We always defer to the experts at when it comes to our buying guides -- so how could we pass on doing this for one of your most important purchases as a couple? Think about it! When it comes to camcorders, this is what will make your first vacations and newlywed moments together live on in time. So if you’re up for making movies together, check out this article to find out what types of camcorders are on the market, the features they carry, and shopping tips for purchasing the perfect one for you.

Find tips on what to look out for when buying home appliances, furniture, and electronics in our buying guides section!

You can pay $1,500 or more for a fancy dishwasher with hidden controls, digital displays, and special grime-fighting cycles. But when it comes to clean dishes, sparkling performance starts well below $500.

What’s more, you needn’t settle for a bare-bones dishwasher at that price. Luxury features such as a stainless-steel exterior are migrating to more low-priced models. This dishwasher guide will help you with your purchase.

Size matters

Most conventional dishwashers fit a 24-inch-wide space under a kitchen countertop and attach to a hot-water pipe, drain, and electrical line. Cabinet-matching front panels are available as kits, typically for several hundred dollars. Compact, portable dishwashers come in finished cabinets and can be rolled to the sink and connected to the faucet.

Conserving energy

Dishwashers are using less water as manufacturers strive to meet tougher federal energy standards. But it’s taking longer to get dishes clean. Lower operating costs can save you more over a dishwasher’s lifetime than the price difference between an efficient and less-efficient model. Don’t rely on those familiar yellow Energy Star labels. Our tests are based on much dirtier loads and are a more accurate gauge of energy efficiency, in our judgment.

Types

The greatest differences in dishwashers, beyond results differences in our performance-based tests, are features and costs. There are a few distinct types of dishwashers, however, including traditional models, drawer-type versions, and portable models.

Low-Priced Dishwashers
They may suit buyers who care more about performance than glitz.
Pros: As a group, they clean dishes as well as premium-priced models.
Cons: They tend to be noisier than the upscale models and less convenient to load.

High-Priced Dishwashers
Pros: They tend to be quieter.
Cons: They don’t clean dishes any better than the best low-priced dishwashers.

Dishwasher-drawer Models
Pros: You can use them simultaneously or individually, and you don’t have to bend to load a single- or, sometimes, a double-drawer model.
Cons: They can be expensive, and three versions of one model we tested had significant problems. What’s more, models from Fisher & Paykel, which introduced these products to the U.S. market, have been repair-prone.

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Copyright © 2004-2009 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. No reproduction, in whole or in part, without written permission.

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Need to make some movies? Find out everything you need to know about purchasing a camcorder from the experts at .

What is a camcorder?
A device that records images in a manner that is similar to that of a digital camera. A series of images is captured by collecting light from a subject and focusing it on a photosensitive substance inside the device. In an old movie camera, that substance was film. With digital camcorders, it’s a light-sensitive imaging sensor (or multiple sensors), which converts the light into electric signals. The camcorder then internally converts those signals into video data, which it stores in one of a variety of media formats—miniDV tape, DVD disc, hard drive, or memory card. Audio is also captured and recorded simultaneously.

Types of camcorders
There are some analog (or non-digital) models available, but most manufacturers are only producing digital camcorders, which now account for the vast majority of new-model introductions and purchases. They generally offer fine picture quality and decent sound, and most are quite compact. Many weigh about 1 pound, and the smallest are closer to half a pound.

Unlike analog camcorders of the past, digital camcorders allow you to do a lot more with videos than simply play them back on your TV. You can edit and embellish them with music using your computer, then play your productions on your DVD player or PC. You can also e-mail recordings. Many video-editing-software suites also allow you to combine your video with digital stills, graphics, and text, expanding your creative possibilities.

Digital camcorders capable of high-definition (HD) recording are the newest arrivals, and this category is growing fast. Originally larger and heavier, digital models are becoming smaller and lighter, especially those that store video on removable flash-memory cards. But in order to reduce the “footprint� of the camcorder, some models have eliminated features such as a viewfinder. If you’ll be watching your video on an HDTV, it’s worth considering an HD camcorder, but be prepared to pay hundreds more for one.

New recording formats are also becoming more important. Camcorders store your video on mini tape cassettes, DVDs, internal hard drives, mini Blu-ray discs, or removable flash-memory cards similar to those you’d use in a digital camera. More models now combine two storage options, such as a hard drive and DVD or memory card, for added flexibility.

High-definition primer
The ability to capture HD-quality movies is probably within your reach. In fact, some HD models may be priced well under $1,000. Although many models we’ve rated have very good overall quality and produce either excellent or very good picture and audio quality, the most common weak spot was picture quality in low-light conditions. Most are also easy to use.

Most consumer HD models have either a 10x or 12x optical zoom. At maximum zoom, most camcorders display some image vibration because of hand shake or other factors. To compensate for that, all include an image stabilizer, which can do an excellent job.

HD camcorders offer the same variety of storage formats as standard-definition models: MiniDV tape, DVD, hard-drive, and flash-memory card. But you can also find models that combine formats, such as one that stores video on either a DVD or flash-memory card. So you can record longer clips on, say, a 16GB memory card and shorter ones on a DVD. Or take the video recorded on the card and burn it to a DVD.

Before diving into the world of high-definition DVD camcorders, be sure to acquaint yourself with the different disc formats. One point to keep in mind: The encoding that these HD camcorders use makes the discs compatible with only high-definition Blu-ray players or a computer drive compatible with Blu-ray discs. To complicate matters, one company, Hitachi, has recently introduced two camcorders that store HD video footage on mini Blu-ray discs. Besides player compatibility, another big difference between miniDVD and mini Blu-ray discs is storage capacity. You can record 15 to 20 minutes on the former, but up to an hour of HD video on the latter.

