Toshiba Camileo H20 and P30: HD happy

Toshiba has announced the new Camileo H20 and P30, budget high-definition camcorders to suit every pocket. There's a recession on, y'know

Richard Trenholm

Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.

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Richard Trenholm

Jan. 29, 2009 4:13 a.m. PT

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Toshiba is one of the bigger names in the budget reaches of the camcorder market, and is continuing to blur the gap between the no-frills ilk of the Flip Video Mino and proper high-definition models. Two new models, the Toshiba Camileo H20 and P30, shoot 1080p in small packages.

New features include night mode, which boosts image quality when you're wandering around in the dark. Both models include an HDMI connection and YouTube uploading. The design of the cameras has also been spruced up, as you'll see from our photos: they sport a blue gloss finish and red Camileo tag, scrubbing up much better than last year's workmanlike Toshiba Camileo Pro.

Pictured above is the P30, a pistol grip-style model. It records 1080p in H.264 HD format and packs a 5x optical zoom. Inside is a 5-megapixel CMOS sensor.

The H20 also features a 5-megapixel CMOS and 5x zoom but in a more conventional barrel shape. The barrel form factor affords the H20 a bigger screen than the P30. Click through the photos for a closer look, and UK pricing and availability.