People love small camcorders like the flip because they are convenient and compact. The problem is that you sacrifice audio quality for that small size. The audio just plain stinks. I don’t have to tell you. However, there may just be a way to have that small size and decent audio together in one package.

The Zoom Q3 wants to be that solution. The Q3 is comparably small and features USB connectivity, along with stereo microphones that should outdo the flip. This camera records in Mpeg4 and with a 32GB memory card you can record up to 16 hours of video.

Samsung has unveiled their latest camcorder and the HMX-U10 is all about casual point-and-shoot. It measures a compact 56 x 103 x 15.5mm with a design to better fit your hand. The upright camera has both 10-megapixel stills capture and 1920 x 1080 Full HD video.

Samsung wants some of the Flip UltraHD market with this one. The HMX-U10 records to an SDHC card and uses the H.264 video codec. In the back there’s a 2-inch LCD for framing and previewing, together with basic controls. The 1/2.3-inch CMOS lens is fixed focus and apparently lacks zoom.

The SMX-K45 and SMX-K40 are both standard definition (SD, 720×480) camcorders with a 52x optical zoom and optical image stabilization. Sounds like the recording quality may be decent enough on both devices to do web videos. Then again youtube quality has gone up.

The SMX-K40 records only on removable flash cards, while the SMX-K45 has a 32GB SSD. The smx-k40 will cost you $329, while the smx-k45 will cost you $499. 16 Gb is probably all most casual users will need.

The new 64GB HDR-CX520V and 32GB HDR-CX500V are identical aside from the built-in storage capacities. Both feature an Exmor R CMOS sensor with BIONZ processing that offers great low-light performance and great 12 megapixel stills.

Some other features include Optical SteadyShot with a new active mode and three-way shake cancellation, Face Touch autofocus which allows you to point at faces to prioritize focus, and 60p output, which will interpolate your footage to 60 progressive frames per second when connected to a compatible HDTV.

Just in time for Father’s day, the VholdR ContourHD is now shipping. Dads everywhere will soon be doing stuff like jumping out of planes, all the while making a video from their point of view. The 720p wearable cam was first announced back in April.

It will cost you $299.99, but Amazon has them for $20 less and they are throwing in a $50 gift. Which oesn’t do you much good if you Jackass stunts land you in the hospital.

Panasonic has delivered the HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 camcorders, which weigh less than 230g. And so they are being touted as the lightest camcorders with full high-definition capabilities. At least until someone beats them with something even lighter.

They’ll record 1080p video in AVCHD format and boast 16x optical zoom and Advanced O.I.S (Optical Image Stabilizer) technology. Both record to SD/SDHC memory cards, but the HDC-TM10 also comes with 8GB of onboard storage capacity.

Thanko has released a new super tiny camcorder named “video water”. It’s a finger sized water-tight video recorder that can be easily attached to anything. The camera will work under water up to a depth of 20 meters. That way, you record all the fish you want, or record your friend getting their pants pulled down in the pool. Whatever.

Resolution is equivalent to the camera in an ordinary cell phone. Record time is about 6 hours. The video is encoded in .3gp format and the 2GB of memory can hold over 6 hours of video. Charge time is how much use time you’ll get.

Panasonic has announced a few new camcorders in the HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 which weigh just 227 grams. Therefore Panasonic is claiming that they are the lightest full HD camcorders in the world. Both models can record 1,920 x 1,080 HD images and sport 16x optical zoom, touchscreen control, iA with AF tracking and Advanced Optical Image Stabilizer to counter your unsteady hand.

The SD10 uses the SD/SDHC memory card to store your recordings, while the TM10 uses 8GB internal memory and an SD/SDHC memory card slot.

Look at this guy. He exudes a confidence that says, I’m off to have an adventure and I’m not afraid to record it. He’s “wearing” the ContourHD which claims to be the world’s first wearable HD camcorder.

It weighs just four ounces and the anodized aluminum device can snap on your equipment. Like ski goggles for instance. It shoots HD video (1280×720) at 30fps, or SD at 60fps. Storage is in the form of MicroSD cards up to 16GB, which will provide up to 8 hours of HD and 16 hours of SD per card.

The HMX-R10 HD camcorder from Samsung sports a tiny form factor that looks awesome. You’ll be able to actually get one starting as soon as next month. The camcorder was released in Korea today and measures in at just 4.9″ x 1.5″. Some specs include a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution from a 1/2.33-inch CMOS sensor and it has a 9-megapixel sensor for still photos.

Some other features include 5x optical zoom, a 2.7-inch touchscreen LCD with the proprietary Magic Touch UI, and a microSDHC memory slot with support for cards up to 32GB. You can also shoot in slow-motion at 60, 300 and 600 fps.

The tech wizards over at JVC have on their hands today a new dual-use camera that shoots high definition video and high resolution digital still images. It is part of the company’s Everio line up and will cost around $1,000 when it debuts in June.

The JVC GZ-X900, or Everio X, is a all-in-one digital camera weighing around 0.66 pounds. It is capable of shooting both nine-megapixel digital pictures and also 1920 x 1080 Full HD AVCHD video. These digital media captures are recorded to SDHC memory cards.

Sanyo has a new line up of mixed form factor (horizontal, vertical) Dual Camera Xacti digital cameras it unveiled today. These models, including full HD 60fps units, waterproof HD models and compact HD cameras, will be available starting in March.

These new Sanyo cameras will range in price between around $200 and $600. These units will let consumers record both video and digital images to SD/SDHC cards and are said by Sanyo to be thumb operable for important functions. Separate video and photo buttons offer switch between digital recording modes.

Panasonic was showcasing a lot of new compact camcorders at CES last week. Two of these new models are the SDR-S15 and SDR-SW21, priced around $300 and $400, respectively.

These new Panasonic camcorders both record video to SD/SDHC memory cards. Each serves different consumer audiences – the SDR-SW21 is much more rugged in design, including being waterproof up to 6.5 feet, so it is geared towards outdoor crowds. The SDR-S15 is more of a film one’s friends at the birthday party kind of model.

Flip video recently teamed up MTV and gave away 100 of these little Flip camcorders to 100 college students around the country and asked them to create footage based on different themes provided by MTV. They then uploaded these videos, along with many others to MTV’s What The Flip? site.

Anyone can get in on the action and upload their own videos based on the different themes, including “Worst Date”, “Last Dream”, “Bridges, Rhinos, Chandeliers”, and “If I Could Change 1 Thing About The World” to name a few. MTV and Flip Video are also giving one of these Flip Mino camcorders away each day by registering at the What the Flip? website (see the bottom of the About page).

To help spread the word, SlipperyBrick.com is also giving away a Flip Mino camcorder that have a good chance at …

Canon unveiled prior to the Consumer Electronics Show this week new high definition camcorders and standard definiton camcorders. The HD camcorders, in particular the high-end VIXIA HV40 HDV, are of note because they feature a new Canon digital image processor known as DIGIC DV III.

Canon says its DIGIC DV III image processor has a higher speed engine, offering better color reproduction, clairty and noise reduction. It is also the backbone behind some other new Canon HD camcorder features, including 8-megapixel photo capture, face detection technology and an enhanced auto exposure system.