Flash Camcorders
You have three choices.
Inexpensive
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FFlip-Video-Camcorder-60-Minutes-Black%2Fdp%2FB000ONDRFS%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Delectronics%26qid%3D1184521556%26sr%3D8-2&tag=wwwnoahorg-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Flip Video Camcorder</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwnoahorg-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
This is under $150. It's inexpensive enough to given as a child's toy. I have duct-taped these to my motorcycle and paraglider helmet. I've flowns one on a kite.
The video is 640x480, so the quality is actually better than NTSC or PAL video. Of course, it's not HD, but for $130 I was astounded.
The camera makes no sound when it's running, so the audio recording quality is actually better than some mid-range disk or tape camcorders.
This is just one of those devices that inspires love. I look for stupid things I can do with this camera. It's just crazy.
Mid Range
High End
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPanasonic-HDC-SD1-Definition-Camcorder-Stabilized%2Fdp%2FB000LO92EK%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Delectronics%26qid%3D1184522794%26sr%3D1-1&tag=wwwnoahorg-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Panasonic Flash Camcorder</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwnoahorg-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
This isn't my style. When I was seriously looking at camcorders for making paragliding videos I did some research into the high-end of the consumer market. This camera looked about the best, but in the end I decided I didn't want to spend this much money on a camera I might destroy in a bad landing. These cameras are the future to be sure, but the future isn't here yet. Most of the High Definition camcorders are only 720P. I don't consider this to be true HD. That's only a little better than the $130 Flip Video camcorder!
This camcorder features a 3 CCD image sensor and 1080i recording. I have not found any that do 1080p unfortunately. 1080i is the same resolution (1080 pixels high), but the frame rate is interleved, so it is not quite as good for caputing smooth, high-speed motion, which is really what I wanted for Paragliding and Motorcycling. 1080i is probably great for weddings and the like.
