Panasonic SDR-SW20 has compact shape. It has sturdy and waterproof body. The SDR-SW20 is a nice and interesting device for those who need weatherproof camcorder for online video sharing. Panasonic SDR-SW20 remains waterproof up to 5-feet underwater for 30 minutes at a stretch. It adheres to the IEC (International Electro-technical Commission) 60529 IPX8 standard. The camcorder resists damage. It is shockproof up to four feet height. We tested this using MIL-STD-810F method 516.5 for shock testing. In addition, the SDR-SW20 records video of MPEG2 format at 10Mbps to SDHC/SD cards. Panasonic said water-resistant packing will loosen up over time and recommends that the user should replace the packing at least once in every 18 months. The horizontal design of Panasonic SDR-SW20 allows 10x optical zoom unlike Sanyo Xacti VPC-E1 which has a pistol-grip design. As the zoom is not smooth, so video jerks up and down as lens extends and retracts. There  [...]

JVC Everio GZ-MS100 is compact size and SD card based camcorder. It features one-touch button to upload the videos to internet. The YouTube branding on the back of LCD display and on the box attracts YouTube-savvy. JVC has introduced its new Laser Touch Interface to the Everio GZ-MS100, which is a plus point. JVC had manufactured this model to fit CMOS sensor of 680,000 pixels resolution and 35x optical zoom lens in a compact body. You will not find high-resolution sensor and better optical zoom on other models from its competitors. However, this great feature comes with an expensive price tag. In addition to this, JVC Everio GZ-MS100 does not provide good quality and performance. Therefore, you can check what other competitors are providing in their camcorders before making a final decision about new JVC model. We also recommend you to check Canon FS100 also as it has better features. JVC Everio GZ-MS100 has 2.7-inch rotating LCD display. You can flip open the display to access Laser  [...]

Unlike other camcorder manufacturers, JVC has a standard to include high-resolution image sensor in its product range. The new JVC Everio GZ-MG730 has 7-megapixels sensor instead of normal 680,000 pixels or 1-megapixel sensor. JVC had manufactured GZ-MG730 with a goal to provide a single-body device for both still camera and camcorder. The new JVC suffers with some issues like its competitor – Sony Handycam DCR-SR85 and Canon HG10. The Everio GZ-MG730 has both 30GB inbuilt hard drive and microSD card slot. However, it does not have a slot for headphone or external microphone. JVC Everio GZ-MG730 has 2.7-inch flip-type LCD display and well-placed controls. A dial surrounding the record button sits on the back, which is thumb-reachable. You can use this dial to change various modes for both still capture and video recording such as Aperture Priority, Shutter, Manual (Program AE), Auto and six scene options. The battery is also located on the back  [...]

Nikon Coolpix P100 is equipped with extraordinary feature set. It has high-speed CMOS sensor with 26x mega-zoom lens. The Coolpix P100 provides 1080p HD video recording, high-speed video and photo shooting, fun modes and various settings. It is well designed with easily manageable controls. However, you have to spend some time with user manual to know all the options. Nikon Coolpix P100 costs around $399.95. The P100 has 10-megapixel CMOS sensor that reduces noise in photos of low light and improves shooting-speed. The Coolpix P100 has various shooting modes. If you can pay more for better options, then we recommend Nikon Coolpix P100. Nikon Coolpix P100 has sensor-shift image stabilization (Nikon Optical VR) that works amazing to minimize the blur even with fully extended lens. It can combine with Nikon Best Shot Selector (BSS) to give better and sharp shot of still subject. BSS is high-speed shooting setting that captures up to 10 shots on pressing  [...]

Casio Exilim EX-S5 is capable of producing good photos and they looks nice. It feels well built except for its battery compartment door. The Exilim EX-S5 is easy to use camera with good feature and costs $130. Casio has made the EX-S5 ultra-compact, but its performance is not good and shutter lag is long. Your thumb will rest between a dedicated Movie button and the right edge of LCD. If you press the Movie mode button once, then it starts the recording. However, if you press it twice, then it stops the recording and takes you to shoot still photos. The Camera Mode and Playback buttons; set button and round directional-pad; Menu and Best Shot (BS) button are located beneath of one-press button. You can access all the settings through Menu button in Casio Exilim EX-S5. Moreover, for quick access to options, a panel of settings is also located on the right side of LCD screen. You can program the right and left directional to change settings such  [...]

