Want a good quality camcorder but you don't have too much money?
You can get $250 dollar camcorders for $200 if you buy refurbished or used. Refurbished means "To make clean, bright, or fresh again; renovate", that's dictionary.com version of it. It is really just someone who returned the product because of a defect or just didn't want it and the Factory inspects it multiple times and fixes any defects. Did you know, that refurbished products are returned less than new products? It's true!
So when looking for a camcorder, there are 4 main types too choose from. Flash Memory (Flash Card), MiniDV (tapes), DVD (records straight to DVD), or Hard Drive.
Table of Contents
Flash Memory
Flash Card
Flash media can be quite convenient for video that's to be transferred to a computer, but the video is compressed and its capacity is fairly limited, generally about only 10 minutes of best-quality HD video per gigabyte.Flash Memory is the cheapest out of the four. You could easily find a Flash Memory camcorder for under $200. The most popular is the Flip.
Flash Memory on Amazon
Flip Mino Camcorder, 60 Minutes (Black)
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $99.95 (as of 12/22/2009) 
Used Price: $79.00
Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes (Black)
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 12/22/2009)
Used Price: $159.99
Kodak Zi8 HD Pocket Video Camera (Black) NEWEST MODEL
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $179.00 (as of 12/22/2009)
Used Price:
Creative Labs Vado HD 8 GB Pocket Video Camcorder, 2nd Generation (Black Gloss with Maroon Accents) NEWEST MODEL
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $129.00 (as of 12/22/2009)
Used Price: $109.99
RCA EZ101 Small Wonder Camcorder with 1.5-Inch LCD Screen
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $163.99 (as of 12/22/2009)
Used Price: $68.99
MiniDV
records to Tape
Tape delivers the least compression of video information, which is best if you'll be editing it but requires tedious digitizing via software.MiniDV is a step up from Flash Memory. It is a little more professional. You can find some under $200 but most are above $200. MiniDV is what I suggest to you.
Note: Before you buy a MiniDV camcorder, make sure your computer has a firewire port so you can edit the video on your computer and burn it to DVD.
Note: Before you buy a MiniDV camcorder, make sure your computer has a firewire port so you can edit the video on your computer and burn it to DVD.
MiniDV on Amazon
Sony DCR-HC52 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 12/22/2009)
List Price: $249.99
Used Price: $169.00
JVC GR-DA30US MiniDV Camcorder with 30x Optical Zoom
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $229.95 (as of 12/22/2009)
List Price: $199.99
Used Price: $125.00
Sony DCRTRV50 MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/ 3.5" Touch Panel LCD, Mega Pixel Video/ Still, Memory Stick & Network Capability
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: (as of 12/22/2009)
List Price:
Used Price: $319.00
Canon ZR800 MiniDV Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: (as of 12/22/2009)
List Price: $329.99
Used Price: $246.98
Panasonic PV-GS90 MiniDV Camcorder with 42x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $314.95 (as of 12/22/2009)
List Price: $299.95
Used Price: $113.75
DVD or miniDVD
Records Straight to DVD
DVD is the most convenient format if you want to drop the disc into a standalone player or give it to someone else. However, the video is compressed, and optical media are the least reliable during the recording process. It also holds only 20 minutes of video per disc.These are much harder to find under $200. You will probably have to buy it used or refurbished.
DVD on Amazon
Used or Refurbished
Hitachi DZGX5020A DVD Camcorder with 30x Optical Zoom
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $306.47 (as of 12/22/2009)
Used Price: $149.95
Panasonic VDR-D210 DVD Camcorder with 32x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $299.95 (as of 12/22/2009)
Used Price: $124.99
Canon DC310 DVD Camcorder with 37x Optical Zoom
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $188.00 (as of 12/22/2009)
Used Price: $178.98
Samsung SC-DX205 Hybrid DVD & Flash Memory Camcorder w/34x Optical Zoom
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $180.50 (as of 12/22/2009)
Used Price: $163.99
Hard Drive
Hard Disk
A hard-disk-based camcorder has the greatest video capacity--usually at least 5 hours of best-quality video--but the video is compressed, and hard drives are still a relatively failure-prone component.These are the big bucks! You will probably not find them new for under $200 but you can find them close to that price. If you find one, please feel free to contact me by sending me a link in my guestbook.
Hard Drive on Amazon
Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hard Drive Camcorder with 42x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Amazon Price: $429.90 (as of 12/23/2009)
Used Price: $149.99
JVC Everio GZ-MG330 30 GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom (Silver)
Amazon Price: $499.95 (as of 12/23/2009)
Used Price: $192.00
Guestbook
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Reply
- Yakodzuna Yakodzuna Nov 28, 2008 @ 10:55 am
- Thank you! Great offers!
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Reply
- Merchant_Account_Forum Merchant_Account_Forum Aug 10, 2008 @ 4:26 pm
- Yes definately plenty of good quality information here - keep up the great work!
Richard
The Flip Video Camera Guy
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Reply
- mitjag mitjag Aug 10, 2008 @ 1:50 pm
- Nice article, gives me some great ideas of buying one :) If you want you can check out my article about how to use camcorders on my Optical Zoom Camcorder blog ;)
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Reply
- Jacob Jacob Jul 31, 2008 @ 7:13 am
- There is a samsung SC MX-10 It is 209 at Amazon. AND it has a hard drive
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Reply
- mulberry mulberry Jul 11, 2008 @ 8:17 pm
- Good lens, I often see people in forums asking where to find a camcorder under $200.
- Load More
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