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.

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.

JVC is ready for the holiday season and has unveiled two more Everio camcorders in Japan: the 60GB GZ-MG840 and the 120GB GZ-MG860 that will record videos in a DVD-resolution 720×480 wide format while combining both a hard drive and a microSDHC memory card as its storage.

They also feature a special YouTube capture mode that allows you to record YouTube-friendly videos that won’t need to be converted later, helping you save some time. Both models feature 42x optical zoom with image stabilization. The GZ-MG840 will retail for about $757, while the GZ-MG860 will go for about $811.

DXG USA announced its latest HD camcorder today, offering several interesting features at a not so bad price. It is called the DXG-595V and pricing is around $200.

The DXG-595V captures video at 1080p, doing up to 1920 x 1080 resolution at 30 frames per second. It sports a three-inch TFT screen for viewing and the lens includes 5x optical zoom for closer-in recordings. It can also do eight-megapixels if you desire using its digital camera function.

DXG USA is out with a new HD camcorder designed for easy uploading of video to sites like YouTube. The new DXG-567V is priced at around $180.

The DXG-567V is designed to capture and share high-definition video, up to 1280 x 720 at 30 frames-per-second (FPS). It is a pocket sized device which comes with software for video uploads. DXG says the software works by connecting “the DXG-567V’s retractable USB connector to a computer to automatically launch its menu and instantly upload videos from the camera to YouTube, a blog or other Web video site.”

Sony introduced earlier this week what it is calling the world’s camcorder with “Smile Shutter” technology. It is called the Sony HDR-CX12 and you’ll find it pricing around around $900.

The Sony HDR-CX12 make use of the company’s “Smile Shutter” technology, which detects and takes a photo when your subject smiles without having to switch to photo mode or press a photo button. This HD camcorder, which uses Memory Stick Pro Duo media for storage, can record full 1920 x 1080 video and 10-megapixel photos.

Panasonic today added two new HD camcorders, saying these new models are the world’s first AVCHD camcorders with a 3MOS system. The new HDC-SD100 and HDC-HS100 are pricing at around $1,300 and $1,100, respectively.

These new camcorders are based upon Panasonic’s 3CCD technology and, using the 3M0S system, reportedly capture better colors, detail and richer gradation. The HDC-SD100 records to SD Memory Card, while the hybrid HDC-HS100 records to both SD Memory Card and to its internal 60 GB hard drive.

Stealth Cam has announced a new action-focused sports camera which can capture video while you do crazy stunts and such. It is called the Epic Action Sports Video Camera and you’ll find it pricing around $150.

The Epic Action Sports Video Camera from Stealth Cam is a less than three ounces video camera you can clip in many different ways. It captures VGA quality video at 30fps, offers a 45-degree field of view and includes 2x zoom.

DXG has introduced a new HD camcorder which can record video up to 1280 x 720 at 30fps. It is known as the DXG-569V and you’ll find it pricing at around $170.

The DXG-569V, available in black and white body colors, takes the shape of a vertical, slim design. It has a five-megapixel CMOS sensor for still image capture up to eight-megapixels and, as for the video recording, captures moving images in H.264, MOV file format. It comes with 32MB of memory built-in, which can be expanded via a SD memory card slot.

Sanyo unveiled today a new MPEG-4 digital camcorder in a “pocket-sized design.” It is called the Sanyo Xacti CG9 and pricing finds this product at around $280.

The Sanyo Xacti CG9 will be available in silver or black body colors. It records video in the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format encoding technology, storing up to an hour of video for each GB of memory found on a regular SD/SDHC memory card. It makes use of a 9.1-megapixel CMOS sensor and offers 5x optical zoom as well as 12x digital zoom.

JVC offered up earlier this week for consumer consumption some new high definition hard disk camcorders which deliver 1920×1080 recording. These are the JVC GZ-HD6 and GZ-HD5, priced at around $1,400 and $1,200 respectively.

The JVC GZ-HD6 and GZ-HD5 can record up to 10 hours or 5 hours respectively of “full HD 1920 x 1080 MPEG2 Transport Stream video with MPEG 1 Layer 2 audio.” They use three 1/5-inch CCDs to accomplish this, also featuring an F1.8-F1.9 10x zoom lens and 1080 progressive 60fps HDMI output.

JVC said both camcorders will be available in March. You can get the full details after the jump.

At the CES show this year JVC is launching a new line of their Everio hard disk camcoders, ranging in features, hard drive capacities and even coming in four different colors. JVC is also touting this new lineup to currently be the worlds smallest HDD camcorders available at around 20 percent smaller than the previous models.

All these camcorders utilize a hard disk drive to store video and pictures, ridding the need for discs or tapes, and they come with HDD capacities of either 30GB or 60GB and with or without docks depending on the model. They all also feature an SD card slot, 2.7-inch widescreen LCD and a new touch-sensitive scroll bar to the right of the LCD screen for navigating the menus and selecting videos. This sounds like it would be nice since it still allows easy touch navigation but lets JVC use a better display and avoid finger prints all over it, as what happens when using an actual touch screen.