Best Camcorder Deal
Feb. 25, 2012
The best camcorder for the money used to be the Kodak Zi8. It retailed for $179 in 2010, but you could buy one for $90 on Amazon.
Why was it the best deal? First, because it was high definition: 1080p.
Second, because it was a Flip-type camcorder that had a unique feature: a jack for an external microphone. It was the only Flip-type camcorder that did. It recorded professional videos with a $20 mic (http://bit.ly/AT3350).
Then Cisco killed the Flip line in April 2011.
Kodak also quit manufacturing the Zi8 in spring 2011.
Today, to buy a Zi8 on Amazon will cost you $400.
Kodak released the Zi10, called the PlayTouch. It also has an external mic jack. It sells for $180 on Kodak's site, but you can buy one for $110 up at discount sites. They were under $100 three weeks ago. There is a reason why they are moving up.
Kodak, bankrupt, has announced that it will stop manufacturing camcorders.
It appears that WalMart has bought up a lot of these units. For a brief time, you could buy one for $49. But it's out of stock now.
If you can get one at your local WalMart, do it. If not, consider buying one from Amazon. Cost: $112.