Best Camcorders - 0.525 to 1.15 lb. Weight, SP Recording Speed, true MPEG Movie Mode

'Smarter-than-average autofocus .'

'best video quality'

'Given the low, low prices, the small, low-resolution LCD screen is understandable. '

'The Panasonic HDC-HS60 is surprisingly small for a 120GB camcorder.'

'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 main zoom is large and the record button comfortably placed for the more traditional HandyCam posture.'

'nice, large zoom rocker switch'

'The new GZ-HM1 HD Everio offers a full slate of technologies to optimize picture quality and an array of manual controls for creative flexibility. '