RCA's Small Wonder Travel EZ210 is an ultra-compact camcorder in the style of the Flip series from Pure Digital and myriad other clones. These camcorders have a simple raison d'être: enabling you to quickly and easily record video for the internet. The Small Wonder Traveler delivers on this promise with its integrated USB connector and built-in software for uploading straight to YouTube.

The design is incredibly straight-forward: the Traveler has just a couple of basic buttons and no menu interface. The lens has no moving parts, so don't expect an optical zoom, manual focus, or shutter speed control. In fact, there are no manual controls whatsoever—you really do just point and shoot.

The Traveler records to removable SD/SDHC memory cards (and ships with a 2GB card) and runs on regular AA batteries. There's an AV output for connection to televisions. Finally, there's the USB connector, which is awkwardly tucked beneath a mysterious bar of plastic: the Traveler's "carrying handle." Use this USB connection to transfer your footage onto your computer and to use the built-in editing software, which is PC-only and doesn't really offer much beyond the ability to upload to YouTube.

Performance (read in-depth lab performance at CamcorderInfo.com)
No one should expect great video performance for $150—and the RCA Small Wonder Traveler is no exception. It uses the same kind of sensor (a 1/4-inch CMOS) as other miniature camcorders and records standard definition video at 640 x 480 pixels.

Unfortunately, not all ultra-compacts are created equal: the Traveler is ultimately outperformed by the Pure Digital Flip Mino and, in some situations, even the Creative Vado. In and out of the testing lab, the Traveler consistently produced more noise, less detail, and greater compression errors—resulting in motion trailing and chunks of discoloration. The worst offense is the Traveler's very narrow dynamic range, which means that any details in the brightest and darkest areas are washed out completely. YouTube might make differences in noise or compression difficult to discern, but it can't hide the egregious overexposure in sunlight and indistinguishable, muddy shadows.

The only pleasant surprise was the Traveler's decent low light performance – the camcorder produces a fairly bright image in dark settings. However, the problems already mentioned are present in any lighting conditions. A bright image will do no good when coupled with poor dynamic range, a mosquito cloud of noise, and heavy compression artifacting.

Comparisons (read in-depth comparisons at CamcorderInfo.com)
The ultra-compact camcorder on most holiday lists this year will probably be the Pure Digital Flip Mino. It's heading up the market in this genre and for good reason: compared to the Small Wonder Traveler, it's more compact, it's sleeker, its controls are smoother, the internal software is more versatile, and it has better video performance. For $30 more, you can get what is, quite simply, a better product.

Other comparable products also do better. If it's the price tag you like, take a look at the $100 Creative Vado: it's simple and cheap, but performs just as well as the Traveler (though both are poor indeed). If it's still photo functionality or SD card memory that you like, why not go for the $180 Kodak Zi6? Superior high definition video, superior photography, and the ability to record to both internal memory and memory cards. And if none of those things matter, the Flip Mino still reigns supreme.

Why choose the RCA Small Wonder Traveler at all? There is the argument that the Traveler makes for a good device to take camping or on vacation. It does look more rugged, but the difference seems mostly cosmetic. And the inability to properly expose sunlight and shadows makes the Traveler seem an unlikely tool for capturing moments in the great outdoors.

The RCA Small Wonder Traveler might deliver on its promise of easy video recording and easy web sharing, but there's too much competition for a product to skate by on mere functionality. Whether you opt for the cheaper Creative Vado, the superior Flip Mino, or a different camcorder altogether, everybody else is doing what RCA is doing—only better.

For a more in-depth review, visit the RCA Small Wonder Traveler review at our partner CamcorderInfo.com