What kind of camcorder should I get that is really cheap?

What kind of camcorder should I get?

• I want to get my Dad a digital camcorder for his birthday. Don't know what I'm looking at though. He loves his camcorder now, (he seriously brings it to every function,) but its an older one that still records to a smaller tape which he converts to DVD's. So I want something user friendly, that he can just upload videos to his computer and send them to his family. I was thinking are the flip camera's any good? Any suggestions? I know nothing about camcorders so any help is appreciated! (i.e. what to look for in a camera, accessories, recommendations...)

• Answer:

  Getting him a HD camcorder is taking a step backward in Video Quality. HD camcorders Interpolate the video, which means every 4th or 5th frame of a video is of what is being video-graphed, the other frames are filled in by the camcorder, thus giving you not true video. MiniDV tape camcorders give every frame of every shot and usually cost less. http://simplevideoediting.com/learn/part1_camcorder_choices.htm http://simplevideoediting.com/learn/part2_connect_camcorder.htm Consumer level HD camcorders have 4 problems. 1) Blurry, fuzzy, out of focus areas closely around people in videos taken by consumer level HD camcorders. 2) Any movement, even a wave or lifting an arm, while in front of a recording consumer level HD camcorder, results in screen ghosts and artifacts being left on the video track, following the movement. Makes for bad video, sports videos are unwatchable. 3) These Consumer level HD camcorders all have a habit of the transferred to computer files are something you need to convert, thus losing your HD quality, to work with your editing software. 4) Mandatory maximum record times - 1 hour, 30 minutes, 8 minutes, 3 minutes – four different times advertised as maximum record time for some consumer level HD camcorders. No event I have ever been to is that short. Either take multiple camcorders or pack up with out getting the end of the event on video. MiniDV is currently the most popular format for consumer digital camcorders. MiniDV camcorders are typically more affordable than their HDD and DVD counterparts. Each MiniDV tape will typically hold an hour of footage at normal recording speed and quality. MiniDV tapes are available for purchase at not only electronic and camera stores, but also at drugs stores and grocery stores, making them easy to find while your on vacation. There are literally hundreds of MiniDV camcorders available; both in standard and high-definition.