Feel torn between the emerging formats for camcorders? Let's see… you've got DVD, flash, and hard-disk models to choose from, so there's really no need to deal with silly tapes. Still, it's hard to decide. With Hitachi's DZH500A cam, you can table your choice for a long while since it records to all three types of media (SD is just for still pix, though).

The newest member of Hitachi's line of hybrid camcorders, the DZH500A burns DVD-R, -RW, -RAM, and +RW discs, has a 30-GB hard disk, and sports a 30x optical zoom. The latest in media détente comes in April for $600. — Peter Pachal