4. The Canon Vixia HF10

by Don Woligroski

If you enjoy shooting home video, chances are you have a bunch of tapes in storage. VHS tapes, beta tapes, handycam tapes, VHS-C tapes, Hi-8 tapes, DV tapes… the list goes on and on. Video format standards seem to change every couple years, making all of the footage you’ve previously shot instantly obsolete unless you keep all that old equipment. Oh, you want to digitally edit that old footage? Get ready to wait hours and hours to transfer it to your PC…

Of course, none of these issues are a problem with the new flash-based video cameras that store information without tapes. Yes, we know flashed-based camcorders have been around for a little while now, but Canon looks to have gotten its newest model, the VIXIA HF10, good enough to convert even the most hardcore tapeophiles to give tapeless technology a shot.

Don’t let the HF10’s tiny 2.9" x 2.5" x 5.1" size and 55.1 ounce weight fool you; this is a serious video camera capable of full gorgeous 1080p resolution. Yes, that’s right: 1920x1080 pixels (remember when 720x480 made for a high-resolution digital video camera?). With the included 16 GB of flash memory, the HF10 can record just over two hours of video on the highest quality 17 Mbps setting; lower the quality to 5 Mbps and the internal storage will hold just over six hours of video. And if you need even more space, there is a slot for removable SDHC flash.

All of this with a better-than-average 12x optical zoom and the ability to use the HF10 as a 3.3 megapixel still camera. At Canon’s MSRP of $1000, the VIXIA HF10 looks like a great option for the videophile dads and grads on your list.