The Canon HV10 measures 2.2 by 4.1 by 4.2 inches and weighs less than a pound.

Canon's HV10 camcorder is a true breakthrough in size and performance. It shoots widescreen high-definition video at a resolution of 1,920 by 1,080 pixels, which gives even the most pedestrian video footage an unmistakable wow factor. But while other HDV cameras typically run a bit on the bulky side, the HV10's thin, lightweight body lets you tote it around like an afterthought.

Supersharp resolution aside, the HV10 does two other things to make your videos look like they belong on the Discovery Channel. A secret-sauce autofocus technology lets the HV10 almost instantly refocus on subjects as you point the camera around or quickly zoom in and out, and an optical image stabilizer removes mild to moderate camera shake in handheld shots. These features aren't absolutely foolproof, but they nonetheless give your video's production values a huge boost.

The camera also doesn't add much noise or lose a lot of detail when shooting under dimly lit conditions, so it's a decent option for low-light scenarios. And in case you like to tinker, it has manual controls for white balance, iris, and shutter.

Of course, the HV10's pint size and relatively low price do require some compromises. One example is the camera's so-so microphone quality (even by mini camcorder standards), which stems from the mic's placement on top of the unit, aimed up instead of forward. There's also no support for add-ons: no audio-in jack for connecting an external microphone and no hot-shoe adapter to add a bigger light. Finally, battery life isn't great, either—we got a little more than 60 minutes on a standard battery (though you can buy a bigger battery to roughly double that).

To edit your footage, buy a FireWire 400 cable, attach the HV10 to your Mac, and use a video-editing application (such as Apple's iMovie HD or Final Cut Pro) to capture and edit your footage. When finished, you can export your movie at full or reduced size and play it back on any computer with QuickTime installed. Or you can record the movie back to the HV10's tape, hook the camera to an HDTV (using the included component cables), and play the movie from there. Sadly, there's no way to author true high-definition DVDs (in case you're one of the few folks with an HD-DVD player), but you can convert movies to standard definition and encode them on standard DVDs.

The bottom line. We love shooting gorgeous HD video with a camera that we can stuff into our shorts pocket. And at a list price of $1,299, the HV10 also happens to be the most affordable HDV camera around.

COMPANY: Canon
CONTACT: www.canon.com
PRICE: $1,299
REQUIREMENTS: Mac with FireWire 400 port. Video editing software capable of editing HD video.
Gorgeous video quality. Small, lightweight body. Shoots on MiniDV tapes. Relatively low price.
No jack for an external mic. No hot shoe. Short battery life. FireWire 400 cable not included.