Best Camcorders - XP+ Recording Speed, true MPEG Movie Mode, 200 to 700 x Digital Zoom

'sizable 3.5-inch screen'

'high quality recording'

'excellent high-end camcorder'

'It excels in low-light environments and it's also ideal for macro shooting.'

'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.'

'The quality is quite good, particularly indoors, there was little jarring noise.'

'The camera is so light it almost feels like there is nothing there.'

'The HF M31 has 32MB of flash memory built in, which is enough for three hours of footage at the top quality mode. '

'It is also capable of taking excellent looking video — especially in bright lighting. '

'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. '