This new year, celebrate with your family and catch all the emotions with the latest digital camera available on the market. Some brands have come up with top-of-the-heap models, and some are doing well with slight modifications. Camcorder brands are looking ahead for high competition as consumers are gradually upgrading to digital performers.

Sony continues to dominate the market with DCR-DVD403, with its neverbefore seen video reception and excellent low-light performance. Along with this model, the market giant has launched high definition (HD) with the HDR-HC1, the only available HD cam under $2,000. In the pipeline, there other players, too, like Canon, JVC, and Panasonic. Canon has launched a new camcorder in its Optura range that has proved to be one of the best this year. The brand has also introduced DVD formats like DC10 and DC20 to the market.

JVC has also introduced its trend-breaker Everio series that runs without a tape or DVD. This newer model runs on a 40GB Microdrive and amazes users with its still-image quality. At this time, the Everio G-series is, of course, a high-class performer, and its continuing price fall will make it easily affordable.

Panasonic placed among the most affordable and its manually controlled range is also doing well. The Panasonic SDR-S100 is a super-slim camcorder that has the best Panasonic features one might dream of.

Buyers however, are leaning toward tapeless camcorders. Removable flash memory and an internal hard drive that make the model slimmer and more portable are now the greatest hits. If you are looking for impressive image quality and all the digital features, then the above brands are suitable. But while buying the favorite model, still-image quality and other digital facilities should also be considered.