The 2002 Videomaker Best Products of the Year Awards

For a product to qualify for an award, it must have shipped in the 2002 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 effective the product is at helping videographers 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, 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.Throughout the course of a year we have a unique opportunity to see, play with, test and review all of the latest and greatest video toys. At the end of each year, we take a step back to look at the whole and publish a list of our favorites. Selecting winners is a fun but challenging process. The editors compared, contrasted, discussed, debated and defended their recommendations. When the dust settled, we had this list of winners. Here they are:
Videomaker's Best Products of the Year.

Best Mini DV Camcorder Over $3,000
Panasonic AG-DVX100
The Panasonic AG-DVX100 is one sweet camera, even if you aren't shooting an Indie for Sundance. We weren't terribly excited by 24p in and of itself: we don't have $50,000 to transfer our video to film, and our productions are shown on 30fps interlaced NTSC televisions anyhow. But we were extremely impressed with the true progressive modes, the accessible (and extensive) manual controls, the fine audio capabilities and the overall imaging quality of this professional-level camera. The DVX100 truly has it all.
www.panasonic.com/PBDS/
$3,795

Best Mini DV Camcorder $2,000-$3,000
Canon GL2
This was a close category this year, with the GL2 competing against the outstanding Sony TRV950 ($2,600). While you won't be disappointed with either camera (the Sony shoots a very sharp image in automatic modes), we give the edge to the GL2 for two reasons. First, the GL2 has better audio controls with a number of very useful meters carefully placed around the camera body. The Canon also has better and more accessible manual controls (such as direct iris control in F-stops) that professional videographers will understand and truly appreciate.
www.canondv.com
$3,000

Best Mini DV Camcorder $1,200-$2,000
Sony DCR-PC120BT
For the opposite reason we liked the GL2 in the previous category, we feel that the Sony PC120BT is the best camera in this category. Its first-rate automatic shooting features make it an excellent choice for the hobbyist. In point-and-shoot mode, this camera produced one of the sharpest images we've seen. And that doesn't mean that the manual controls aren't there if you need them. With high-res still shot capabilities, a compact size and Bluetooth networking potential, this is an ideal camera to take on vacation.
www.sel.sony.com
$2,000

Best Mini DV Camcorder Under $1,200
Sharp VL-MC500U
Every year we see higher quality products at lower prices and this camera is a classic example. The Sharp VL-MC500U is a refined and perfected version of last year's winner, for about $200 less. Beside solid performance and good manual controls, Sharp deserves an award for its innovative shooting assistance guides, which help the beginner learn basic shot composition with an on-screen rule-of-thirds grid.
www.sharp-usa.com
$1,000