Lori Grunin,
Senior Editor
October 27, 2008
Yes, the title on this page says it all: these video cameras are cheap, just about the cheapest you can buy in a digital model without dropping down a class to these low-resolution, bare-bones camcorders intended strictly for Web video. You won't get a lot of bells and whistles, and their small sensors generally make them poor choices for low-light shooting. But if you're accustomed to capturing clips with the movie feature on your point-and-shoot still camera or want something better than gimmick-marketed-for-YouTube models, you might be pleasantly surprised at the quality you'll get from these models. And one thing's for sure: cheap video is (usually) better than no video at all.
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| Product name | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $299.00 to $399.55 | $269.00 to $368.15 | $289.99 to $456.43 | $288.95 to $544.99 | $336.11 to $509.00 |
| CNET editors' rating |
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| Average user rating | |||||
| Review date | February 15, 2007 | October 22, 2008 | June 30, 2008 | April 23, 2008 | August 04, 2008 |
| The Bottom Line | Canon's new MiniDV top model, the ZR850, continues the ZR tradition of offering affordable, easy-to-use wide-screen movie-making, though low-light performance is still subpar. | The JVC Everio GZ-MS100 is an average budget SD-card-based camcorder that's more attractive for its small design and relatively average video quality than its unique interface and one-touch uploads to YouTube. | Convenient, well-designed camcorders that look pricier than they are, models in the Canon FS series--FS11, FS10, and FS100--nevertheless deliver typical budget video in line with their budget price tags. | Despite an attractive price and some decent features, the frustrations of the Samsung SC-HMX10 outnumber its rewards. | The Sony Handycam DCR-SR45 has a good design and reasonable feature set for its price, but the video quality doesn't measure up to the rest of the package. |
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| Features | |||||
| Lens aperture |
F/2.0 |
F/1.8-4 |
F/2.0-5.2 |
F/1.6-4.3 |
F/1.8-4.1 |
| Flash type |
None |
None |
Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
None |
| Media type |
Mini DV |
Flash card |
Flash card |
Flash card |
Hard disk drive Flash card |
| Optical zoom |
35 x |
35 x |
37 x |
10 x |
40 x |
| Optical sensor type |
CCD |
CCD |
CCD |
CMOS |
Advanced HAD CCD |
| Video input type |
Camcorder |
Camcorder |
Camcorder |
Camcorder |
Camcorder |
| Digital zoom |
1000 x |
800 x |
2000 x |
20 x |
2000 x |
| Battery technology |
Lithium ion |
Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
| Battery included qty |
1 |
Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
| Min illumination |
2 lux |
Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
15 lux |
0 lux |
| Weight |
13.4 oz |
7.9 oz |
9.2 oz |
10.9 oz |
12.3 oz |
| Image stabilizer |
Electronic |
Electronic |
Electronic |
Electronic |
Electronic (Super Steady Shot) |
| Optical sensor size |
1/6 in |
1/6 in |
1/6 in |
1/4.5 in |
1/8 in |
| Effective sensor resolution |
1.07 megapixels |
6.8 megapixels |
Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
| Service & support type |
1 year warranty |
Info unavailable |
1 year warranty |
Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
| Manual focus |
Automatic |
Automatic Manual |
Automatic |
Automatic Manual |
Automatic Manual |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
| Buying choices |
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In stock: Yes
In stock: Yes
In stock: Yes
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