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 Sony DCR-HC40
Digital Camcorder
As low as 
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When you carry your camcorder around, you don't want to feel as if you're on a Himalayan trek, carrying so much gear that you feel like a beast of burden. Instead, get one of the new generation of mini digital camcorder, amazing little devices that weigh in at only a pound or so, but offer very high-quality digital video. What to buy and at what price?
A good first choice is the favorite Sony of PriceGrabber customers — the Sony DCR-HC40 Digital Camcorder for as low as . It's a great compromise between price and performance. It weighs in at a svelte 14 ounces, and comes with a 1.0 Megapixel advanced HAD imaging chip and a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens. The viewfinder is a crisp 2.5-inch touch panel LCD with a 3D menu system. It also features a 10x optical zoom. Says one PriceGrabber customer: " Featherweight and very small and compact. Lots of features like handy VCD copy and still images copy."
For a bit more money, and a tiny bit of extra weight (total of 1.2 pounds), you can get a higher-quality output with the Sony DCR-PC330 MiniDV Digital Camcorder for as low as . The resolution on this camera is fabulous at 3.3 megapixels. It comes with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lens and an advanced primary color filter, so it's great for both day and night shooting. There are a lot of extras here, such as its NightFraming system, which uses infrared technology to frame and capture a still shot with no or low lighting.
If you're a lover of stylish design as well as good cameras, try the Canon Optura 300 MiniDV Digital Camcorder for as low as . This elegant-looking camera has 2 megapixel resolution, measure 4 by 4.5 by 2 inches, weighs a pound, and features a 10X optical zoom. It's also a good time to buy: The camera carries a $70 rebate until July 17th.
Those for whom close-ups are important will want the Canon ZR90 MiniDV Digital Camcorder for as low as . How close can your close-ups be? Well, it comes with a 22X optical zoom, and a 440X digital zoom, so as close as you want to get them, you can get them. It weighs in at 1.1 pounds. Says one PriceGrabber customer: "Captures good quality visuals, excellent sound from a distance; excellent VCR playback/viewing; and easy to hook up to a computer to do a download. A snap to point and shoot."
Finally, for a nice compromise between low cost, zoom, quality and weight, try the Canon Optura 20 MiniDV Digital Camcorder for as low as . The price, as you can see, is excellent for a camera with 1.3 megapixels, and 16X zoom. The one drawback – it's at the outer limits of "mini," weighing in at 1.4 pounds and measuring 3.6 by 3 by seven inches.
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