Sony's DVD201E HandyCam is a good example of how far DVD cameras have come and what a bit of commonsense can do when selecting the right format.
Unlike some of the earlier DVD cameras which opted for the unpopular DVD-RAM rewritable format, Sony elected to go with the more common DVD-RW format.
The cheaper write-once 8cm DVD-R discs it uses only store about 30 minutes of video which can be doubled with the more expensive double-sided DVD-RWs. They can be rewritten more than 1000 times and a better average life than tape, so the investment is worthwhile.

The DVD201E is designed to be a point and shoot camera, allowing even the most inept of users to have a fair go at making home movies. It is compact, stylish and all of the controls are easy to find.

But where this camera really excels is in its recording and playback capabilities. Recorded video is crystal clear and remains that way after it has been transferred from the camera to the PC. On top of that it has the best LCD of any of the cameras tested, producing a clear and bright image even in bright sunlight.

You have two choices for editing - you can do it in-camera or by transferring video to PC via USB - and this is where DVD cams have a huge advantage. Because each video sequence is stored as a separate file that can be individually edited video is transferred to PC smoothly and without needing to be streamed.

When using a DVD-RW you can do all of your editing in-camera before transferring the final video to computer and there is the added advantage of being able to take finalised discs straight from the camera and play them in most DVD players.
Sony supplies Imagemixer software with the camera which provides a basic user friendly interface to download and edit any footage you've taken and then burn it to CD and DVD.

The camera records digital still images to the same disk as video, though this feature is really more of an added bonus than anything you'd seriously consider as an important attribute of the camera. They are generally grainy and only 1 megapixel resolution.
The Sony DVD201E is another superb camera and certainly the pick of the DVD models. Its ease of use, quality of video and functionality were all top of the line which made it our pick for the recommended award.