Sharp Shooters

Capturing the action in HD gets affordable

April 4, 2007—If you're going to play the geek with the camcorder, you might as well embrace the part with the latest and greatest technology. That line of thinking's been getting more and more affordable of late, as two new models demonstrate. For serious shooters, there's JVC's Everio GZ-HD7. Its exterior, like its name, might be a bit on the clunky side, but what's underneath is all about performance. A three-CCD sensor system captures professional-quality color, while image stabilization helps take full advantage of the 10x zoom, broadcast-quality Fujinon lens. What's more, instead of DV tapes (which are easily damaged or sold on the Internet) the Everio uses a 60GB hard drive that's good for five hours at full 1920 x 1080i quality. Which, incidentally, is the highest resolution currently available among consumer-level camcorders.

A little less sharp but quite a bit sexier—not to mention $1,300 cheaper—is the new Canon PowerShot TX1. It shoots video in slightly lower-quality 720p resolution and snaps via a built-in 7.1-megapixel, 10x zoom still camera. And the TX1's size matches its bargain $500 price—it's only as big as a deck of cards. Time to ante up.

JVC Everio GZ-HD7, $1,799.95, available at www.jvc.com. Canon PowerShot TX1, $499.99, available at www.canon.com.