DVD Camcorders

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

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

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

Panasonic VDRM70B

Editor's rating 6.7