In HD, as with standard-definition camcorders, hard-drive models are the most expensive, although our tests showed that you don’t need to pay top dollar for the best performance. MiniDV tape and DVD models, comparable in price, were less expensive than hard-drive models. Flash-memory card models were among the least expensive and tended to be lighter and more compact than other types, although none have the viewfinders found on most other models.

One additional difference you’ll find with HD camcorders is that they will generally have an HDMI output, which stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface. This interface is designed to be the best way to connect your camcorder to an HD television.

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Copyright © 2004-2009 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. No reproduction, in whole or in part, without written permission.

Americans spend more than $22 billion a year and use a whopping 183 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to cool their homes with air conditioning, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. All that A/C combined with cold-season heating also makes our collective carbon footprint grow ever larger, with the emission of about 129 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. That CO2, of course, contributes to global climate change.

But you can easily limit how much you rely on A/C. Your first step is to run your air conditioner(s) less frequently. "If you're working eight hours a day, why air-condition your house while you're away?" says Christina Kielich, a spokeswoman for the DOE. You can reduce your annual energy bills by about 10 percent by turning up your programmable thermostat 10º to 15º F when you're out of the house, says the DOE. Upon returning home, Kielich says, "Pick a temperature that's comfortable and stick with it."

Remember, electricity prices tend to rise with the temperature, but you can trim your energy bills and still stay comfortable. Ways to cut down on A/C use shows you how to use less air conditioning and cool your home more effectively.

Use your A/C wisely. Installing an air conditioner in a shady spot could increase its efficiency up to 10 percent, according to the DOE. Our latest tests of window-mounted air conditioners found CR Best Buys that cost as little as $240 for a large one. Energy Star-qualified models use about 25 percent less power than ones made before late 2000. Don't lower the air conditioner's temperature when you turn it on. It won't cool the room any faster, but it will use more energy. On humid days, set the fan speed on low to remove more moisture from the air.

Delay the chores. Your dishwasher, washer, and dryer give off heat when they're in use, so run them in the early morning or late evening. Your air conditioner won't have to work as hard to offset the heat produced by the appliances. Other benefits: Running those appliances during off-peak hours reduces the stress on the power grid, helping to prevent brownouts. You might also pay less for the electricity if your utility charges less per kilowatt-hour during nonpeak hours.

Change the lightbulbs. Much of the energy used by incandescent bulbs is emitted as heat. During the day, turn off lights that are unnecessary. Also consider replacing your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lightbulbs, or CFLs. Energy Star-qualified CFLs use about 75 percent less energy and give off 75 percent less heat to produce the same amount of light as standard incandescent bulbs. Replacing a 60-watt incandescent bulb with a 15-watt CFL can save you up to $41 over the life of the bulb.

Although all the CFLs we tested last much longer than regular bulbs, the Feit Ecobulb Plus ESL13T/Eco, GE 8,000 Hour Long Life 41525, and N:Vision 423-599 lasted longest. (Note that CFLs contain small amounts of mercury. Go to www.epa.gov/bulbrecycling for recycling programs in your area.)

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Copyright © 2004-2009 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. No reproduction, in whole or in part, without written permission.

You're hosting Thanksgiving but it's your range that's taking a holiday. Do you call for repair or scramble for a replacement? To help you make the right decision, as part of the Annual Product Reliability Survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, we asked 13,477 subscribers to share their experiences with 20,613 broken products.

Our repair-or-replace timelines, which draw on the experiences of all those thousands of subscribers, can help you decide. The recommendations in the timelines are based on costs for replacement and repairs and on advantages of new models. Typical repair costs and problems are from our survey; replacement costs are from market data for mainstream models.

A few highlights: If your appliance is eight or more years old, usually it makes sense to buy a new one. If you have a favorite high-end, older appliance, you may want to repair it. Consider replacing a newer model if it has been repair-prone. But skip any repair that costs more than half the price of a new product.

Although most readers' appliances weren't under warranty when they broke, if your equipment still is, you'll probably need to call a factory-authorized repair shop. Ninety-three percent of those respondents said their warranty or service contract was at least partially honored; 9 in 10 were offered a free repair.

If your large appliance is out of warranty, call an independent contractor. Most respondents found that they provided better service.

If you've been frustrated in your attempts to have a product professionally repaired, you're not alone. Our "fix it or nix it" surveys have shown that the process is full of roadblocks, and a large number of readers simply give up.

In our timelines, you'll find year-by-year advice on when to fix or toss a host of different appliances and lawn mower and tractors. Our data cover the midpriced items most people buy and include common repair problems, repair and replacement costs, and the extent to which new technologies, features, and efficiencies make replacement a no-brainer. Buying new: What you'll find reveals the latest developments for a wide range of products to make your keep-or-toss decision easier and better informed.

Want to keep your new mower or refrigerator working for as long as you plan to keep it? You'll also find preventive-maintenance tips from our on-staff experts and from the Professional Service Association, a service-industry trade group. Our basic advice for products that need professional repair: Replace any for which you paid less than $150 and nix any repair that costs more than half the price of a comparable new product. For example, it doesn't pay to repair off-warranty toasters or countertop microwave ovens. Many such products aren't even serviceable. Indeed, unless you've bought a pricey, high-end model, it might not pay to professionally repair many out-of-warranty products that are more than three years old.

ConsumerReports.org has no relationship with any advertiser on The Nest.

Copyright © 2004-2009 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. No reproduction, in whole or in part, without written permission.