At first sight the Picsio GC-FM1, JVC's new ultra-compact camcorder, seems to be just another Flip competition. Beneath the metallic lustre, however,  the Picsio impressed us with an outstanding video performance, above all with very good colour accuracy and sharpness. Sadly, the Picsio has one big fault: it's build quality, a lot of controls and buttons feel cheap and unstable.

The newly announced JVC Picsio GC-FM1 (MSRP $199) arrives on the camcorder market with a bit less glitz than the metallic surface it sports. At first glance, the Picsio is just another Flip clone, trying to carve a piece out of the ultracompact camcorder marker. Beneath the surface, the Picsio provides some impressive quality video that is, unfortunately, accompanied by a body design that lacks durability and reliability.

The MHS-PM1 ($169.99 MSRP) and MHS-CM1 are the two members of Sony's Webbie HD line of camcorders. While the MHS-CM1 has the traditional horizontal layout of a consumer camcorder, the MHS-PM1 offers an upright design that strongly resembles the popular Flip series of camcorders. Both Webbie HD camcorders offer 1440 x 1080 HD recording at 30 frames per second (30p). In addition to its compact design, the PM1 has a unique movable lens system that allows you to rotate the lens up to 270-degrees (great for self-shooting). The MHS-PM1 certainly has a lot more to offer than the Flip camcorders—you can change video resolutions, use scene modes, and take 5-megapixel still images. The real question, however, is whether the camcorder is able to emulate the Flip's intuitive design and simple interface.

The design of Sony's MHS-PM1 is very similar to the Flip series of camcorders, which has the strongest market share by far in this ultra-compact budget category. So how do you make a name for yourself? Sony is trying with a swivel lens that can be rotated up to 270-degrees. We like the features that Sony added to trump the Flip, but user experience is certainly not as fun.

The Kodak Zx1 ($149.95 MSRP) represents another addition to the growing market of ultra-compact budget camcorders that record HD video. While the current market is dominated by Pure Digital's Flip line of camcorders, products like the Kodak Zx1 and Sony Webbie HD camcorders offer their own unique designs, settings, and features—all in an attempt to produce a simple video recording experience.

Kodak's Zx1 is a sturdy, water-resistant, ultra-compact budget camcorder. It offers several frame rates for recording video and it can take still photos. The still features are limited, and the 3-megapixel images are mediocre; but it does take stills, unlike any of the Flip camcorders. Instead of the not so practical pop-out USB arm, the Kodak Zx1 includes an HDMI terminal, a USB and AV-out port, and an SD/SDHC card slot—all well protected with rubber covers. Unfortunately, the Kodak Zx1 is not quite as intuitive or streamlined as the Flip camcorders, especially with its unclear button-labels and confusing interface. Nonetheless, the Kodak Zx1 can be a good alternative to the Flip or other ultra-compact camcorders.

After releasing an HD version of its Flip Mino camcorder late last year, Pure Digital has finally provided the same update to its larger Flip Ultra models. The Flip UltraHD, which features a new video compression engine, 8GB of internal flash memory, an HDMI output, and 720/30p HD video recording, is currently on the market for $199—that's $30 cheaper than the Flip MinoHD if you're taking notes. The camcorder also features the same, easy-to-use uploading software that has made Flip camcorders the favorite of YouTubers and video bloggers alike. With YouTube now firmly supporting HD video, the Flip UltraHD is arriving at just the right time for novice users to catch onto the high definition bandwagon.

Pure Digital's Flip UltraHD (£159.99) is the upgrade of the Flip Ultra. Following its sister models, the mini-camcorder is just as easy to use. The UltraHD, however, features a little more: it is packed with 8GB of internal memory, has an HDMI port—the first Flip to have one—and records at a resolution of 1280 x 720 and a 30p frame rate. It also delivers the best overall performance yet from the Flip series.

