There's only a couple of things that I have fallen in love with that if I had to take some separate items to a desert island rather than one main thing, this beautiful little video camera would be one of them. Far superior to it's cousin the Zi6, this Zi8 really is the bees knees. Picture quality is clear and seriously crisp, the sound quality is supreme and being lightweight and no bigger really than a blackberry phone, the Zi8 is one of those items that could quite easily live in your handbag for every day use as well as for doing some serious filming to put on one of the many video sites that frequent our cyber world today.

With it's own built in USB which flicks out and plugs in with just one swift movement (albeit a little wobbly when it's plugged in), it's sheer simplicity to download straight to your PC.

One let down - which is what I find with most of these little gadgets, especially those that boast HD, is the battery life. Don't bother with bog standard batteries - rechargeable all the way for this one, or you'll be so environmentally unfriendly it's not funny.

Overall, if you buy just one HD video camera this year, and don't fancy the newer models, get this baby as it will be on your favourite list forever.