Videomaker's 2005 Best Products of the Year

The best consumer video production products of 2005, selected by the editors of Videomaker.

The Year of HD and Tapeless Workflow

Few could argue that this was in fact the year of HD, with new developments from all of the big players in both the camera and the editing world. We would also contend that this was also the year for alternatives to recording to tape. DVD camcorders are becoming more popular, and MPEG-4 recording to memory card in everything from still cameras to cell phones to disposable cameras at the drugstore, along with the emergence of the 8GB P2 card from Panasonic gives us many choices. Hard drives and memory cards are getting physically smaller while their storage capacity grows, editing software is getting easier to use but contains more features for advanced editors, and computers are becoming faster and more powerful, both in the desktop and laptop arenas.

In the pages that follow you'll see the products that really turned the heads of the Videomaker editors during the past twelve months.

Best Products

For a product to qualify for an award, it must have shipped in the 2005 calendar year, and it must have passed through Videomaker headquarters for examination by our editors. From there, we judged products based on the following seven criteria:

Empowerment:

How well the product helps videographers to be more effective at video production.

Ease of Operation:

How user-friendly it is.

Affordability:

The product must provide a good value for the price.

Quality:

It must be put together well, be durable and show excellence in its category.

Innovation:

It should have some inventive or original features.

Dependability:

It needs to be able to endure the rigors of active video production.

Performance:

It must work consistently and effectively.

Best Camcorder $500-$1,500

Canon Optura 600 ($1,000)

With its large CCD (1/2.8") and manual audio level controls, this small, travel-worthy camera brought smiles to the faces of editors here at Videomaker. We loved many of the camera controls presented as buttons, dials and switches on the camera body as opposed to being buried in the menus. The still camera functionalities are relatively rich, while most camcorders in this price range include the bare minimum. A great one-chip camcorder to tote when you want to leave the big guns at home (or don't want to bother with the bigger cameras at all).

Best Camcorder Under $500

Panasonic PV-GS35 Mini DV Camcorder ($500)

If you're looking to buy a Mini DV camcorder but you're a little light in the wallet, you'll want to consider the GS35. With one of the biggest optical zooms in the consumer/prosumer market (30x) and a mic jack (though no accessory shoe), this small, inexpensive camera can give you professional results. It has a side-loading tape door that allows you to keep the camera on the tripod during a tape change, and one of the better color representations in its class. Once you get used to the menu's joystick, you'll find menu searching a breeze.

Best HDV Camcorder less than $6,500

JVC GY-HD100 HDV Camcorder ($6,295)

The JVC GY-HD100 comes in at the very top of our price range for consideration, but it is an incredible camera. You may want to consider parting with your hard earned savings for the 16x Fujinon 16:1 ProHD lens alone. You give up your auto focus option for the fixed lens, but for most wanting to go pro, they'd happily part with the spinning servo for the manual focal accuracy. The 720p HD100 is a shoulder-mount camera with the majority of its manual controls on the body, as opposed to being hidden in menus. XLR inputs and an included off-board shotgun mic ensure professional audio acquisition. Record in either HDV720p or DV25.