Price: $2,640
Verdict: A great pro-quality all-rounder
that adds a string of updates to an already impressive package
Ratings: 5/5
The Sony NEX-VG10 has been knocked off the
top spot to make way for its successor, the VG20. But this is no mere title
bump: you also get a vastly improved experience. Not only is this the best
looking camcorder on the market, it also adds a higher bitrate for glitch free
footage, incredible 5.1 sound, and 1080p at 60fps video shot on a 16.1MP APS HD
Exmor sensor the same found in Sony's NEX-5N and NEX-C3 mirrorless cameras.
Chuck in superb stills, comprehensive manual controls, great RAW skills and
refinements such as enhanced grips and a second record button, and you've got the
best camcorder around.
GoPro HD Hero2 Outdoor Edition
Price: $470
Ratings: 5/5
The Hero has been fully updated for 2012,
gaining new mounts, new processing smarts and new skills including adjustable
field of view and 10fps burst shooting of stills. And with a hugely simplified
menu system, you'll be able to spend more time jumping off mountains.
Canon XA10
Price: $2,670
Ratings: 5/5
Canon’s ultra-compact XA10 handles fine
detail superbly due to its f/1.8 lens and 2.37MP chip. It may not look big enough
to play with the big boys, but twin XLR inputs on its detachable handle give it
professional prowess straight out the box.
Panasonic HDC-SDT750
Price: $1,635
Ratings: 5/5
The world's first consumer 3D camcorder is
essentially a converter lens bundled with a competent HD shooter. In 3D mode it
does have some limitations like no zoom and difficulty with fast-moving
subjects, but spectacular results make it worth the price.
Sony HDR-TD10
Price: $1,350
Ratings: 5/5
The king of 3D video does it properly, with
two lenses plus two Exmor chips adding up to superbly sharp footage. Decent
touchscreen controls and astounding depth (in 2D and 3D) make up for the hefty
size. It's being phased out, so get your best haggle on.
JVC GC-XA1
Price: $350
Ratings: 5/5
This hardy tough cam serves up 1080p video
with simple, intelligent operation and 5m waterproofing. It comes with a Wi-Fi
friendly iPhone app too, that lets you use your smartphone as a viewfinder and
remote control, plus instant YouTube-ing.
JVC Everio GS-TD1
Price: $1,905
Ratings: 5/5
3D video comes of age with JVC's
twin-lensed, twin-sensored Wall-E lookalike. The TD1 can also play back
three-dimensional footage on its stereoscopic screen and take 3D stills, with
uniformly great results. Lacks the frills of its 2D rivals, though.
Panasonic HC-V500
Price: $560
Ratings: 4/5
A compact body, ease of use and 2D to 3D
conversion are this dinky cam's top features. While bigger and pricier
camcorders offer better detail and colour reproduction, hybrid image stabilisation
and a 38x optical zoom are a definite step up from last year's model.
Panasonic HX-WA10
Price: $390
Ratings: 4/5
If it's quality underwater video that
you're after, meet the HX-WA10. Its full HD footage is smooth, with excellent
colour recreation, and the 12x combined optical and digital zoom leaves
fixed-focus cams trailing. Only fiddly controls count against it.
Liquid Image Summit HD Video
Price: $245
Ratings: 4/5
A bit of a curio, this one - the Summit HD
is a 720p video camera crossed with a pair of ski goggles. Unlike most action
cams, there’s no need to mess around with fiddly mounts and it’s similarly easy
to operate. Footage is good rather than great, though.
Instant expert
It's been so long since the GoPro's
dominance of the action cams world was challenged that we were beginning to
think it would never happen. Enter the Contour+2 (US$570, contour-hd.co.m).
Taking the best bits from the original Contour+ and last year's excellent Roam,
it crams socialsharing features,
smartphone control, an external mic port and GPS smarts into its brushed-metal
barrel. A waterproof case rated to 60m has been chucked in the box, too,
alongside a 4GB microSD card and a mini HDMI cable for live streaming. All of
which means it offers more features, better out-of the box ruggedness, and a
lower price tag than its predecessors. If the footage it shoots is of the same
high standard, the GoPro HD Hero2 could have a fight on its hands.
What to look for
Storage
The two most popular storage types are hard
disks and solid state either built-in, on cards, or both. HDD camcorders have
bigger capacities, but are also larger and more vulnerable to bumps; flash
memory drives and cards are becoming a better bet as prices continue to fall.
Zoom
Some models offer up to 70x optical zoom,
but most will have between 10x and 20x zoom. Remember to separate claims about
optical and digital zooms: digital reduces picture quality, since it just
expands the captured image.
Stills
If you want your camcorder to double as a
stills camera, remember most are capable of producing only mediocre-quality
photos. Loads of cameras can record HD video, though, so they're a better bet
if you want one do it all gadget.
3D
You can give your films an extra dimension
with a 3D-capable cam. Some use two lenses, some a converter kit; either will
need a big wallet.
