Any info on pocket camcorders?

Does anyone know anything about pocket camcorders? I am thinking of buying one for my husband for Christmas, but I know absolutely nothing about them. I know he wants one. I like the pocket ones because he'd be using this mostly outdoors and when we're on holiday and he hates carrying heavy things around. It doesn't have to be the best one on the market, because I probably couldn't afford it, but a nice decent one.

What should I look for?  Brands/specifications?
What else would I need besides the camcorder itself?

Thank you!

There are two mini/pocket camcorders I can think of:

1. The Samsung HMX-W200RP mini camcorder seems to come highly rated:
newcomer link: http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/camcorders/1287913/samsung-hmx-w200rp [nonactive]

Right now, you can buy new for approx £60 or try a bid on eBay on one starting at £20, again brand new:
newcomer link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=HMX-W200RP&_sop=15 [nonactive]

2. The Flip Ultra HD 3rd Gen is no longer manufactured, but was highly rated by reviewers. It's still available to buy, but unfortunately comes with a high price (£185 from amazon.co.uk):
newcomer link: http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/camcorders/1280401/flip-ultra-hd-3rd-gen [nonactive]

The Samsung can record HD (1080 horizontal lines, better picture clarity) or SD (720 lines) video to a microSDHC card. The Flip records SD (Standard Definition) video only.

Video can be transferred to the computer via USB cable. If you wish to edit the video on your computer, you should use video editing software.

The good news is that if you're running a Windows XP (only for Service Pack 2 onwards), Vista or Windows 7 computer, the free Windows Movie Maker is available and free. However, for better features and control, you'll need to pay for the excellent Adobe Premiere Elements (if you have Windows XP) or Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum (for Vista or Windows 7).

If you're running an Apple Mac, the excellent iMovie is built-in and free.

So summarising:

• I'd plumb for the Samsung because of its features and price. It's a cracker.
• Buy a 16GB microSDHC card for the Samsung as I don't think one is supplied (they're cheap as chips anyway).
• (Optional) Purchase video editing software if your husband is not keen on the built-in versions on the computer.

Hope this helps and hasn't been too technical. Good luck.

Cathy, thank you for this. I've been looking up reviews on the Which? site and will check out the one you recommended as well as the others on the expertreviews site. I really thought I was going to have to pay about £300, so it's nice to see that there are many quality ones that fall far below that!

Thanks again.

You're welcome

Just a quick update on buying video editing software for a Windows computer.

If you have one up to 18 months old, go for Sony Vegas. Older than that, try Cyberlink PowerDirector or Serif MoviePlus X6 as these are better for slower computers. You may be able to download trial versions of the software to evaluate before committing.

Don't bother with Premiere Elements as I've now discovered it has some performance and usability problems.

For the Apple Mac, stick with the free iMovie.

My apologies for not being more specific in my last post and good luck. Please contact me if you need further help.

Thanks again!  You've been so helpful. I am learning a lot about them now.  Much appreciated.

I got a cheap one for work and was very surprised and disappointed that you couldn't take an occasional still shot with one. For me this was very inconvenient, personally if I was looking for another one I would want that had that feature (don't even know if it exists but it seems logically that it would).

The Samsung can record HD (1080 horizontal lines, better picture clarity) or SD (720 lines) video to a microSDHC card. The Flip records SD (Standard Definition) video only.

Just to clarify a bit, both the Samsung's 1920x1080 and the Flip's 1280x720 are high definition formats, so they both record in HD, just different versions of HD.  Neither of them records in standard definition (SD), which is 720x576.

That said, I agree with cathaypacific about choosing the Samsung over the Flip.  We've got a Flip, and it's a nice camera, but they're not making them any more, and you can't expand the memory.  The Samsung's memory is expandable, Samsung is still in business, and you can use it underwater (how cool is that?), so I'd pick that one.

I got a cheap one for work and was very surprised and disappointed that you couldn't take an occasional still shot with one. For me this was very inconvenient, personally if I was looking for another one I would want that had that feature (don't even know if it exists but it seems logically that it would).

The Samsung takes still photos.