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RCA unveils new budget HD minicamcorder, the EZ209HD

RCA's new HD minicamcorder, the EZ209HD, will retail for an impressively low $120 when it hits stores this spring.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
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David Carnoy
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RCA

In the minicamcorder market, last year RCA pretty much played second or third fiddle to Flip Video and Kodak, with Creative recently making a late charge. Well, RCA hopes to change all that with its new Small Wonder EZ209HD, which carries the bargain price of $120 and is due out sometime this spring.

This model is smaller and sleeker than previous Small Wonders, integrates a microSD card slot rather than an SD card slot (it accepts microSD cards up to 16GB), and retains a not-too-puny 2-inch LCD. Like the Creative Vado HD, the EZ209HD also incorporates an HDMI output so you can connect the camcorder directly to your HDTV to view your clips in their full glory.

Like competing mini-HD models, the EZ209HD records up to two hours of video on a single charge. It captures video at HD and SD resolutions at up to 60 frames per second. It also captures 8 megapixel still images, but like with all budget minicamcorders, both video and still quality don't measure up to what true HD camcorders and still cameras can produce. Still, this is an impressive price for these specs and should put some pressure on Flip Video to lower the price of its Mino HD. Of course, we'll have to wait to see if the video quality has improved along with the design of the camcorder.

Additional note: Both Kodak and Sony announced new HD mini-camcorders at CES. Kodak's new cam is called the Zx1 and Sony's is the Webbie HD.