The hottest Christmas gifts for this year:

Digital camcorders and cameras

Whereas many Christmas gifts will gather dust well into the new-year, digital camcorders and digital cameras are sure to be put to immediate use capturing the day's events.

If you want to relive all those party games for years to come then camcorders are a great way to ensure those magic moments are never forgotten and can be passed on to future generations. Nowadays you should look for a digital camcorder with high-definition (HD) capabilities. The latest models include:

- Sony HDR-SR12E Digital Camcorder - A stylish and ultra-compact model with an impressively high capacity of 120 Gigabytes (GB). It allows up to 48 hours of recording time and produces excellent picture quality including still images up to a 10 megapixels resolution

- Panasonic HDC-SD5 Digital Camcorder - One of the easiest to use camcorders on the market, the Panasonic HDC-SD5 is lightweight and takes high definition to a new level as it is capable of recording 1920x1080 pixels for full HD glory.

- Canon HV30 Digital Camcorder - Described by its manufacturer as the "digital filmmaker's camcorder", the HV30 can be adapted to a number of shooting situations and features cinema-style progressive shooting to provide the look and feel of a film for ambitious moviemakers.

We may have become accustomed to taking quick snaps with our camera phones, but how many of us bother to download the images on to a PC and print them off? By contrast digital cameras can provide superb picture quality with images that can be easily accessed and treasured for years to come.

So if you want to help a friend or family member capture memories this Christmas pick up one of the following:

- Fujifilm Z100fd Digital Camera - A slim-line digital camera available in four colours: cappuccino brown, tuxedo black, shell pink and satin silver. It is a stylish model with a 5x optical zoom lens and many advanced auto-snapping technologies.

- Panasonic DMC-FX500 Digital Camera - Named the best compact digital camera in Europe for 2008 by the Technical Image Press Association, the DMC-FX500 has an intuitive touch-screen operation as well as joystick control. It also has an image-stabilised zoom ideal for any subject.

- Olympus Mju 1030SW Digital Camera - Described as the "life-proof" digital camera, the versatile Olympus Mju is waterproof to 10m, crush proof up to 100kg and shock proof up to 2.0m. In addition it features face detection for perfect focus on image areas and 10.1 megapixels for poster-sized prints.

Buying digital cameras allows us to save those special moments but if you want something more lively then a camcorders are your best bet. Find the best deals on digital cameras and more online.