HotmailMake like Spielberg! Top 3 budget camcorders
Paul Hochman recommends feature-packed models that start at $119
 Aiptek camcorder |
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True, the economy is in the tank, consumer confidence is down, and the stock market ticker looks like a relief map of the Himalayas (the south side of the Himalayas, that is).
But here’s another truth: Little League is coming, followed by graduation season. Worse, your significant other said you’re going to be in big trouble if you go another year without videotaping the Big Day. Here’s the good news — it no longer costs a lot to make a beautiful video of your family’s big moment. Prices are plunging for feature-rich camcorders, and you can now get a very good image for very little money.
Flip Video
Flip Video, made by a company called Pure Digital, is easily the best value in the video camera business. It’s an excellent choice if you want to record fun, personal party mementos, vacation trips and other important but passing moments, without too much concern about making a show with broadcast quality. That said, and other than lacking the ability to zoom in close to your subject — meaning you have to be within close range to shoot — the compromises here are very, very small indeed.
If you consider the rock-bottom cost (models average around $150), the Flip Video produces mesmerizing images. Remember, of course, that crystalline image purity is not what you buy the Flip for — instead, its charms lie in its ability to get very nice video incredibly easily. You literally hold the camera up like a deck of cards, point at your subject and press the red button on the back. If you don’t like a shot, you hit the delete button and away it goes. The Flip records up to an hour on two AA batteries. When you’re done shooting (it holds up to one hour of DVD-quality video), all you have to do is flip out the built-in USB connector and download your movie to your computer. It even comes with a cable that lets you play the video you just shot directly into your television.
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Flip Video camcorder |
The camera’s biggest drawback: Its 2x zoom lens just won't let you zoom very far, or very quickly. So if you're shooting a parade or a sporting event, for example, you'll likely have to sit in the front row to get full-frame detail. Notice that the images you’ll find on the Web site, while beautiful, are taken by a person standing very close to their subject.
Note that it uses no videotape, but instead records your video images to an onboard, solid-state memory card that holds between 512MB to 2GB, depending on the model. $119-$179; flipvideo.com
Canon ZR900
Canon has been making camcorders for years now and is rightfully considered among the easiest to use. The new ZR900 is also among the least expensive, particularly considering the number of features — cameras this feature-rich would have cost over $500 only a few years ago. Now you're looking at half that price.
But it’s zoom that makes the big difference here. The ZR900 is differentiated from its less expensive Flip Video competition by its terrific 41x zoom lens (meaning you can magnify the image you’re shooting 41 times), so you don’t have to be right next to your subject to capture it clearly. This is especially welcome when your little striker decides to go deep into the corner to take her big shot. The camera works seamlessly with both Mac and PC and has image stabilization (a truly welcome feature if you’re shooting with a lot of zoom). Best yet, Canon kindly built in a microphone jack, a great addition for those who need good audio of their thespian’s moment on stage — many cameras’ built-in microphones are inadequate.
The only compromise here — the ZR900 uses miniDV videotape, rather than the new trend of solid-state memory, to record its image. And while miniDV is a great format, tape is on its way out; in a few years, it will be more of a rarity. But until your toddler is in middle school, you’ll be in business. $249; usa.canon.com.
Aiptek A-HD
By far the best blend of the two cameras above (uses the new, tapeless solid-state memory but also produces a beautiful image), the Aiptek A-HD is a great choice for people who want more features than the basic Flip Video camera but who want to avoid videotape.
The A-HD is also striking looking (see image above right), with a 2.5-inch flip-out LCD screen so you can clearly see what you’re shooting, but which folds up into a palm-size package. The camera records its images onto an SD (secure digital) card, for which there’s a built-in slot. You’ll need to buy the SD card separately — they’re available everywhere electronics are sold — but it’s well worth the extra cost. The camera works with SD cards that hold up to 8GB of information, or about three hours of DVD-quality video. So for most applications, you’ll have plenty of storage space.
That said, as with anything this inexpensive, there are compromises. Like the Flip Video, the Aiptek A-HD only has a 2x zoom, so you’ll have to be close to your subject if you want to see it clearly. And it has almost no on-board memory, so if you forget your SD card or lose it, you can't shoot much video at all. Plus, if you have big fingers, you may find the controls a bit confining. $169; aiptek.com
Paul Hochman is the gear and technology editor for the TODAY Show and a “Fast Company” magazine contributor. He covered the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Athens and Torino, Italy, for TODAY. He was also a three-year letter winner on the Dartmouth ski team and has a black belt in karate. Paul’s blog can be found at: Paulhochman.blogspot.com
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