Best Camcorders for Under $200

Have a special occasion to attend and need an inexpensive video camera to capture the event? Many great companies have come out with affordable and quality video cameras this year. Check out the latest and greatest camcorders for under $200

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Weddings, travel, birthdays and more are happening all the time. You want to capture those precious moments, but don’t want to spend a fortune for a camcorder. Luckily, many great companies have come out with compact models that are perfect for the bargain shopper.

Pure Digital has been coming out with inexpensive camcorders for the past few years. Their latest models, the Flip Video and the Flip Video Ultra, were designed for the amateur videographer. While the Flip Video model is slightly cheaper ($149.99 retail price), the Flip Video Ultra ($179.99 retail price) may be worth the extra few bucks.

This machine comes with either 1GB or 2GB of flash memory and two to six hours of recording and playback time depending on whether you use AA lithium batteries or alkaline batteries. This camcorder can also be placed on a tripod. The Flip Video Ultra has 640x480 pixel resolution, which isn’t bad for an introductory camcorder. The drawback of this model is poor audio quality. The subject will have to be close to be picked up by the camcorder.

Oregon Scientific is also introducing some camcorders for under $200. Coming out this month, the ATC3K has a 48-degree field of view and can be used as a Web cam or media player. The next model up, ATC5K, is a little more expensive at $199, but has a 1.5-inch color LCD and a 53-degree field of view. It has the capability to capture still photos and includes a remote control.

If you’re in the market for a high definition camera on a shoe-string budget, the DXG-566V HD may be worth a gander. This 5 Megapixel digital video camera boasts 1280x720 resolution, a flip-out LCD screen, a self-timer and 2X digital zoom. At $149.99, you can use a tripod with this video camera for better recording quality, and it also doubles as a still camera. The SD card slot supports SDHC cards. The camera is a little clunky, but really nice for the price.

While Sanyo Xacti CG9 is currently not available in the U.S. (it’s being tested in Japan right now), this video camera should be another alternative once it hits American shelves. This model is beefier than the current Xacti models for easier handling. It has 40 MB of memory, 5x optical zoom and H.264 video codec. The Xacti CG9 should fall in line with similar models at around $200 mark. While this model uses CMOS as opposed to CCD, the video could be less crisp, but overall this should be a great model to take to any family outing.