader-free results. Offering almost prosumer level results,this justifies its higher price.
(+) Quality build. Great images and crisp sound
(-) Expensive. Small, fiddly touchscreen icons
Price £750
JVC EVERIO GZ-HM550 Connectivity
JVC ups the ante here with Bluetooth allowing pictures to be beamed wirelessly. You also get HDMI, a ten-megapixel CMOS sensor, 10x optical Konica Minolta lens and1080p recording at 50fps in AVCHD to SCHD card or 32GB internal drive, all in a unit about 10cm shorter than the Canon. Video and sonics are impressively clear, helped by JVCs Advanced Image Stabilizer. Colours have
enough saturation to ensure skin tones lock healthy but not unnatural. This is a solid, mid-priced device with some great features.
(+) Clear video andsound. Bluetooth. Decent zoom and fairly high resolution stills
(-) Low-res screen compared to rivals
Price £550
VIDEO TAPE IS ALL BUT DEAD AS A FORMAT for shooting home movies. YouTube is being filled by video recorded on phones, pocket cameras and – for the inure discerning – HD camcorders such as this, boasting first-class optics and the ability to record video and stills to both built-in drives and removable cards…
CANON LEGRIA HF M31 – Ease of Use
Incorporating a 3 megapixel CMOS sensor into a sleek, grippable chassis, this glossy 1920 x 1080p 50fps AVCHD model also offers stereo audio and records to a 32GB drive or SO/SDHC cards. A flip-out, 2.7-inch touchscreen allows the silky zoom to be controlled with a finger tap, while controls fall readily to hand. Replayed on a hi-def TV colours look natural, sound is generally decent and dimmer conditions are handled with ease,though we did get overexposed highlights.
(+) Great auto controls. Smooth touchscreen controls. Decent lens with a 15x zoom. Clear, realistic video footage
(-) Some exposure issues in auto mode
Price £750
SANYO XACTI VPC-SH1 – Budget Options
This ergonomic stylish range-topper offers 1920 x 1080i at 30fps and interpolated ten-megapixel snaps saved to SD. SDHC and high-capacity SDXC cards. The VPC-SH1 sports a digitally stabilized 35mm. 23x optical zoom and 30x “Advanced” zoom combining optical and digital. Footage saves in Motion JPEG format, which is more accessible than AVCHD. Colours are well saturated though detail suffers in low light. Audio is merely adequate but the compact dimensions, 235g weight, reachable controls and mini HDMI output ensure plenty of fun.
(+) Good value. Compact and easy to use
(-) Not great in lowlight. Average audio
Price £350
PANASONIC HDC-SD600 Best Features
Boasting a Leica 12x zoom and high quality3MOS sensor, the SD00 offers 1920 x 1080p AVCHD recording at 50fps to SD/SDHC card. You get natural colour reproduction to match the Canon and sound quality the equal of Sony, plus 14.2-megapixel stills. Composition is easy via the widescreen 2.7-inch LCD with intuitive touch control. Also handy are auto features from Panasonic’s stills cameras including an intelligent auto mode with face recognition and optical image stabilization. A very tine choice, all told.
(+) Natural colors. Sharp images. Auto features. Superb sound
(-) Bulkier than rivals. No mic or headphone sockets. Ropey menus
Price £600
SONY HDR-CX350 – Build Quality
Smaller than the Canc and Panasonic, this robust Handycam combines a wide-angle 274mm lens with 12x optical zoom, an Xmor R CMOS sensor that excels in the murk of evening. 1080i, AVCEID video at24tps and seven-megapixel stilts. Recording is to Memory Stick. SD card and 32GB internal drive. The CX350 gives the best, warmest colors on test – reds are particularly vivid — with plenty at detail and impressively cusp sound. Optical anti-shake assures iJader-free results. Offering almost prosumer level results,this justifies its higher price.
(+) Quality build. Great images and crisp sound
(-) Expensive. Small, fiddly touchscreen icons
Price £750
JVC EVERIO GZ-HM550 Connectivity
JVC ups the ante here with Bluetooth allowing pictures to be beamed wirelessly. You also get HDMI, a ten-megapixel CMOS sensor, 10x optical Konica Minolta lens and1080p recording at 50fps in AVCHD to SCHD card or 32GB internal drive, all in a unit about 10cm shorter than the Canon. Video and sonics are impressively clear, helped by JVCs Advanced Image Stabilizer. Colours have
enough saturation to ensure skin tones lock healthy but not unnatural. This is a solid, mid-priced device with some great features.
(+) Clear video andsound. Bluetooth. Decent zoom and fairly high resolution stills
(-) Low-res screen compared to rivals
Price £550
