With the release of the M1, BenQ has finally entered the Australian camcorder market.

Finished in fire engine red, the BenQ M1 proves it’s more than just a pretty (eye-catching) face. It also offers Full HD (1080p) recording plus some nice features and specs, all for under $400.

That being said, image quality is what you’d expect from a sub-$400 camcorder - good, but not what you’d use to shoot a big-screen production (with the same going for the built-in 10-megapixel digital camera for shooting stills). Shooting specifications include 5x optical zoom and six lighting modes, plus an electronic image stabiliser and an option to reduce wind noise. Also handy is the 270-degree swivel screen for when you want to record yourself talking to camera.

One of the most noteworthy amongst the M1’s features is the 3-Second Auto Pre-Record function, which comes in handy when shooting spontaneous moments. When you have this mode turned on, the M1 automatically shoots three seconds of footage at a time, even if the record button hasn’t been pressed. In other words, when you do hit the record button to film some unexpected occurrence, you’ll automatically have three seconds of footage added prior to the time you pressed record.

Another nice feature is Touch AutoFocus Lock, which helps when shooting fast-paced action such as sporting matches. When you select this feature via the 3-inch touchscreen, the BenQ M1 locks focus on whatever you’ve selected for the duration of recording, rather than trying to refocus as conditions change.

Rounding out the specifications - 4GB of on-board storage (expandable to 32GB by SDHC card) and several connectivity options (HDMI, USB 2.0, audio and video out).

The new BenQ M1 camcorder is on sale now with a recommended retail price of $399.

Buy a cheap camcorder on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

The Flip MinoHD is one of a new generation of mini-camcorders that combine portability; decent performance and functionality; and affordable pricing.

These devices don’t pretend to be the best-in-breed in terms of performance and features, but deliver “good enough” performance - with portability and an affordable price tag being the key selling points.

This latest iteration of the Flip Mino HD offers several upgrades over the 2009 model, including twice the memory (8GB, so you can now record up to 120 minutes of standard definition footage); a larger LCD screen (up by 0.5-inches to 2-inches); plus the ability to upload your videos directly to Facebook, YouTube and MySpace using the on-board FlipShare software.

Aside from these upgrades, not much has changed, but this is still a nifty little device. Basically, it’s an ultra portable mini-camcorder that can record in high-definition at 30 frames-per-second (though admittedly at 1280×720 it’s not Full HD, but once again - it’s “good enough”). The top of the Flip MinoHD has a flip-out USB connector, which allows you to plug it into your computer to upload the footage and share it as you wish.

Sounds simple, and that’s the beauty of it. The image quality isn’t what you’d expect from a full-sized HD camcorder, but this device isn’t intended to be used to film cinematic masterpieces. It’s for filming and sharing as simply as possible, and that’s good enough for many of us.

The new Flip MinoHD mini-camcorder is available now with a local price of $299.95.

Buy a cheap Flip camcorder on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

The Samsung HMX-U20 mini-camcorder allows you to capture Full HD video on the go and seamlessly upload it to services such as YouTube.

Despite its compact size and ultra-portable form, the Samsung U20 is a dynamic package. Not only can you capture Full HD (1920×1080p) video, but it also sports 3x optical zoom plus HDMI and USB ports - something of a rarity amongst its fellow mini-camcorders.

The HDMI port can be used to connect the U20 directly to a HD display for playback, or you can connect to a PC using the USB port.

Samsung has also equipped the device with a one-touch YouTube upload button, if you intend on sharing your video online.

Last but not least, you can also take digital still photos at up to 10-megapixel resolution.

The Samsung HMX-U20 will be available in Australia before the end of March 2010 with a recommended retail price of $299. It will be available in four colours - red, black, silver and blue.

Buy a cheap Samsung camcorder on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

High-definition or HD camcorders are getting more and more affordable. But what do you need to know if you’re thinking about buying one?

What are HD camcorders?

As the name clearly explains, a HD camcorder can record high-definition footage. Read more about HD technology in this earlier HDTV buying guide. Bear in mind that you will need a HD TV on which to play your recorded footage if you want to experience the full benefits of your HD camcorder. Obviously, you can still play back standard definition footage on a regular television, but it won’t look any different to the footage you would record from a standard camcorder.

HD camcorder formats

There are two formats for today’s consumer HD camcorders - High-Definition Video (HDV) and Advanced Video Codec High-Definition (AVCHD).

Without getting too technical: HDV records footage to MiniDV at a resolution of 1440×1080, which isn’t strictly “Full HD” (1920×1080) but still produces excellent pictures. Each tape can record one hour of high-def footage, but on the down side, MiniDV tapes wear out with time and you’ll lose your recordings.

On the other hand, AVCHD records in Full HD format and can record to a number of different media, including SDHC memory cards, hard disk drives or 8cm recordable DVDs (which can be replayed from a Blu-ray player).

HD camcorder storage options

A major factor to consider when shopping for a high-definition camcorder is that the amount of storage required for HD footage is far greater than that of a regular video camera.

Internal hard drives are generally preferred by most of the large manufacturers, but another storage option that is growing in popularity is flash, such as the abovementioned SDHC cards and Memory Sticks. Finally you also have HD camcorders that record to tape.

Watching your HD footage

Your HD camcorder can be connected directly to your TV to view your footage. Avoid connecting via S-Video if possible as this degrades the quality of the picture. If you own a flash HD camcorder and your TV has a card slot, you will be able to insert the card and play the footage directly from that.

