DVD/Blu-ray camcorders Best Buys
BARGAIN
Canon DC301
Next to its stylish rivals, the DC301 might look dated, but with Quick Start, an intuitive joystick control and LCD light, it's user friendly, with pictures stored on DVD-R and DL (dual layer) discs. Unsurprisingly, considering the budget price, features are limited; instead of optical you get a 36x Advanced Zoom and the SD/SDHC slot is only for storing still images.
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MIDRANGE
Sony DCR-DVD410E
This hybrid camcorder doesn’t use a drop of petrol as it switches seamlessly between recording to 8cm DVDs and 8GB of internal memory. A big 25x zoom, touchscreen LCD and surround sound recording means you’ve got virtually an entire film studio in your pocket – catering van sadly not included.
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LUXURY
Hitachi DZ-BD70E
Along with the BD7E, Hitachi broke new ground with its duo of Blu-ray compatible camcorders, capable of burning footage to an 8cm disc for playback on a dedicated Blu-ray player or PS3. With a one-second Quick Start mode and a 10x optical zoom, it's an attractive concept though it doesn't quite work, thanks to the less than pretty design and not quite smooth footage.
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