Need Help Choosing A Pocket Camcorder!?

I found this question being asked by Morgan on Yahoo Answers where he’s on a quest to find a pocket camcorder for himself and I thought I’d give my answer here on PocketVideoCameraHD.com in case you’re interested. Following is the question that Morgan asked:

I currently have the Sony Webbie, but I am tired of the mediocre video quality. Even so, I’ve fallen in love with the rotating lens – I like being able to see where I am in the frame while vlogging. I also like to do short films. But with Christmas coming in a few months, I want to buy a new camera. I’m estimating that I’ll have a budget of at least $200.

What I REALLY want:

• Preferably a flip camera of some sort, because I’m used to holding a Webbie.
• Great (not just ok) HD quality that can handle action and low lighting. Image stabilization would be wonderful. A 60fps option isn’t necessary, but it’d be nice.
• Great battery life, as well a memory card slot. I’d prefer that videos could be as long as the space left on the card.
• A screen to see myself while recording myself… if that makes sense.
• Quick startup and minimal time between pressing a button and the function being executed. (Shutter speed, etc.)

It should be able to stand up on its own without a tripod, and it can’t be too conspicuous. I often vlog in public and I don’t want to get any weirder looks than I do already.

I know this is a lot to ask for with a budget of Christmas cash; but I’m not going to buy something and be disappointed. I want a pocket camcorder that I can use for years to come without (m)any regrets.

Our Answer To His Quest To Find A Pocket Camcorder

Now, that’s a lot of requirements and needs that Morgan has. Not all of them can be completely fulfilled but I think that there’s two great options for him. First of all, all of the pocket camcorders will help him as they are small and convenient and hopefully will keep down the ‘weird looks’ he’s getting for vlogging in public.

Kodak and Sony Pocket Camcorders

The need for a memory card slot already takes all offerings of Flip Cameras out of this. That leaves us with Kodak and Sony pocket camcorders to look at. Based on all of his requirements we’d go with either the Sony Bloggie Touch (see our Sony Bloggie Touch (MHS-TS20/B) Pocket Camcorder Review) or the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 (see our Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 Pocket Camcorder Review).

I’d probably give the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 a slight advantage here as it has some cool video recording features like Black and White and stuff that will allow to shoot some really cool videos for vlogging. Having said that, there’s also one requirement that Morgan probably hasn’t really listed but should be considered. As he’s vlogging a lot in public he might actually have to consider using a pocket camcorder that is somewhat rugged and could get wet. I somehow think it would be strange to only vlog in public when it’s nice weather…

The Best Pocket Camcorder

Anyway, that does bring up the probably overall strongest contender for his needs. Which one is it? Well, it’s another Kodak model, the Kodak PlaySport Zx5 (see our Kodak PlaySport Zx5 HD Waterproof Pocket Camcorder Review). It has pretty much all the features of the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 plus it’s rugged and waterproof.

Check out the pocket video cameras we mentioned in this post here:

Sony Bloggie Touch Camera, 4-Hour (Black) Average Rating: 300 total customer reviews...

Kodak PlayTouch Video Camera (Black) Average Rating: 155 total customer reviews...

Kodak PlaySport (Zx5) HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera - Black (2nd Generation) Average Rating: 759 total customer reviews...

Check out our other Pocket Camcorder Reviews and make sure you can make an informed decision before you buy a pocket camcorder for yourself or for friends and family.

You can find Morgan’s question on Yahoo Answers by clicking here.