In the cheap pocket camcorder market, Flip Video is the current reigning champion and Sony hasn’t given us anything better than Flip in the past. Sony’s camcorders are characterized by the vertical design and are in the $150-$250 price range. Sony’s NSC-GC1, a net sharing camcorder did very poorly in the market and back then, Sony camcorders went with the name “Webbie”. Since then the name has been changed to “Bloggie” and the MHS-CM5 that we got in our test was a bit better than Flip Video. The main reason behind this is the inclusion of a 5x optical zoom. Other features on the camcorder include a rechargeable lithium ion battery, 2.5 inch swiveling LCD, 5x optical zoom, and 1080p video capture. You can charge the camcorder through the USB port and the device also comes with an HDMI connector. Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 can record full HD 1920x1080 pixel resolution videos and the files are stored in H.264-compressed MPEG-4 format. There is support for Memory Stick Duo and SHDC  [...]

The Kodak EasyShare M381 is available in blue-gray, black and red colors. It is small enough to fit in a small handbag or pants pocket. The plastic controls feels cheap, however, the camera body is nice and comfortable to use. Shutter Button, Mode Dial, Power Button and Flash Buttons are located on the top whereas Zoom, Info, Review, Menu, Share, Delete and Five-way controller buttons are at the back of the camera. Kodak has made menus appealing, user friendly and you can easily navigate on this Kodak M381. The shooting options are not obscure. The Kodak has introduced a help button to show the description for each feature for helping us to take the pictures effectively. Cameras from different companies with better features and same price range are also available in the market. M381 has only electronic blur reduction but it did not have optical or mechanical image stabilization. The lens is narrow, whereas, cameras with wide-angle lenses are available  [...]

Previously, the market is captured by popular Mino HD Camcorder from Flip Video, however, the situation got changed when Creative has launched its Vado HD Camera which takes the pocket cam wars to a new level which effects the competitors like RCA and Kodak. Vado HD provides a mini HDMI Connector with a HDMI Cable for providing 1080i video output to HDTV with standard AV Output but did not provide any AV Cable. This feature is missing in Kodak Zi6 and Flip Video Mino HD.  Built-in 8GB flash memory is enough to store the 2 hours HD+ Video, 4 hours HD video and 8 hours VGA quality video. However, we cannot insert more external memory This small size Camera stunned us in video quality. The company is providing a protective Silicone Skin and built-in Vado Central Software for formatting and editing the videos after shooting. We observed that the Vado Central Software did not work at Mac and we have to use QuickTime to view the recorded video  [...]

Performance wise, this camcorder is similar to its hard disk based HDR-SR11 sibling. It gives excellent HD video quality and has the same midlevel set of features. The body of is compact because there is no hard disk inside. Presence of the flash based drive makes the body smaller and although it is easier to carry, the small size also means a relatively smaller LCD. We aren’t fond of such small touch screen because the buttons are too tiny and hence give the fingers a hard time. The bezel has same controls of calling up the menu systems, recording and zooming. Beneath the screen, there play, infodisplay, Easy (full auto) and backlight compensation button. There is also a NightShot switch for toggling through Sony’s infrared mode. The media slot is covered by a small door on the bottom. On the top of the device, there is a 5 channel microphone and Active Interface Shoe along with a sliding cover. The component output proprietary connector and  [...]

Looking at the specs, you will think that this is a great camera. It has 3-inch LCD, 12 mega pixel resolution, 24mm-equivalent wide-angle lens along with a 10x zoom, 1000 shots battery life, HD movie recording which is all put in a 1 inch thick body. However, once you use this camera, you will be disappointed with the cramped control layout, average shooting performance, OK stills quality and finally the exterior body. There are two features that really impressed us, the big battery life and the lens. The latter is not very good but still is on par with other competitors. We would recommend you this camera if you are looking for such good lens in a compact size. The camera looks attractive but the buttons on it are messed up. Shutter release with zoom ring and power button is located on the top. There are two more buttons located there; one is for Landscape Mode activation that can be used to boost color saturation or to correct cloudy or misty conditions.  [...]