DVD Camcorders

Canon DC50

Most camcorders offer still pictures as an afterthought -- not the Canon DC50. With its useful features, fine video details and a surprisingly robust photo mode, this DVD-based camcorder presents both a very good home-movie recorder and a competent snapshot camera

Editor's rating 7.2

Canon DC10

Canon's DC10 has an almost identical design to its sibling, the DC20 -- the latter benefits from a higher resolution CCD for stills photography and a night mode. If you're used to MiniDV, you might find the DC10's footage disappointing, but casual users may well find the convenience of straight-to-DVD recording more than compensates

Editor's rating 6.3

Hitachi DZ-GX3300E

Hitachi's DZ-GX3300E won't blow you away with its middle-of-the-road image quality, but a quick start-up time and the ability to edit video in the camera might appeal. Similarly, the camera's 10x optical zoom, 3-megapixel CCD and fairly standard feature set will neither wow nor disappoint

Editor's rating 6.6

Canon DC40

Canon's DC40 cements its place among the best of the DVD camcorders with its broad, useful feature set, zippy shooting performance, attractive design and good video quality. It does suffer from many of the same performance flaws as its competitors, but if your heart is set on recording to DVD, it's well worth a look

Editor's rating 7.7

Canon DC20

The DC20 offers a f/1.8, 10x optical zoom lens, coupled with a single CCD whose image quality leaves something to be desired, particularly in low light. However, as with most DVD camcorders, what you sacrifice in features you regain in simplicity and hassle-free operation

Editor's rating 6.2

Sony Handycam DCR-DVD405

The Sony Handycam DCR-DVD405 features Dolby 5.1 Surround recording and delivers above-average video and stills in a compact, comfortable package. Before you commit, though, give the touch screen an in-store tryout as it can make or break your experience with this product

Editor's rating 7.1

Sony Handycam DCR-DVD505E

Thanks to a large LCD screen and responsive performance, shooting with the Sony Handycam DCR-DVD505E is a pleasure -- throw in its superior video quality and the camcorder makes an excellent alternative to MiniDV models if you're looking for straight-to-player convenience

Editor's rating 7.5

Panasonic VDR-D300

DVD camcorders have typically sacrificed quality for convenience compared to MiniDV models in the same price range. The Panasonic VDR-D300 breaks that mould by offering video quality that's noticeably better than that of many competing DVD camcorders, as well as three CCDs for excellent colour, even in low-light situations

Editor's rating 7.3

Sony DCR-DVD203

The Sony Handycam DCR-DVD203 has many of the features that made the DCR-DVD403 one of our top DVD camcorders, including solid video quality, speedy start-up and DVD convenience. It's not quite as good at low-light shooting and doesn't cut it for still photos, though

Editor's rating 7.3

Sony Handycam DCR-DVD7E

Although MiniDV camcorders offer superior image clarity and longer record times than DVD camcorders, there is something uniquely pleasurable about popping a DVD straight out of the Sony Handycam DCR-DVD7E and into your home player. If you're not looking to be the next Tarantino, the 7E makes a viable choice

Editor's rating 7.2

Hitachi DZ-GX20E

Hitachi's DZ-GX20E offers speedy start-up, solid video quality in a variety of lighting conditions and the ability to edit video in-camera. With a 10x optical zoom, a 2-megapixel CCD, a basic set of features and decent overall performance, it's not a standout. But it's worth considering if you want the convenience of DVD recording at a reasonable price

Editor's rating 6.9

Sony Handycam DCR-DVD403

The Sony Handycam DCR-DVD403 leaves its underachieving predecessors in the dust, offering superior video quality, improved performance, above-average photos and a no-compromise feature set

Editor's rating 7.5

Hitachi DZ-MV580E

User rating 7.7

Editor's rating 7.0

Panasonic VDRM70B

Editor's rating 6.7