Any footage you want to keep will need to be transferred to a disc such as Blu-ray or HD DVD. There are many online tutorials which explain how to do this.

Best HD camcorders

The Samsung HD camcorder pictured here is a popular model and very well priced at $699.

Canon and JVC also make excellent HD camcorders.

Buy a cheap HD camcorder on sale

By Caroline Warnes

The new Canon Legria HFS11 camcorder is the updated version of the Legria HFS10, the manufacturer’s top-of-the-range HD camcorder.

The Canon Legria HFS11 builds on its predecessor’s strengths, with the addition of a much improved optical image stabilisation system and extra storage (64GB instead of 32GB).The camcorder’s proprietary Dynamic SuperRange optical image stabiliser provides far better footage when you’re shooting and walking simultaneously.

Another improvement over the HFS10 is the inclusion of Advanced Snapshot mode. This allows you to pull four-second clips when you’re in capture or playback mode and create a highlights reel of your footage.

Aside from these improvements, the Legria HFS11’s specs are fairly similar to the HFS10. It’s capable of Full HD video (1920×1080) at 50 frames-per-second (fps) and features a 2.02cm 8-megapixel CMOS sensor. Just like the earlier model, video quality is excellent, as you’d expect from a Canon digital video camera in this price range.

Connectivity includes a 3.5mm mic input and 3.5mm headphone jack, plus USB, component and mini-HDMI ports.

The Canon Legria HFS11 is available now in Australia with a recommended retail price of $2099.

Buy a cheap Canon camcorder on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

The Kodak Zi8 is an impressive mini-camcorder that’s small enough to fit in your pocket yet capable of capturing Full HD (1080p 30 frames-per-second) footage.

Weighing in at just over 100g, the Kodak Zi8 is relatively compact. It’s not the smallest mini-camcorder on the market, but given its ability to film Full HD footage, this is to be expected. You should be aware however that Full HD footage filmed on a mini-camcorder won’t be quite up to the standard of Full HD footage filmed on a fully-featured camcorder, though of course these models cost considerably more.

Image quality on the Kodak Zi8 is exceptional for a mini-camcorder, thanks to the 10.2mm 5-megapixel CMOS sensor. You can also capture still images in 5-megapixel resolution. Because this is such a small camera, there’s not much on-board memory but you can store all your footage on SDHC cards of up to 32GB.

Kodak has bundled the Zi8 with its MediaImpression software, which allows you to upload your footage to YouTube and perform editing such as splicing, trimming and adding music and titles. It also allows any 1080p footage to be played back smoothly on a PC, though unfortunately it’s not Mac-compatible. You can also watch your footage on the camcorder via the 2.5-inch LCD and built-in speaker.

The Kodak Zi8 mini-camcorder is available in Australia now with a recommended retail price of $299. It comes in a choice of three colours: black, aqua and raspberry.

Buy a cheap camcorder on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

The Sony Bloggie MHS-PM5K is a unique little portable camcorder that will appeal to anyone who likes to post a lot of videos online to sites such as YouTube.

Thanks to the CMOS sensor, this nifty little pocket camcorder can record in Full HD (1920×1080p) resolution as well as capture 5-megapixel still images.

From there, it’s a simple matter of connecting the Bloggie to any computer to load the footage up to your favourites sites. The included software allows you to automatically select what you want uploaded from the device then pushes it to the sites of your choice, such as YouTube and social media channels such as Facebook.

What makes the Sony Bloggie MHS-PM5K particularly handy for on-the-go recording and publishing is the inclusion of the “flip” rotating lens. Flipping the lens automatically turns the Bloggie on and you’re ready to shoot with the press of a button. The lens rotates through 270 degrees so you can film from a wide range of angles. You can even swivel it to film yourself. Sony has also included a 360 lens attachment in the box so you can shoot panaromic videos when needed.

Also included in the box is a 4GB Memory Stick to record to, however if you require more storage there is an optional 32GB stick.

The Sony Bloggie MHS-PM5K camcorder will be released in Australia mid-February with a recommended retail price of $299. It will be available in pink, blue, violet and white.

Buy a cheap Sony camcorder on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

If you’re looking to upgrade from an entry-level camcorder or are looking for a solid mid-range purchase, the Canon Legria HF20 is worthy of review.

It’s a good, solid all-rounder that carries a fairly affordable $1399 price tag and a fairly comprehensive set of features for a camcorder in this price range.

Canon says the Legria HF20 is its smallest high-definition (HD) digital video camera yet, which will appeal to anyone who is planning on taking it travelling or has plans to use it whilst on-the-go.

It’s capable of 1920×1080p “Full HD” video - and, in fact, image quality is something of a highlight of the Canon Legria HF20. This is largely thanks to the 3.3-megapixel CMOS image sensor and new DIGIC DV III processor, which is capable of recording footage at a maximum of 24Mbps. When recording at this highest setting, the in-built 32GB flash memory can store approximately three hours of footage.

Features are decent but not outstanding. Canon has equipped the HF20 with mini-HDMI and mini-USB ports and a flip-out 2.7-inch LCD screen. Sitting next to the screen is a joystick, which can be used to access the menus and settings.

The good news is you can also use the HF20 to shoot still photos, which are also of excellent quality, so if you are going on holidays you can make do with just the camcorder rather than two separate devices.

Buy a cheap Canon camcorder on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes