Rugged Video Camera Takes Beating, Nighttime Shots

Aspiring filmmakers who’ve already played with the Flip, Vado, Bloggie and dozens of other budget digital camcorders but want something more rugged and ready for Spring Break may dig Panasonic’s HM-TA20 HD Mobile Camera. Waterproof down to three meters, shockproof and dustproof as well, it’s resistant to drops and blitzed friends’ errant party fouls, so you can record 1080p high-def video footage of the most embarassing nature. A 3.0-inch touchscreen LCD should make it easy to operate, at least while sober, and a custom Night View mode optimized for low-light filming makes the device suitable for taping late-night soirees. It even captures 8MP still photos and doubles as a webcam, letting you record adventures outside and in.