10 BEST CAMCORDERS - The Independent, 21 May 2003
They're smart, PC-friendly and let you shoot hours of pin-sharp digital
footage. So, asks technology writer Mark Harris, are you ready for your close-up?
JVC GR-DC70
£750
A treat for the techies, the D70 has a 700x digital zoom and can squeeze footage
anamorphically for perfect playback on widescreen TVs. Audio and video quality
are great, which leaves only its dull grey plastic body as an excuse to leave
it languishing on the shelf. But you’re not that shallow, are you?
JVC (0870 330 5000) www.jvc.co.uk
Hitachi DV-MV380
£1000 -- BEST BUY
Tech doesn’t come much higher than a third-generation DVD camcorder that
records directly to shiny discs. With flexible MPEG-2 recording, you can choose
either extended recording time or higher quality footage. A standard DVD-R blank
holds up to an hour’s filming and will work in almost any home DVD player.
Hitachi (08457 581455) www.hitachidigitalmedia.com
Archos 120
Jukebox Multimedia £410
If you believe tape is only good for wrapping presents, you’ll love a camcorder
that feeds up to 40 hours of footage to a built-in 20Gb hard drive. Image quality
isn’t up to DV camcorder standard and the 1.5-inch screen is on the small
side, but the Archos can also store thousands of still photos, MP3s and data files.
Archos (00 33 169 331690) www.archos.com
Panasonic
NS-GV50 £550
Not all digital camcorders are bulky, shoulder-mounted monsters. Panasonic’s
GS50 boasts full-fat features like a bright f1.8 zoom lens, 800,000-pixel CCD
sensor and fast USB 2.0 computer connection in a package that’s slimmer
than many digital still cameras and weighs a distinctly low-cal 435g.
Panasonic (08705 357357) www.panasonic.co.uk
Sharp VL-Z1H
£450 -- BEST BUDGET BUY
George Lucas’s efforts to the contrary, you can make an all-digital movie
for less than $300 million. This entry-level DV camcorder has everything you need
to get started, including a swivelling action to allow bizarre filming angles
and an advanced CG silicon LCD screen that works even in bright sunlight.
Sharp (0800 262958) www.sharp.co.uk
Sony DCR-TRV80
£1200 -- BEST LUXURY BUY
Invest in a wireless future with a Bluetooth-enabled camcorder. This humble-looking
model can beam high resolution 2 megapixel movies directly to compatible computers,
PDAs and phones. It also shoots at a swift 25 frames per second for a more filmic
look. Sure, it’s not cheap, but just think what you’ll save in cables…
Sony (08705 111999) www.sony.co.uk
Sharp AH-131H
£370
Analogue format camcorders may be a little old-fashioned now but there’s
nothing retro about the new AH131H. This Hi8 model is a real bargain, with a huge
3-inch rotating screen, a 16x optical zoom lens and a high capacity battery that
you can recharge without removing it from the lightweight casing.
Sharp (0800 262958) www.sharp.co.uk
JVC GR-DV4000
£1000
The DV4000 is fully webbed up, capable of streaming MPEG-1 video (about the same
quality as VHS) to your PC, making setting up video conferencing a doddle. Image
quality is first class, with a special processor delivering top-notch 540-line
resolution from the 1.33 megapixel CCD sensor at its heart.
JVC (0870 330 5000) www.jvc.co.uk
Sony DSR-IPP55
£1300
When it comes to style, Sony continues to produce the most lickable products.
This camcorder-on-a-stick concept is made possible by the newest and smallest
ever digital tape format, MicroMV. Surprisingly comfortable to use, the IP55 has
a 10x Carl Zeiss zoom lens and a MemoryStick slot for shooting still images.
Sony (08705 111999) www.sony.co.uk
Canon XM2
£2000
Stick this on your shoulder and you’ll soon acquire a Steven Soderbergh
swagger. Canon’s pro-level camcorder sports three CCD sensors for the ultimate
in image quality and a host of manual features that you should probably leave
well alone unless you know what you’re doing. Even its lens hood oozes class.
Canon (0800 616417) www.canon.co.uk
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