What is a good camera/camcorder for recording videos?

-I am looking for something inexpensive, with a decent recording time and quality. I don't have a lot of experience with cameras so I don't really know what all the things mean, but I want something that will record for several minutes in a decent video quality. Any recommendations?Consumer level HD camcorders have 3 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) Mandatory maximum record times - 1 hour, 30 minutes, 8 minutes, 3 minutes 鈥?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 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.



Then use your editing programs import feature to move the video files to a local hard drive. Using this Camcorder, after transfer, there will be no conversion of files necessary to run the footage through your video editor software and save to file and upload to youtube. Have Fun