camcorder

There are a lot of minicamcorders on the market, but not all of them can withstand a 5-foot drop or a dunk in a pool. And actually, last year you really couldn't find any that could survive those things. This year, though, you can pick from models from Kodak, Panasonic, Toshiba, JVC, GE, and Samsung.

The leaders here are Kodak's PlaySport Zx5 and Panasonic's HM-TA20. The Panasonic is more expensive than and isn't as full featured as the PlaySport, but it's still less than $200 and does just enough. It also seems better designed for … Read more

If you're into time-lapse photography and/or panoramas--or want to get started with them--and you have a camera with an intervalometer, Camarush's clever and inexpensive Camalapse mount sounds like a useful accessory to throw in your bag. Based on the same mechanical timer technology as a conventional egg timer, the Camalapse rotates up to a maximum of 360 degrees in one hour. You attach a small (less than 1 pound) camera or camcorder to its tripod mount, and optionally attach the Camalapse to a tripod, wind it up, and you're off and autorotating. You can also stack … Read more

Panasonic's first attempt at a minicamcoder, the TA1, was a mess. The video quality was OK, but it offered no advantages over competing models; had mediocre editing and sharing software; and felt cheap considering its near $170 price. That's not the case with the Panasonic HM-TA20.

A waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof update to the TA1, the TA20 fixes much of what was wrong with the first-gen model. Mainly it's just a better design with more-useful features and easier operation due in part to a large touch screen. The embedded software is still a bit lacking compared with … Read more

Much as I'm a fan of little pocket camcorders like the now-discontinued Flip and the Kodak Playsport series (most notably the new Zx5), there are times when I want a full-size, full-featured camera I can grip.

Like this one: TigerDirect has the Toshiba Camileo H30 1080p camcorder for $129.96, plus around $4 for shipping. (Wal-Mart has it for $135.54 with free site-to-store shipping, but you're on the hook for sales tax.)

As you can tell from the photo, the H30 is no pocket cam (though it's still fairly compact). But that extra size brings a … Read more

Sony has three compact megazooms in its 2011 lineup; the Cyber-shot HX9V is the most expensive. It's also the only one of the three (the H70 and HX7V are the others) that's not replacing a 2010 model. It's entirely new and hosts what seems like all of Sony's latest Cyber-shot technologies. That includes (for better or worse) a 16-megapixel Exmor R sensor, a 16x ultrawide-angle 24mm-equivalent Sony G lens, and a high-speed linear-focusing system. It shoots video in full HD at 60p. It has a GPS receiver for geotagging photos while you shoot. Shooting modes go … Read more

Back in April, Toshiba announced two new Camileo pocket video cameras for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Those are now available in the U.S.

The B10 is your basic candy-bar style minicamcorder with a 5-megapixel CMOS sensor, 2-inch LCD, Mini-HDMI output, and a removable battery, which is quickly becoming a rarity.

It captures video (MP4 format) in full HD (1,920x1,080/30p) as well as 720/60p, 720/30p, and 480/30p. It'll also shoot 5-megapixel JPEG photos.

The P100, according to the Toshiba rep I spoke with, is more for the prosumer, but I'm … Read more

So, Sony got iFixit.com CEO Kyle Wiens to do a teardown of the new Bloggie 3D minicamcorder. Usually, I like a good teardown, but this one is sofa-king boring. Why? Because one of the best parts of iFixit.com's product teardowns is finding out the manufacturers of all the individual components. Of course, that doesn't happen here.

Instead, we just get an eyeful of all the bits and pieces that go into making this pocket 3D video camera. There's a brief look at Kyle stripping it down, but mostly it's just all the parts laid out and some close-up looks at them. Oh, and a healthy dose of sneaky marketing to let you know why the Bloggie 3D is so worth $250.… Read more

Remember the Looxcie? It was a $199 wearable camcorder/Bluetooth headset that launched last September that used your iPhone or Android smartphone as a viewfinder. It continuously recorded video at a resolution of 320p at 15 frames per second, and if something exciting happened, you pressed a button and it clipped the last 30 seconds and sent it off to Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.

It was a cool idea done in by an awkward design, a disappointing user experience, and mediocre video results. It appears that the folks at Looxcie learned from the first go-round, though, as the Looxcie 2--at … Read more

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET News for Friday, June 3.

Five questions heading into Apple's WWDC Apple may have already declared what it's going to demo at next week's Worldwide Developers Conference, but what else does it have up its sleeve? More

Targeted attacks hit Web-based e-mail Attacks aimed at Hotmail, Yahoo, and Gmail point to weak spots in e-mail services that can let attackers into corporate networks, reports say. More

Sparked: Volunteer work, right in your cubicle Sparked, a recently rebranded version … Read more