Just in time for the holidays, a new Flip HD pocket camcorder has come to town. And boy, does it ever look good.

Best-in-class low-light performance ; Outstanding build quality and design

No still-photo capture ; No removable storage or battery

The revamped FlipShare software, which installs and launches as soon as you plug the camcorder into your Windows or Mac OS X computer, has a couple of new tricks of its own. In addition to YouTube and MySpace integration, the new FlipShare software ...

In 2008, we knocked the hard-drive-based Panasonic HDC-HS100 HD camcorder for its lackluster video quality. But 2009 is looking up for the company, as the excellent Panasonic HDC-TM300 delivers some of the best still and video images we've seen from a ...

Innovative, useful automated settings ; Good HD and still-image quality

No 30p mode ; Expensive

Beyond those minor complaints--and they are indeed minor--the Panasonic HDC-TM300 is one of the best small HD camcorders we've seen. Its marquee features are its performance in well-lit conditions, its blend of automated and manual modes, and its ...

Kodak's Zi8 high-definition pocket camcorder ($180 as of 9/14/2009) is the superpowered follow-up to the company's cult-favorite Zi6 model. It's also the most full-featured pocket-size camcorder we've seen, thanks to three unique features: the ability ...

Sharp 1080p video and shooting options ; Can use earbuds as external mic

Controls are slow to respond ; Buggy, jumpy 4x digital zoom

If the best-quality footage and shooting options galore are your main needs in an HD pocket camcorder, the Zi8 gets a glowing recommendation. However, I did experience some key usability issues, even if its video quality blows the competition out of ...

One of the hits of this year's CES (the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas), the Kodak Zx1 is a welcome new "weather-resistant" addition to the HD pocket camcorder realm. It offers a lot of what we like about Kodak's Zi6 pocket camcorder in a ...

Rugged design ; HDMI-out and frame-rate control

Weak microphone ; No integrated USB connector

What's more, you can also swap out the Zx1's faceplate with a second "designer" battery cover included with the camcorder. Also in the box are a nice offering of accessories: an HDMI cable, a USB cable for offloading your clips to a computer, a plug ...

For a pocket camcorder, Kodak's Zi6 Pocket Video Camera ($180 as of 3/23/2009) has a ton of features and shoots video with surprisingly bright colors. It won't replace your full-sized camcorder or even rival such a camcorder's feature set, but it does ...

Frame-rate options and vivid footage ; Removable, expandable storage

Colors look a bit blown out ; Focus quality can be spotty

At $180, it's $50 cheaper than Pure Digital's Flip Mino HD, which makes it a smart buy. Just be sure to factor in the cost of a high-capacity SDHC card if you don't have one already, and don't rule out the Flip Mino HD if you want a more cinematic ...

As you may have noticed, high-definition pocket camcorders are growing up fast. Pure Digital's popular Flip line of camcorders (which includes the standard-definition Flip Mino and the high-def Flip MinoHD) has scored well in the market, so it isn't ...

Five shooting modes and three resolution settings Swiveling lens and fashionable looks

No integrated USB connector Must remove battery to charge it

The Sony Webbie HD MHS-PM1 may not have the best image quality in the realm of pocket camcorders, but it's certainly the most versatile unit. If you're willing to forfeit a bit of video quality for a lower price, a great set of features, more control ...

The newest addition to the ever-expanding mini-camcorder market is the Creative Labs Vado HD, a $230 pocket camcorder that can record 720p high-definition video. While it isn't quite as compact as Pure Digital's Flip Mino HD and won't win any awards ...

Wide-angle lens Top-notch video for a pocket camcorder

Microphone a bit weak Struggles in low light

The Vado HD is a pretty slick package. It lacks the sex appeal of some other camcorders in its class, such as the Flip Mino series, and it lacks a Mac-compatible video-management app. Nevertheless, good overall image quality, a user-replaceable ...

The big hard drive of JVC's GZ-HD40 is offset by the camcorder's big price--and its simply adequate performance.

120GB hard drive holds a lot of HD video ; Records to two video formats

Best-looking video format hard to work with ; Poor image stabilization

The JVC GZ-HD40 isn't a bad HD camcorder--in fact, it's pretty good. People seeking a tapeless camcorder that they can use with a modest PC today and a more powerful computer in the future may find the GZ-HD40's multiple recording formats compelling. ...

This Panasonic high-def camcorder offers great usability and control, but its image quality is merely decent.

Best-in-class handling and manual control

Flawed low-light performance ; Oversaturated color

On the software side, Panasonic bundles HD Writer 2.6E, a limited but functional Windows-only editing application. Mac users can edit the HS100's AVCHD video with iMovie '08. On either platform you'll want to use a computer built around a 2-GHz Intel ...

Pure Digital Technologies' $230 Flip MinoHD brings high-definition video recording to your pocket. This tiny 720p-resolution minicamcorder doesn't have enough advanced features to replace a standard HD camcorder, but it will do an admirable job of ...

Best-in-class low-light video Very small and compact

Fixed storage and battery Very limited feature set

Given its size, the Flip MinoHD stands out with its good video quality, and it's downright handy. Although the Flip MinoHD won't suit everyone, if you're like me and you enjoy keeping a camera on you at all times for whatever may come up, the MinoHD ...