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Waterproof to 2m; 1080p video recording; Easy to use; Video lamp

Bare-bones accessory selection; Limited controls and settings; No optical zoom or image stabiliser; Mediocre picture quality

Aquatic skills aside, the waterproof Toshiba Camileo BW10 is an inexpensive, easy-to-use, high-definition camcorder with a 5-megapixel camera -- just don't expect to be overwhelmed by features or picture quality.

Decent photo and hi-def video quality; Small and light; Waterproof; Comes with loads of accessories; Great value for money

Confusing icons in the settings menu; No standard 4:3 setting for photos; Footage can look very wobbly; Doesn't float

Small, simple and submersible to 3m, Kodak's PlaySport keeps the price down without dropping the image quality too far. It has its share of flaws but it's great fun to use.

Built-in GPS for geotagging; 200fps high-speed mode; Great low-light sensitivity; Very good video and photo quality; Plenty of manual options

An expensive purchase in anyone's books; Fairly heavy; Not everyone will need its clever features

The Sony Handycam HDR-CX550VE camcorder has a number of unique and unusual selling points but, while its photo and video performance is strong, you may be paying for features you don't actually need

Good video and photo quality for outdoors shots; Very high bit-rate setting; 32GB of internal flash memory; Excellent image stabiliser

Poorly implemented touchscreen control system; Image quality degrades in low-light conditions; Dual Shot automatic mode is too limited

In the right circumstances, the Canon Legria HF M31's picture quality can easily impress. But poor low-light performance and a sorely misjudged control system let down this otherwise decent camcorder

The Xacti VPC-CG100 is a relatively cheap and stylish 1080p camcorder that also takes 14-megapixel photos. Neither its video or photo quality will make you cry tears of joy, but it's not a bad compromise for people who don't want to carry two devices ...

Relatively inexpensive ; easy to use ; highly portable ; good-quality photos

Disappointing video quality ; poor electronic image stabiliser ; no HDMI cable included

The 'dual camera' Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG100 has its fair share of flaws, but it's not a bad compromise for people who don't want to carry two separate devices around. Don't expect to get broadcast-quality video though

Not all of us have a spare grand to splash out on a camcorder, and we don't all need the full manual controls offered by Panasonic's top of the range models -- enter the new HDC-SD600. It promises 1080/50p progressive high-definition quality video and ...

Top-notch video quality ; great still photos ; 1080p mode ; highly effective image stabiliser ; easy to get good results

1080/50p footage is awkward to edit ; no HDMI cable in the box ; touchscreen is a little fiddly

The HDC-SD600 brings 1080p high-definition recording down to a slightly more justifiable cost compared to its flagship 700 range, but strips out many of the manual features in the process. Nonetheless, this is a fine enthusiast's camcorder, with ...

The second-generation MinoHD mini-camcorder shoots the same impressive 720p video as its predecessor. But it also offers a sleeker body, more storage space and an HDMI port on the bottom for connecting it to a high-definition TV. It's fantastically ...

Sleek new look ; HDMI connection ; solid 720p video ; one-touch filming and uploading ; gloriously simple to use

Still pricey, especially as other budget camcorders now shoot 1080p video

The second-generation MinoHD is certainly the prettiest Flip Video camcorder yet. It's wonderfully simple to use and marvellously pocketable too. If only it shot 1080p video

The HMX-R10 is a respectable compact camcorder. Its 1080p video can be jittery, but it delivers decent performance at a 720p resolution and is brimming with shooting options. For those underwhelmed by pocket camcorders, like Flip Video's offerings, it ...

Very compact ; above-average feature set, including slow-motion movie record

No lens protection ; touchscreen manual controls are difficult to use ; plenty of noise in low-light video ; slippery body ; no mic and headphone jacks or accessory shoe

Offering plenty of shooting features and high-definition video that's fine for its class -- at least in good lighting -- the Samsung HMX-R10 is a very good compact camcorder. Its design definitely won't suit everyone though

The HDC-TM700 will appeal to a limited audience due to its high price, but it's truly packed with features and its 1080/50p video is often stunning. You'll need to ensure your playback and editing hardware and software is up to the task of handling ...

Often stunning picture quality ; good still photos compared to other camcorders ; manual zoom and focus ring

Expensive ; 1080/50p playback can be unpredictable ; colours are sometimes overly vibrant ; no HDMI cable in the box

The Panasonic HDC-TM700 seems to have it all and more. Unfortunately, a couple of annoying technical issues mar what could have been the ultimate camcorder

Larger than some rivals, the 1080p Bloggie CM5 mini-camcorder nevertheless compares well to its competitors in terms of picture quality. It also offers a useful feature set, including a 5x optical zoom, swivelling display, memory-card slot and the ...

Can shoot 1080p and 720p video ; relatively large, swivelling LCD ; one-touch video uploading to YouTube and other sites ; removable, rechargeable li-ion battery ; HDMI output ; compatible with both Mac OS X and Windows machines ; dual Memory Stick ...

Relatively large ; no HDMI cable included for high-definition output to HDTVs ; no bundled carrying case ; Picture Motion Browser Portable software is underwhelming and won&apos ; t work on some operating systems

The Sony Bloggie CM5 isn't as compact as competing models from Flip Video and Kodak, but it delivers above-average features and video quality for the money