Pocket camcorders, or flip-style cams, are sure to be popular this holiday buying season. The best models may only offer decent, not stellar, image quality and performance when compared with the average standard-definition full-sized camcorder. But they’re inexpensive, easy to use, and very portable and lightweight.

To help you figure out which one is right for you, check out our new pocket camcorder report and model descriptions (available to subscribers). On the overview page, we provide a list of what type of features you can expect to find on these models. For example, most have small LCDs and no optical zoom lenses. We also provide a list of Rated models, including several recommended pocket cams. —Terry Sullivan