Awesome Camcorders

Sony’s latest Handycam has the unique distinction of being the first and only HD consumer camcorder with interchangeable lenses. It’s also got a massive Exmor HD sensor, providing film-like image quality.

While it isn’t pretty looking, Aiptek’s portable camera can shoot 720p images in true 3D, thanks to its dual-lens setup. It even has a tiny 3D LCD display so you can see your shots immediately.

Looking to shoot some HD footage on the cheap? Kodak’s latest entry into the HD digicam fray shoots 720p video at 60fps, and is their first HD camcorder for less than $100 bucks.

On the surface, Casio’s 10MP camera looks rather ordinary, but has a 10X optical zoom, a 3″ LCD, shoots hi-res stills at 40 fps, and slow-motion video at an astounding 120 to 1000 fps at low resolutions.

The stupid-simple Flip SlideHD shoots up to 4 hours of 720p video. Watch videos on its 3″ resistive touchscreen or via its HDMI out. The slider below the screen offers quick navigation through clips.

Kodak’s Zi8 gives the Flip a run for its money with full HD 1080p video recording, built-in image stabilization, SD/SDHC card slot, 5 MP still picture shooting and an external mic jack.

Designed for professional audio and video recording, Zoom’s Q3 features stereo mics with audio focusing, 640×480 movie recording on a 2.4″ LCD display, and up to 32 GB of space.

They’re not much for looks, but Panasonic’s HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 are the world’s lightest HD camcorders at 0.5 lbs; they can record 1920×1080 videos with 16x optical zoom.

3D camcorders exist but are ungainly and targeted towards pros; Nikola Knezevic’s concept would be a boon to consumers with a highly portable design and Blu-ray disc recording.

VholdR’s ContourHD is the world’s first HD helmet camcorder; it features a wide angle lens, records 720p at 30fps, rotates 192 degrees and includes goggle and flat surface mounts.

If you thought yesterday’s 3D camcorder was cool, Silicon Imaging’s 3D Rig is portable enough to be strapped to a cameraman’s head, shown above in use for Human Flight 3D.

At present a concept, Panasonic’s 3D Full HD Camcorder records 3D 1080p with a twin lens system and writes it to P2 cards; it essentially combines two cameras into one.

Able to record 1080p at 24fps, Panasonic’s AG-HMC40 is a tempting proposition for budget-minded prosumers; it can also shoot 10.6 MP stills and features 12x optical zoom.

Not too shabby: The DXG-125V is a 720p camcorder for less than $100; it also happens to be waterproof, includes a compass/lanyard, uses SD cards and runs on Li-ion batteries.

The world’s smallest and lightest Full HD camcorder, Sony’s HDR-TG5 boasts 1920×1080 video, 16GB internal memory, geotagging, a 2.7″ touch display and 10x optical zoom.

Perched at the top of JVC’s new Everio camcorder line, the Everio X is a 0.66lb dual-use camera which shoots 9MP still photos, 5.3MP shots at 60fps and can record 1080p video.

Ideal for getting up close with the fishies, Liquid Image’s Pro HD350 is a hands-free videomask that can shoot 5MP still pictures and 720P video at 30 fps at a depth of up to 100 meters.

Ideal for all sorts of YouTube tomfoolery, Samsung’s SMX-F34 camcorder includes a Web & Mobile mode that records at 640×480; it features a 680K pixel sensor and 34x optical zoom.

Never wonder where you shot your videos (or get lost) again: Sony’s HDR camcorders include GPS and NAVTEQ maps for geotagging, all viewable through 3.2″ touch panel LCDs.

Considerably sleeker than their current Small Wonders, RCA’s EZ209HD is a mini HD camcorder with HDMI out, a MicroSD slot (up to 16 GB) and a high-speed 60fps sports mode.

Canon has dropped a slew of camcorders for 2009; at the top: the Vixia HF S10 packs an 8.59 MP CMOS sensor, 10x lens, HDMI out and 1920×1080 full HD recording at 24Mbps.

A more affordable version of Kodak’s Zi6 camcorder, the Zx1 gets a smaller 2″ LCD, but it also includes two hotly requested features: 720p HD at 60fps and an SD/SDHC slot.