No match for Sony’s SR12 on features, but incredibly easy to use and an ideal ‘my first HD camcorder’

A capable cam that'll take the knocks and matches it rival, the Panasonic HDC-SD1. It can’t quite better Canon’s HV20 on sheer performance though

The marker has been laid down. Sony's pulled off another AVCHD stunner that will be hard to beat this year

Great video, tons of features, easy to use... if only there was a PAL-friendly version

It's a mini adventure with the S10. A go anywhere, shoot anything cam that won't break the bank and delivers well for its size

This Panny 'corder can shoot stills at a resolution of 4-megapixels, which makes it a match for a still camera

The SD1 looks stunning, and performs even better. If this is what AVCHD delivers, then we’re totally sold

Not exactly a hi-def holiday shooter, but the Action Cam is perfect for creating your ‘when skiing goes wrong’ home video

3CCD has yet to prove it’s worth the premium. If you want a hard-disker, go for one of the cheaper Everio models

Creative’s Vado is brilliant value for money and a fine little friend to fans of web video

Lacking a few features but for simplicity and decent quality, this has to be one of the best value camcorders around

Not much to tempt you over last year's HV20 but Canon still rules the roost when it comes to raw picture quality

If the CCD is the brain of a digital video camera it is logical that three should be better than one. A single CCD has to deal with all colours together while a 3-CCD system divides the primary red, green and blue (RGB) colours to individual CCDs to give a much more precise and accurate picture. The result is a high quality image that is as good as any of the cameras tested - including the Sony DVD201E, which provided the benchmark for most of the others.

Good things often come in small packages and that's the case with Sony's PC108E. It is only fractionally larger than the JVC GR-DX77 (the smallest camera in the lab) but weighs in 65 grams lighter. Sony has kept it compact by providing a separate docking station that contains the USB, DV and S-Video ports. There also are AV and additional microphone connectors on the camera itself.

Hitachi pioneered the idea of consumer cameras capable of recording video direct to DVD. The early models were large and relatively expensive but high quality. It has taken a while for the idea to take off but it is certainly gaining momentum with a number of competitors now coming into the market. Hitachi has responded by progressively making its cameras more compact and adding extra features such as a SD memory card for storing still images or compressed video clips.

Just because something is cheap does not always make it nasty, nor does it necessarily make it the best buy. The possibility of the D701i being cheap and nasty was certainly a concern when the first one arrived and failed to operate, however, it was quickly replaced and the replacement worked fine straight from the box.

The Panasonic NV-GS15 is the cheaper version of the NV-GS120, but you wouldn't pick it to look at them. It is not until you start to use it that you discover why it is $600 cheaper than its big brother with the three CCD's. The single, 800,000 (400,000 effective) pixel CCD produces average picture quality and certainly nothing that would compare with the 1.62 million (1.02 million effective) of the NV-GS120.

There is not a huge difference between this and the MV550E. In fact, if you put them side by side you have to look closely to see the difference in looks, which is model number in small print on one side.

At first glance the JVC GR-D230 looks very much like one of the DVD-R/RW cameras. But it's the stylish design and disc like LCD screen that leads you astray and it is in fact another of the Mini DV tape cameras with the cassette cleverly concealed.

Canon typically puts out a good digital video camera and for a while had the market fairly well sown up. However, there is now plenty of competition and Canon can no longer just rely on its reputation to keep it at the top. The MVX250i is a mid range camera designed for average users who want something more than the bare basics. Its 860,000 pixel (effective) CCD provides a good quality picture in most cases, including in night mode. However, it can be slow to find a good colour balance.