Canon Elura 100
Estimated price: $350
Web site: www.usa.canon.com

Learning from a key design flaw in last year’s Elura line, Canon has made significant improvements to its placement of the Elura 100’s buttons, which are no longer hidden behind the LCD display. This year’s model also features an improved sensor (meaning better video, as well as higher resolution still images), and the Elura 100 produces rich, widescreen footage (16:9 aspect ratio), though of course, not in high definition. Though the camera doesn’t have any optical image stabilization, it does offer decent digital stabilization, and it performs reasonably well in low-light settings. The Elura 100 records to Mini DV, though it also incorporates an SD memory card slot for storing still images.

Sony Handycam DCR-SR100
Estimated price: $979
Web site: www.sony.com

If you’re tired of making sure you have a blank tape or a DVD on hand, then it could be time to get a hard disk-based camcorder, and Sony’s DCR-SR100 is one of the better ones on the market. Though serious video aficionados may not want to sacrifice the better quality yielded by other technologies (particularly Mini DV), hard disk models will more than suffice for most of us. Depending on your settings, the DCR-SR100 can store between 440 and 1,250 minutes of footage, and the camera is also capable of taking 3 megapixel still shots to boot. The camera features 10x optical zoom, along with 120x digital zoom, and Sony’s “SteadyShot” stabilization is very solid. If you’re worried about your sound quality, the DCR-SR100 also includes a microphone capable of capturing Dolby Digital 5.1 channel audio, which should yield more lifelike playback.

Sony Handycam HDR-HC3 HDV
Estimated price: $1,499
Web site: www.sony.com

Sure it’s a steep price to pay, but if you’re looking for a bit of future-proofing, Sony’s high-definition HDR-HC3 HDV (how’s that for a snappy product name), could be just the ticket. Though it’s capable of shooting in both standard and high definition, Sony’s entry-level high-def camera is a waste if you don’t have an HD television or display to show off your footage on. And while this is the most expensive of the three camcorders we’ve looked at, shockingly it’s actually a bit smaller and lighter than the DCR-SR100 above (weighing in at 1 pound, 3 ounces, as opposed to 1 pound, 6 ounces).

Not bad, when you factor in the technology required to capture high definition footage.

The camera also has virtually all the bells and whistles the amateur—or even mid-ranged—videophile could ever ask for, including a beautiful, 2.7-inch, rotating widescreen LCD, a MemoryStick Duo slot for storing still images, easy switching back and forth between standard definition and high definition formats, 10x optical 80s digital zoom, and a lot more.

Of course, once you have your HD content, figuring out what to do with it can be a bit of a challenge. Of course, you can plug your camcorder directly into your TV, but if you want to transfer it to your PC, then you get a bit stuck—at least until high-definition DVD burners hit the market (and when they do, you can rest assured, they’ll cost a pretty penny). In the meantime, you’ll need to “downconvert” your footage so that you can copy it to a standard DVD, or watch it on your PC. But that’s the price you’ll pay for living on the bleeding edge.