With the instability of today's economy, it's perhaps fortuitous that Sony decided to push more heavily into the ultra-budget camcorder market in 2009. This year's Consumer Electronics Show saw the introduction of the Sony Webbie HD MHS-CM1, a traditional horizontal camcorder with a low price tag, easy high definition recording, and simple uploading to sites like YouTube.

The company that practically invented the YouTube-ready camcorder, Pure Digital, has finally released a high definition camcorder, the Flip MinoHD ($229 MSRP). While it's always exciting to see the next product from a winning company, the MinoHD is a bit of a conundrum. First of all, YouTube does not support HD video. Secondly, even if you wanted skip uploading and  simply play back video on your big screen HDTV, the MinoHD only offers a standard definition connection. In fact, the only way to watch your HD video is on a computer. We definitely found some performance improvements over the original Flip Mino, but the ultimate value of the MinoHD is in question.

The Flip Mino ($179 MSRP) is the smallest and most advanced camcorder to date from the American upstart company Pure Digital. Following the enormously successful Flip and Flip Ultra, Pure Digital has helped usher in a renaissance of enthusiasm for home movies by making the process both extremely easy and dirt cheap. The Mino offers a handful of advances over previous generations - including an improved interface, better video processing, and a microphone upgrade - but the company has gone on record saying it will not upgrade its star product too much. The best thing about the Flip Mino remains the utter simplicity. A child can, and probably will, use this without any of the frustrations associated with the average camcorder. 

There's no shortage of cheap, ultra-compact, straight-to-YouTube camcorders. Pure Digital is making waves with its Flip Mino (now customizable). Earlier this fall, we put the Creative Vado and the Kodak Zi6 through their paces. The tide continues with our review of the RCA EZ210 (MSRP $149.99), the first of RCA's Small Wonder lineup to come through our labs. The results were disappointing, at best. The video performance is plagued by compression and exposure problems. Although RCA has dubbed the EZ210 the "Traveler," it can't handle sunny outdoor conditions very well. It's also larger than most of the competition, and it isn't water-resistant (despite the vaguely submergeable look of the thing). Wherefore Traveler? Considering that the rugged exterior is this camcorder's best asset, it's no small wonder that the Flip Mino is winning the competition.

The Kodak Zi6 ($179 MSRP) is yet another in the growing list of ultra-small, ultra-budget camcorders designed for YouTubers and other online video enthusiasts. We've seen mixed results from others trying to copy the success of the Pure Digital Flip, like the mediocre Creative Vado. Kodak is attempting to up the ante here by making not just a small camcorder, but one that records in HD. The results are surprisingly good. If you're playing the video back on your TV or computer, the performance far exceeds the Flip. The obvious problem is that YouTube doesn't support HD, and squeezes the Zi6's footage down a point that flattens any advantages. Read on for more...

The Pure Digital’s original Flip camcorder, released earlier this year, created an unusual amount of buzz by positioning itself well below the price point of traditional point-and-shoot camcorders. For the first time, a company truly succeeded in taking video away from the computer-savvy and making it safe for the technophobe. Pure Digital follows up with the Flip Ultra (1GB version $149 / 2GB version $179), offering second-generation video processing, a slimmer profile, and an iPod-like choice of colors. The Flip delivers on its promise of simplicity, but that comes at a cost. The camcorder offers absolutely no manual adjustments except a 2x digital zoom. Worse, the picture quality goes from poor to abysmal, particularly in how it handles motion. Considering that significantly more robust MiniDV camcorders can be had for less than twice that price (some less than $50 more), you really have to ask yourself, “How much am I willing to sacrifice for ease of use and portability?”

Imitation is the highest form of flattery. Riding on the coattails of Pure Digital's Flip series, Creative has launched its own ultra-compact, ultra-affordable camcorder. The Creative Vado (MSRP $99.99) is in many ways an exact clone of the Flip Ultra and its successor, the Flip Mino. All three are a study in bare bones simplicity, offering as few features and as few buttons as possible. They aim to reinvigorate the home movie phenomenon by making the process easy and cheap.