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Small and light camcorders that record to SD memory cards make it easier to move video clips right to the computer to start showing them off. On the downside, when dad fills up his card, he's out of luck. Canon's VIXIA HF M32 Dual Flash Memory camcorder offers the best of both worlds: 64GB of built-in flash memory and an SD memory card slot that's compatible with the latest high-capacity, fast-transferring SDXC cards, expandable up to 2TB. The VIXIA HF M32 is also an excellent HD camcorder with full 1080p HD capture and a 15x optical Canon video lens. This sleekly styled device has an optical image stabilizer for steadying videos, and can capture 3.3-megapixel still photos.
Price: $999.00
Kodak's latest take on the pocket camcorder craze is the PlayTouch, which features a 3-inch touchscreen that lets your loved one view clips and change settings with the swipe of a finger. Users can also trim footage right on the device, as well as extract still images from videos. Along with capturing full 1080p HD video, the PlayTouch is web-friendly, letting users share clips on Facebook, Flickr, or YouTube with the touch of a button. The camcorder records videos and 5-MP stills to SD/SDHC memory cards. To better see the 3-inch touchscreen and tweak videos on the spot, the PlayTouch's LCD screen has an anti-glare shield.
Price: $199.00 | Read Review
Your budding filmmaker can channel her inner James Cameron and shoot her own mini-Avatar with the HDC-SDT750, which Panasonic bills as "the world's first consumer 3D camcorder." The key to the HDC-SDT750 isn't the camcorder itself, it's Panasonic's 3D conversion lens, which records in 3D and lets her play it back via an HDMI cable connection to 3D-compatible TVs. Without the 3D lens, the HDC-SDT750 shoots in full 1080p HD video in the AVCHD format. It uses a 3MOS sensor system for great color and a 46mm f/1.5-2.8 Leica-branded lens with a 12x optical zoom.
Price: $1,399.00
The Sanyo VPC-CA102 is designed for outdoor-loving image enthusiasts who want great footage of their next snorkeling, surfing, skiing, or snowboarding adventures. With a pistol-grip design that fits comfortably in the palm of his hand, the VPC-CA102 is submergible to ten feet and records 1080p HD video and 14-MP photos to SD memory cards. With a 12x zoom for video and a 5x zoom for stills, this yellow Sanyo shooter will get him close to the action so he can capture it.
Price: $349.00
Designed to be elegant and easy to use, the Sony Bloggie Touch has only three buttons: Power, Photo, and Video. But the star of the show is the 3-inch capacitive touchscreen, which makes it easy to swipe through photos and videos. Available in black and silver, this sleek device can also capture large 12.8-MP still images. The built-in Bloggie software, which automatically loads on a PC when connected via the camcorder's swing-out USB arm, makes it easy to organize and share photos via sites such as Facebook, Picassa, and YouTube. Bonus: The capacitive screen auto-rotates based on how the device is held.
$179 (4GB) or $199 (8GB).
Price: $179.00
For the regular concert-goer (or recital-goer) on your gift list, consider the Q3HD. With dual studio-quality mics, not to mention a line-in jack, it puts a higher premium on clear sound quality than your typical pocket camcorder. In fact, the mics are housed above the main chassis, making it taller than other pocket cams. In a demo, the 720p video looked fluid, with balanced exposure and accurate colors. Users can also set the frame rate to 30 or 60 fps, depending on how frenetic the action is.
Price: $299.00
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