Want a camcorder but don't have too much money?
Camcorders are great for recording moments, movies, youtube videos and more. The problem is you don't have too much money! Most camcorders are $250 or more! Well don't worry, there are camcorders out there under $200. Some are low quality and not worth the money but there are some that will do the job.
You can get $250 dollar camcorders for $200 if you buy refurbished or used. Refurbished means "To make clean, bright, or fresh again; renovate". Thats 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 fix 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 Video Mino Series Camcorder, 60 Minutes (Black)
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 10/10/2008)
Used Price:
RCA EZ201 Small Wonder 60 Minute Point-and-Shoot Camcorder (White)
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Amazon Price: $279.99 (as of 10/10/2008)
Used Price: $103.76
Aiptek A-HD 720P 5MP CMOS High Definition Camcorder
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Amazon Price: $134.54 (as of 10/10/2008)
Used Price: $110.00
Creative Labs Vado Pocket Video Camcorder (Pink)
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Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 10/10/2008)
Used Price:
Aiptek Pocket DV5800 MPVR Plus 5MP MPEG4 Media Player & Video Recorder
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Amazon Price: $129.99 (as of 10/10/2008)
Used Price:
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 alittle more profesional. 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.
MiniDV on Amazon
Sony DCR-HC52 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom
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Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 10/10/2008)
Used Price: $184.95
JVC GR-DA30US MiniDV Camcorder with 30x Optical Zoom
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Amazon Price: $199.99 (as of 10/10/2008)
Used Price: $135.83
Canon ZR500 MiniDV Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom
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Amazon Price: $429.99 (as of 10/10/2008)
Used Price: $145.00
Canon ZR850 1MP MiniDV Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom
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Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 10/10/2008)
Used Price: $144.00
JVC GR-D350 MiniDV Camcorder w/32x Optical Zoom
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Amazon Price: (as of 10/10/2008)
Used Price: $178.88
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 probaly have to buy it used or refurbished.
DVD on Amazon
Used or Refurbished
Samsung SC-DC173U DVD Camcorder with 34x Optical Zoom
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Amazon Price: $248.77 (as of 10/10/2008)
Used Price: $152.99
Hitachi DZGX5020A DVD Camcorder with 30x Optical Zoom
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Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 10/10/2008)
Used Price: $184.99
Panasonic VDR-D210 DVD Camcorder with 32x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
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Amazon Price: $461.82 (as of 10/10/2008)
Used Price: $154.96
Canon DC210 DVD Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom
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Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 10/10/2008)
Used Price: $179.75
Hitachi DZ-BX35A DVD Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom
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Amazon Price: $449.99 (as of 10/10/2008)
Used Price: $179.95
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 probaly 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
Samsung SC-MX10 Flash Memory Camcorder with 34x Optical Zoom (Silver)
Thank you Jacob for finding this product and notifying me about it.
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $223.99 (as of 10/10/2008)
Used Price: $149.99
Here's my favorite link:
Guestbook
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Merchant_Account_Forum
Yes definately plenty of good quality information here - keep up the great work! Posted August 10, 2008 |
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mitjag
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 ;) Posted August 10, 2008 |
There is a samsung SC MX-10 It is 209 at Amazon. AND it has a hard drive
Posted July 31, 2008
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mulberry
Good lens, I often see people in forums asking where to find a camcorder under $200. Posted July 11, 2008 |
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CA1E8
Hey guys! Digg this page here Posted July 11, 2008 |
