Holiday Camcorder Awards

by Robin Liss
Published on Dec 2, 2001 12:00 AM



It's that time of year again, the Holidays. Everyone is buying presents and enjoying the holidays with family. Where ever people are giving gifts or families are gathering, camcorders are bound to be present. Are you one of the many people shopping for a camcorder this holiday season? Can't quite figure out which camcorder is best for you? Let our Holiday camcorder awards help guide you. We've awarded camcorders in different categories as our favorites for the holiday season. Drum roll please...

You can read the camcorderinfo.com review by clicking on the camcorder link.

Best Budget Digital Camcorder When we mean budget, we mean budget. However, we had a tie in this category. Our first pick was the Sony DCR-TRV130 for the large zoom, manual features and cheap tapes. We also picked the Panasonic PV-DV201 for good quality MiniDV at a cheap price

Best Budget "Shoot Like a Pro" Digital CamcorderWe've always liked Canon camcorders for including many manual features. If you want to shoot video like the pros do but you can't afford anything over $1000, then the Canon ZR20 is for you. This camcorder shoots video and does it right. The inclusion of manual shutter speed, focus and white balance give you more manual control than other consumer level budget camcorders. This camcorder doesn't carry a lot of baggage either. No digital still capability and few special effects mean this is a camcorder for anyone who wants to do some serious shooting.

Best Mid-Ranged Digital Camcorder The Sony DCR-TRV30 has received many positive reports from users. It's a nice camcorder with good quality stills and it's fairly small. We like the TRV30 especially for it's great picture quality and sleek look.

Best Camcorder / Digital Still Camera Hybrid When doing digital stills, resolution is key. The more the better. Nobody does it better than Sony. The Sony DCR-PC110 is our choice for the best Camcorder / Digital Still Camera hybrid, but it will set you back around $1200. The camcorder can take digital stills up to a resolution of 1152 x 864 pixels, and the mega pixel CCD produces nice quality stills. We picked the PC110 over the newer DCR-PC120 because we fell that the added resolution (and price) with the DCR-PC120 isn't worth it. Unlike many other camcorders that are the stand-up (matchbox) style, the PC110 is easy to use and handle.

Best High-End (above $2000, under $3000) Camcorder The main competitors in this field were the Sony VX2000, Canon GL-1 and the Panasonic AG-DV15. We had to go with the old favorite the Sony VX2000 for the great picture quality and it's history of being a reliable camcorder. However, it's very hard to choose a camcorder in this category. Try all three and also look at the PD-150 to see what camcorder is best for you.

Hopefully these awards can help you make the right camcorder decision.