SD and HD video camera reviews

Results tables - standard definiton

Results tables - high definition

Table notes

Recommended retail, as provided by manufacturers or on websites in June 2009.

1 Overall score
The overall score is a combination of the following:

• Picture quality: 40%
• Ease of use: 25%
• Sound quality: 15%
• Versatility: 10%
• Photo recording: 5%
• Battery: 5%

2 Picture quality score
The main picture quality assessments were:

• A viewing panel assessed the sharpness, colour and overall image quality of recordings in daylight and artificial light
• A panel assessed macro recordings, recordings made in low-light conditions and — where applicable — at night
• Resolution (picture sharpness)
• On all the tested models you can activate a function that stabilises the picture in situations where you’d otherwise be likely to produce a shaky recording (such as during telephoto recordings and slow pans). We checked how well the function works, and whether the stabilising effect has any negative impact on picture quality
• The standard-definition camcorders were judged against a good-quality consumer camcorder, while the high-definition camcorders were judged against a broadcast-quality camcorder.
  

3 Ease of use score
A user panel assessed the instructions, the ease of various recording and playback functions, the quality and functionality of the viewfinder, LCD monitor and remote control, the portability of the camcorder, and data transfer to a computer. We also measured the time delay between switching the recorder on and being able to use it.

4 Sound quality score
A panel assessed the quality of speech and music recorded with the built-in and an external microphone (on models that have a standard connection for one). We also looked at the recorders’ sensitivity to wind noise.

5 Versatility score
We assessed the cameras against a list of about 50 features and functions.

6 Photo recording score
We assessed the quality of photos taken in daylight, the shutter delay, and the transfer speed of still pictures via firewire and/or USB.

7 Battery score
We measured how long the camcorders’ batteries lasted using a recording and playback test cycle simulating typical user behaviour.

8 Recording time
The camcorders were set to full-auto recording mode, with the monitor, autofocus and image stabiliser switched on. Every five minutes the zoom was operated three times across the whole range and back, until the battery was empty and the camcorder switched off. Most batteries only lasted for 1–1.5 hours of recording, so you may want to buy a second one.