Kaitlyn Chantry

Impressive video quality, but with a body design that lacks durability and reliability.

Solid, but little is changed or improved over others in Canon’s flagship line.

At heart, a slimmer, simpler version of the VPC-HD2000 we reviewed earlier this year.

Having reviewed Panasonic\'s highly anticipated HDC-HS100, we thought it only fair to give equal treatment to their slightly less expensive model, the Panasonic HDC-SD100 ($1099.95 MSRP). Without the large hard drive bulking up the right side of the body, the SD100 is slimmer and lighter. Relying entirely on external SD/SDHC memory cards, the SD100 doesn\'t have the capacity of its hard drive cousin, but the differences really end there. Nearly everything we experienced with the HS100 in terms of performance, user interface, and features still holds true.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 (MSRP $$499.95) is crammed full of features that photo-savvy users will love, but the camera's performance runs hot and cold.