Sony HDR-FX1000
$3,200 - www.sonystyle.com
This was the only tape-based camcorder that we reviewed this year, but it was quite a good camcorder, filled with plenty of manual controls - and it shot magnificent video. Nonetheless, there were no other HDV camcorders entering the ring this year - it could very well be that this will be the last HDV camcorder released.
Read Videomaker's review of the Sony HDR-FX1000.
Sony MHS-PM1
$170 - www.sonystyle.com
2009 was the first year that we looked at pocket camcorders, an emerging category that will probably become very popular over the course of the next year. The Sony MHS-PM1 stands out with a Memory Stick slot and a lower list price than most of its competitors. Not only that... it's also available in different colors.
Read Videomaker's review of the Sony MHS-PM1.
Polywell X5800A-CX4
$4,899 - www.polywell.com
We saw a lot of cool computers over the year, but the Polywell was the standout. The system was hand-tuned for use with Adobe CS4, including such bleeding-edge enhancements as the NVIDIA Quadro CX video card, a Blu-ray Disc burner and Intel's screaming-fast Core i7 processor.
Read Videomaker's review of the Polywell X5800A-CX4.
Omni-Tracker Slim Line Dolly
$475 - www.omni-tracker.com
The Omni-Tracker isn't a dolly in the traditional sense, in that it doesn't require a track. But it rolls as smoothly as any dolly can on any flat, smooth surface. It's a unique camera support that is easier to use than many other moving supports.
Read Videomaker's review of the Omni-Tracker Slim Line Dolly.
MAGIX Video Pro X
$299 - www.magix.com
Video Pro X is a step above the typical bargain-basement editor, but it is more accessible than the typical pro-level editing application. It seems to hit a sweet spot between the two product categories.
Read Videomaker's review of the MAGIX Video Pro X.
MotionDSP vReveal
$50 - www.motiondsp.com
Hands-down, one of the coolest programs we've seen all year - what other program will take in your video clips and clean up everything that is problematic about them from camera shake to color variances? And it leverages the power of CUDA, if you've got an NVIDIA graphics card, to make the whole process go much faster. (But even if your computer is CUDA-impaired, the program still runs pretty fast, all in all.)
Read Videomaker's review of the MotionDSP vReveal.
Sony Media Vegas Pro 9
$600 - www.sonycreativesoftware.com
Sony Media Software's Vegas Pro 9 is one of the first editing applications for Windows to explo it 64-bit hardware, which is clearly where we're all going at this point anyway. There's also support for 4K acquisition and editing, though it'll take some time before we get to the point where 4K gets into our price range. And there's also support for several newer formats, including XDCAM EX and RED ONE. For $600 including a version of DVD Architect that also burns Blu-ray Disc, it's a deal.
Read Videomaker's review of the Sony Media Vegas Pro 9.
Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium
$1,699 ($599 upgrade) - www.adobe.com
CS4 came out at an unusual time last year - at the tail-end of our selection process for last year. Based on the strength and polish that we saw in release candidate versions, we gave CS4 the Best Product of the Year award last year, and after using the final version of CS4, we say there's still not a full suite that competes - for one fairly reasonable price, you get all of the video tools that you could possibly need - video editing, audio editing, still image editing, compositing and DVD authoring.
Read Videomaker's review of the Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium.
