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Tapeless Camcorders<br />
No more fumbling to find a blank tape or DVD—these models record<br />
straight to flash memory or hard drives. —H.K.<br />
Videocams<br />
JVC GZ-MG255<br />
$700 • camcorder.jvc.com<br />
At a sprightly 2.8 x 2.6 x 4.4 inches,<br />
the MG255 is <strong>sm</strong>all for a harddrive<br />
cam. It tucks comfortably in<br />
a roomy pocket, so you can carry<br />
it around easily, which means<br />
you’re more likely to actually use<br />
the thing. The trade-offs: Colors<br />
lack vibrancy, and it doesn’t balance<br />
highlights and shadows well. Its<br />
f/1.2 lens captures low-light shots<br />
without much noise, yet indoor<br />
scenes can have a sickly orange tint.<br />
WIRED Included dock is great<br />
for transferring video and charging.<br />
Drive stores up to 37 hours. Bright<br />
LCD works well in sunlight.<br />
TIRED No connectors for external<br />
mic or headphones. Battery lasts<br />
just 75 minutes. 2-megapixel<br />
stills aren’t cause for celebration.<br />
Image stabilization reduces<br />
sharpness, especially at 10X zoom.<br />
EDITORS’<br />
PICK<br />
Panasonic<br />
SDR-H200<br />
$700 • panasonic.com<br />
With three CCDs, the Panasonic<br />
records a sharp, colorful image,<br />
showing fine detail in light and dark<br />
areas simultaneously. Its optical<br />
image stabilization steadies the<br />
picture without affecting crispness.<br />
A little chunkier than other models<br />
at 1 pound, the H200 still fits in<br />
a coat pocket, but you’ll notice<br />
the extra weight if you’re carrying<br />
it around all day.<br />
WIRED Nice price for a three-<br />
CCD cam. Two-and-a-half-hour<br />
battery life. Built-in lens protector<br />
opens and closes automatically.<br />
Records up to 27 hours of video<br />
to its hard drive.<br />
TIRED No external mic or ’phones<br />
connector. Must remove battery<br />
(and use wall adapter) to access USB<br />
port for downloading to your PC.<br />
Samsung<br />
SC-X300L<br />
$480 • samsung.com<br />
The ready-for-action X300L is made<br />
to shoot anywhere. It’s the tiniest<br />
camcorder we’ve seen, and you<br />
can even record hands-free, thanks<br />
to a second, detachable lens. Just<br />
mount the lens to a helmet or other<br />
surface, tuck the X300L safely<br />
away, then press the button on the<br />
5-foot connector cable for on/off.<br />
Perfect for skydivers, rock climbers,<br />
or anyone into extreme video.<br />
Records an hour of HD-quality video<br />
per GB on an SD or MMC card.<br />
WIRED Rubber-coated body eases<br />
shock. Powerful 10X optical zoom.<br />
Effective image stabilization takes<br />
the jitter out of handheld shots.<br />
TIRED Even moderate camera<br />
movement results in blocky,<br />
pixelated images. Detachable lens<br />
responds slowly to lighting changes.<br />
Sanyo Xacti<br />
VPC-CG6<br />
$330 • sanyodigital.com<br />
Offering tapeless convenience on<br />
a tape budget, Sanyo’s CG6 is <strong>sm</strong>all<br />
enough to be quite portable, and its<br />
image quality is surprisingly solid:<br />
You’ll see pixelation in movementheavy<br />
shots, but a steady hand<br />
can capture a crisp picture. Lowlight<br />
image isn’t too dim or noisy.<br />
Uses SDHC and SD cards, which<br />
hold roughly an hour of TV-quality<br />
video per gig of memory.<br />
WIRED MPEG-4 recordings play<br />
on PCs, Macs, iPods, and other<br />
gadgets. Simple 6-megapixel still<br />
mode: Just press Camera button<br />
and shoot. Built-in flash.<br />
TIRED Wimpy 5X optical zoom.<br />
Aggressive image stabilization<br />
creates stiff, unnatural movement.<br />
Annoying voice prompts. Uninspired<br />
stills, even with 6 megapixels.
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