If you got to this page via a search, you might want to check out
the Photo Tips & Sug­ges­tions for New­bies Page
as this is where I explain a few things.

Click the Photo Tips but­ton above.

The links on this page will take you to a secure page to order from. 

Links to hard­ware will be updated as gear evolves and new prod­ucts becomes avail­able.  This page was updated Nov. 12th, 2011. Though I would have liked to post prices, they change too often for me to keep up with.

My ‘rec­om­men­da­tions’  were made after many, many hours of research­ing other sites and study­ing lots of user testimonials.

It should go with­out say­ing, I did not get to test every­thing I fea­ture here. These are my per­sonal picks and may not suit your own needs.  I strive for a bal­ance between fea­tures, func­tion, reli­a­bil­ity, cost and style. I always try to get the most ‘bang for the buck’.

In the end, you must decide what is right for you. Right?

Under $200–

Cre­ative Labs Vado HD 8 GB Cam­corder, 2nd Gen.

720p • 2″ LCD • fixed wide angle lens • Fixed focus • Auto expo­sure • Auto white balance.

This is the lit­tle video­cam I use. Mine was a first gen­er­a­tion model, but there is no hard­ware dif­fer­ences between the two.  Very light and com­pact… 3 qual­ity set­tings and per­forms well in low light.  8GBs allows up to 2 hours of high qual­ity video.  I never used the elec­tronic sta­bi­liza­tion fea­ture. Very eco­nom­i­cal too!

Cre­ative Labs Vado HD 8 GB Pocket Cam­corder, 2nd Gen (Black Gloss with Maroon Accents)

Flip Video UltraHD Video Cam­era (White, 1 Hour/Black, 2 Hours)

720p • 2″ LCD • fixed focal-length lens • Fixed focus • Auto expo­sure • Auto white balance.

3rd Gen­er­a­tion. 4 GBs or 8GBs of inter­nal Mem­ory, depend­ing on model. Pow­ered by 2 AAs.

Flip¤Video UltraHD Video Cam­era (White, 1 Hour)
Flip¤Video UltraHD Video Cam­era (Black, 2 Hours)

Con­tourHD 1080p Full HD Videocam

I have dis­con­tin­ued this list­ing as they do not pro­vide direct ser­vice to Puerto Rico.
I will add it back in at which time as Con­tour, Inc. pro­vides sup­port for PR.

Sam­sung W200 Rugged Full HD 1080p Pocket Camcorder

1080p/720p • 2.3″ LCD • fixed wide angle lens • AF • Auto expo­sure • Auto white balance.

Water­proof to 10 feet. Shock and dust proof. Takes MicroSD cards.  weighs 4.6 oz.

Sam­sung W200 Rugged Full HD 1080p Pocket Cam­corder (Red)

Sony MHS-FS2 Blog­gie Duo Camcorder

1080p/720p • 2.7″ LCD • 2.0″ front fac­ing LCD • 4GBs inter­nal Mem­ory • Auto exposure

This is the lat­est iter­a­tion of the very pop­u­lar ‘Blog­gie”.  Also fea­tures SteadyShot stabilization

Sony MHS-FS2 Blog­gie Duo Cam­corder (Pur­ple)

Pana­sonic HX-DC1 HD Dual Cam­corder (Hot Pink or White)

1080p/720p • 14MP stills • 3″ adjustable LCD • 6x Zoom lens • Nine Point Auto Focus

Sleek, ergonomic design. Light weight– 6.4 oz. Macro mode. Man­ual expo­sure adjustments

Pana­sonic HX-DC1 HD Dual Cam­corder (Pink)
Pana­sonic HX-DC1 HD Dual Cam­corder (White)

Pana­sonic HM-TA20 Water­proof Mobile Camcorder

1080p/720p • 3″ touch­screen LCD • fixed wide angle lens • Water­proof to 9.8 feet • LED light

Rugged design– Shock and dust proof. Spe­cial Night View mode. Takes SDHC/SDXC cards

Pana­sonic HM-TA20 Water­proof Mobile Cam­corder (Orange)

GoPro HD HERO Naked Wear­able Camera

1080p/720p • 1.5″ LCD • fixed wide angle lens F2.8 • Water­proof to 180 feet • USB output

Small and light– 5.9 oz. Very flex­i­ble mount­ing sys­tem. Excel­lent for harsh environments.

GoPro HD HERO Naked Wear­able Cam­era

Man­frotto 585 – 1 Mod­oSteady 3-in-1 Stabilizer

Sim­i­lar to a ‘Steady­Cam’, this allows you to move and pan around hand-held, very, very smoothly. It is counter-balanced so the video­cam­era always remains level.  I have used devices like this before and they turn a ‘jum­bled mess’ into use­able shots.  Takes a lit­tle prac­tice, but well worth the effort.  Shoot like the pros!  Fits most cam­era with a 1/4′ 20 socket.

Man­frotto 585 Mod­oSteady 3-in-1 Camera/Camcorder Sta­bi­lizer and Sup­port System

Notes Regard­ing Suggestions:

Most of my sug­ges­tion links will take you to B & H Photo Video of NYC.

I’ve been order­ing from B&H since the 1980’s. They are very trust­wor­thy and work to resolve any issues. In addi­tion to UPS and FedEx, they will ship USPS where most will not. On top of that, their prices are very com­pet­i­tive. You might find an item a lit­tle cheaper else­where, but is it worth the risk? A few links will take you to Ama­zon for things B&H does not sell like the VadoHD.

Com­mis­sions paid are very small and do not add a sin­gle dime to your order. The price would be the same regard­less of how you got there. Though this site is a ‘labor of love’ it is very time con­sum­ing. I would spend more time on it, if I could make a few bucks in the process.

Please think of me, the next time you con­sider buy­ing a camera.

Thanx, Roberto.