What is a good cheap camcorder?

What's a good, cheap digital camcorder for me to get?

• I currently use an old, tape-based video camera to record videos to share online Including footage of myself for my video game review series). The thing is I don't want to deal with tape, so I hook it up to a DVD recorder using composite A/V cables and record the footage on a DVD-R. I'd like to get a cheap digital camcorder (remember, I'm recording just footage of myself and my pets to post online right now; I'm not looking to record an original scripted Web series quite yet). I saw two digital camcorders at Kmart that are pretty cheap. ($30-$40). One records in 640x480 (less than NTSC SD; fine for just raw footage to post directly online, but will the image be distorted once I encode it as part of a 720x480 game review?), and the other records in 720p HD. Neither seem to have a power adaptor. They both run off 3 AA or AAA batteries. Just how long can I expect to record with such a power source? So I'd prefer something with an AC adaptor (or at least a "real" camera battery, so I can record outside as well), and I'd prefer to not go over $100. SD or HD doesn't much matter.

• Answer:

  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. With a MiniDV tape camcorder, record 60 or 90 minutes ( camcorder settings), 90 seconds or less to change a tape and record for 60 or 90 more and repeat till you run out of tapes. You can get a Canon ZR960 for $250. It is a MiniDV tape camcorder, has a Mic jack. You will need a firewire (IEEE1394) card ($25 to 30) for the computer and a firewire cable (less than 10) to be able to transfer video to your computer. To say this is not HD, think about this. It would cost in excess of $3500 to get a HD camcorder that could equal the video Quality of a $250 Canon MiniDV tape camcorder. Those cheap camcorders will not do your videos Justice, after all GOGO (garbage in, garbage out) At very minimum, get a camcorder with a Microphone Port, thus allowing you to improve your audio in your videos.