Beginner's video camera - any thoughts?

[MsLeFever]

Hi! I posted this over on the photography board and no responses - probably because of my budget needs - so maybe someone here can help!

I want to buy a budget digital video camera for my 13 year old son for Christmas. Something that isn't too complicated but that will allow him to start to play with movie-making (something he is increasingly interested in.)

Don't laugh - I want to spend about 200 bucks. (I know - can't get much) but that's what I have and so that's what he'll get.

Any ideas? thanks so very much!

 

[Alesia]

You should definitely be able to find something that will work for under $200. Amazon.com has 927 Digital camcorders in the $100 to $200 range. I would start by looking there are reading the reviews.

 

[clanmcculloch]

My 13yo has a Flip Ultra HD and my 11yo has a Kodak Playsport. They both like their cameras. I chose the Kodak Playsport for my 11yo because she wanted to be able to play the pool with hers. My 13yo doesn't care about that. My 11yo hasn't done any video editting with hers but my 13yo has. The software that comes with the Flip is very easy to use and she has a lot of fun putting together movies. She's used it for class assignments as well and the resulting videos are great. The sound isn't the best for picking up voices that are a bit farther away but it's definitely sufficient for their needs. This summer I paid $99 for the Playsport (I got the previous model because I liked the specs better) and 2 years ago I think paid around $150 for the Flip so now I would imagine they're under $100.

 

[Branabb]

Pocket camcorders are the way to go imo. My 6 yr. old uses our Playsport and Flip cameras all the time, and he makes some pretty creative videos with them. They are so easy to use, and very affordable. He prefers the Playsport because he can drop it and get it wet without worrying about breaking it.

I actually just bought another Playsport Zx3 for my nieces off Ebay for $48 + $9 for 1 yr. warranty. You can get the FlipUltraHD 4GB for around $30-40 pretty regular there too. Just buy the SquareTrade warranty as they are so easy to deal with. I had to cash in on a video card warranty with them and it was a breeze.

There is a new Kodak Playfull that my wife played around with and liked. It is a little bigger than a Snickers bar. It was on sale this weekend for $69.99 on Amazon.

I really think they are all good in their own right. Flip is the easiest to use by a small margin, but the Playsport is a little better video quality at 1080p and is also waterproof. If you go Playsport, I recommend the Zx3 model as it is better overall (and cheaper).

 

[1tricky1]

just bought dd playsport for bday.
i liked the size of it
still figuring it out but it seems to be dark when filming in my living room at night.
she enjoys that she can make a movie delete it and start again. plus when we go on holiday she can take it in the water to ge t pic of fissh.


vicky

 

[Branabb]

I haven't seen a pocket camcorder that does well in any low-light environment compared to a full-size. But, pocket cams are more about convenience and easy sharing than anything else, so I can live with the low-light issue. We actually use the video capture on our Digital camera indoors most of the time. It is VGA resolution, but the much larger lens captures so much more light it the video turns out better.

 

[MomtoGKC]

My DD has asked for a pocket camcorder for Christmas as well. I decided to go with the Kodak Playsport for the waterproof/shockproof reason. I looked at the Flips, but that company has been bought out and it looks like the software for it will stop working in the next year or two. There is a letter about it on their website. Now my fiend just told me Kodak might also be going out of business though!

 

[AllesonWonderland]

My DD has asked for a pocket camcorder for Christmas as well. I decided to go with the Kodak Playsport for the waterproof/shockproof reason. I looked at the Flips, but that company has been bought out and it looks like the software for it will stop working in the next year or two. There is a letter about it on their website. Now my fiend just told me Kodak might also be going out of business though!

I was hesitant about getting a flip for the same reason. Hadn't heard anything about Kodak yet! Missed the Playsport lightning deal on Amazon yesterday, but it wasn't a huge discount off the regular price.

So, the research continues!

 

[Alesia]

I was hesitant about getting a flip for the same reason. Hadn't heard anything about Kodak yet! Missed the Playsport lightning deal on Amazon yesterday, but it wasn't a huge discount off the regular price.

So, the research continues!

Did you see this bundle: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058HTSR6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3IZSVPJ8MGXZY

 

[8gr8mouseketeers]

Another vote for the playsport! Two of my teens have them and they work great! They used them going down Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach and I thought that was cool because it was the only way I'd ever see what it was like up there.

 

[AllesonWonderland]

Did you see this bundle: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058HTSR6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3IZSVPJ8MGXZY

Thanks for the suggestion! (It's out of stock now, but I saw it when it was still available.)

Evidently the playsport was a lightning deal again yesterday. I'm always late! LOL Not sure what the price was, but I see all the different colors are $99 today, if anyone's still looking.