Are cheap camcorders a good idea?
The answer to this question isn’t actually in the cameras: it’s more about you, and how you plan to use your video camera. If you’re an aspiring film maker (or simply a film enthusiast) who wants to toy with lighting and editing and zoom and focus, then no, a cheap camcorder is not the best fit for you. But there are plenty of situations where a cheap camcorder is overwhelmingly the best choice. For example, perhaps you’re planning to go on vacation. You know there’s a chance that your camcorder will get dirty (or sandy, or wet, or broken). It could get stolen, or banged up in your luggage. These are all good reasons not to take a fancy camera with you. Or perhaps you want a recorder that your kids and their friends can use to make at-home movies without you having a heart attack every time they drop it. In this case, as in many others, a cheap camcorder is actually a much better use of your money, relative to how it will be used.
