Stories by: Richard Baguley

It's been a few months since I answered some reader questions, so I've opened up the mailbag once again. Here are the answers to a few questions I often get asked about camcorders and digital video.

It's been a long wait, but Windows Vista PCs are here. We evaluated the first batch of desktop systems preloaded with Microsoft's new operating system -- and the results of our exclusive benchmark performance tests show that even sub-US$,1000 systems can ably handle Vista. But some of the new OS's highly touted features aren't present in these first Vista desktop systems.

HP's Pavilion Media Center TV m7690n home-theater-ready PC is optimized for high definition. I looked at a shipping unit of this desktop, which is the company's first to include an HD DVD drive. The system performed admirably in our performance tests -- but with a price tag of US$2,080 (as of 12/18/06), it doesn't come cheap.

Think you have to bust your budget for a peppy new desktop PC? Think again. Sure, you can mortgage the farm for a fancy US$4000 gaming rig; but if your needs are modest, you can buy a decent, stylish system for a whole lot less. For this review we started with two basic assumptions: Each system had to cost less than US$1000, and the price had to cover both the PC and a monitor.

The Olympus SP-500 Ultra Zoom is the lowest-priced advanced camera we've ever examined. Previously, the PC World Test Center tested the SP-500 as a point-and-shoot model. But after its impressive performance in that category, we chose to test its mettle against advanced cameras--and came away with similar results. The SP-500 matched the image quality of much more expensive models, and it offers such notable features as a remote like the one that accompanies the Canon PowerShot Pro1 (which costs almost twice as much) and the ability to store four customized scene modes.

The Fujifilm S5200 is fast in a number of ways. For one thing, it starts up quickly: It was ready to shoot in about a second after we turned the power on, and shutter lag was less than half a second. That's quick enough to ensure that you wouldn't miss many shots.

Some would say that we need another camcorder format like we need a hole in the head -- enough different formats out there confuse buyers already. Camcorder manufacturers seem to disagree, though: Panasonic, Sony, and others have recently announced a new format for high-definition camcorders called AVCHD.

A few months back, I wrote a column about copying my home movies to DVD. It generated a lot of questions from readers, so this month I'm digging through my mailbag. Here are the answers to some of the questions you asked.

You might assume that a budget camera like the Olympus FE-120 takes subpar photos. But you'd be wrong: In our tests this 6-megapixel unit delivered very attractive photos, earning top points from our jury of reviewers, who were impressed with the accurate colors and spot-on exposure of its images. The jurors' only complaint was that the images lacked sharpness, with some high-contrast edges and fine details having a blurry, indistinct appearance.

I've been spending some quality time with the high-definition Sony HDR-HC3 over the past couple of weeks, and I think I might have to do something that we professional writers don't like to do: admit that I may have been wrong.