Best Camcorders - SP Recording Speed, High Definition Recording Format, 5 to 7 in. Depth

'You press and hold the center button to select the dial's operation: manual focus, exposure compensation, aperture or shutter, mic level and automatic gain control limit--which caps the signal boosting in low light to minimize visual noise. '

'The new touchscreen system is intuitive and good for beginners, but we did find it a bit frustrating for navigating the camcorder's long menu system.'

'the display is clear and viewable even in quite bright conditions.'

'streamlined user interface'

'The camera includes 32GB of built-in flash memory and supports SDHC cards, and it encodes the video as AVCHD files with data rates up to 24 mbps, the format's maximum capability. '

'The camcorder earned an audio score of Good, with noticeably better clarity and volume than rival camcorders offered. '

'impressively deep and professional manual controls'

'Excellent set of manual features.'

'It's beautifully done overall, and Canon gets a tip of the hat for this new design, although nothing beats the accuracy of the joystick (it may not be as cool, but it works!). '

'Generally well-designed interface'

'The HF S21 also includes an electronic viewfinder, and it is Canon's only new camcorder to include such feature. '

'Excellent set of manual features.'

'The HF S21 also includes an electronic viewfinder, and it is Canon's only new camcorder to include such feature. '

'Canon’s superlative proprietary imaging technologies'

'We have to note the GPS feature is very cool.'

'The icons are fairly straightforward, and simple to navigate.'

'Nicely designed interface.'

'Excellent overall video quality. '

'While the HF S100 has a very crisp, sharp image, it is definitely rivaled by the Sony HDR-XR520V and the Panasonic HDC-TM300. '

'Several of the new Sony camcorders will also feature new highlight playback and power-on by LCD.'

'The HDR-XR100 also records audio in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and has a built-in zoom microphone for realistic sound.  '

'32GB built-in flash memory'

'Canon's Zoom toggle is wide and shifts smoothly—it's definitely preferable to JVC's tiny toggles.'

'superb performance'