If you want plenty of features and quality HD video — but you don’t want to spend $1,000 on a camcorder — reviews recommend the Canon Vixia HF200 over mid-priced offerings from Sony, Panasonic and Sanyo. The Canon is a bit more expensive, but reviews say its sharp, vivid footage and extra features are worth it. At 14.1 ounces, the palm-sized Canon HF200 is easy to tote around, but includes a generous 15x optical zoom and an easy-to-see 2.7-inch LCD screen. Testers appreciate the HF200’s accessory shoe and microphone and headphone jacks, which other mid-priced camcorders like the Sony Handycam HDR-CX100 (*Est. $470) lack. Low-light performance isn’t the best, however, and more expensive camcorders, such as Canon’s flagship Vixia HF S10 (*Est. $1,105) shoot video that’s even nicer overall. The HF200 records only to SDHC memory cards (not included). The otherwise identical Canon Vixia HF20 (*Est. $745) adds 32 GB of built-in flash memory.

CamcorderInfo.com and Videomaker.com both test the Canon Vixia HF20 instead of the HF200, but the two camcorders are identical except for HF20’s inclusion of built-in memory. CamcorderInfo.com conducts its usual exhaustive battery of tests, while Videomaker.com’s review is more concise. CNET and DigitalTrends.com report on the HF200 in helpful but not overly long write ups. We also found useful owner reviews at Amazon.com.

Articles from http://www.consumersearch.com/hd-camcorders