December 3, 2008 – Keeping with the theme of "obsolescence obsolete," Red Digital Cinema announced today a variety of upgrade options for current Red One users. The company also made some price cuts, released a few new specs, and gave vague estimations of release dates.

Owners of Red One cameras can trade in their models and receive $17,500 credit towards the purchase of an EPIC-X S35 Private Reserve—a package that is only available to current Red One customers. Users can also opt to receive the same amount of credit towards the purchase of a variety of "Brains," including the Epic FF35 Pro Cinema, Epic 645 Pro, and Epic 617 Pro.

The Sony DCR-DVD810 ($449.99 MSRP) is truly versatile camcorder from Sony. Besides being able to record standard definition video to DVD, the camcorder also includes 8GB of internal flash memory and a Memory Stick Pro Duo card slot for extra storage. It's the type of camcorder that will probably appeal to people who love the concept behind DVD/VCR combos. However, because of the bulk the DVD hatch adds, the camcorder is an awkward and uncomfortable handler—as well as a very unattractive product. Even so, at around $450 it's a good deal for what you get, especially if you want something that can record to DVD. Sony has maintained itself as a force to be reckoned with when it comes to DVD camcorders... unfortunately, it's reigning over a medium on its way to extinction.

The Panasonic SDR-H60 ($499 MSRP) is the company's top single-chip, standard definition hard drive camcorder, and it packs a wallop when it comes to features: 50x optical zoom and 60GB capacity. Nothing in this price range can beat the SDR-H60, at least on paper. Our testing revealed that the bright light performance could not distinguish itself from the pack, and the low light performance left a lot to be desired. Surprisingly, we found that the step-up model, the three-CCD SDR-H200, was not necessarily the better camcorder, but the SDR-H60 certainly didn't prove itself to be the best value in its class.

The JVC Everio GZ-MG330 ($449 MSRP) is a standard definition hard drive camcorder for those seeking a higher capacity than the card-only alternatives. With many of the same internal components as the JVC GZ-MS100, the MG330 follows up with the same excellent performance for a reasonable price. Consumers looking at camcorders like the MG330 are probably searching for something that's affordable and easy to use, takes decent video, and has the benefit of high capacity internal memory. The good news for JVC is that the GZ-MG330 fulfills these hopes. Even better, it seems to beat out the competition, has a price tag you can stomach, and comes in three different colors.

Once again it's time for our hallowed yearly accolades celebrating the best in the industry. The year 2008 saw some interesting innovations, including the growth of the ultra-compact, ultra-cheap "YouTube camcorder" market,  as well as the continued migration of cameras and cell phones into the camcorder domain. Below are our top picks in each category. Note that the prices listed are based on average street price at time of publication.