The Flip is a camera you carry with you at all times for that spontaneous shot. The image quality is pretty good. Camcorders of this size are close to useless in low-light, but this one stands out.
Canon HV40 (~$1500-1700)
http://www.canon.com.au/en-au/For-You/Digital-Video-Cameras/LEGRIA-Video-Cameras/HV40
- Exceptionally good quality image for the price
- True HD 1080 24P
- ND Filter - useful when shooting outside
- Wheel for manual focus
- Adjust exposure manually
- Audio jack for external mic (big plus!)
- Auto focus can be slow
- Uses MiniDV tapes
Flip UltraHD (~$250)
http://www.theflip.com
- For the filmmaker on the fly, a spontaneous interview or recce a location
- Fits in your pocket!
- Not full HD (1280x720), but good image quality for a camera this size
- Shoot up to 120min of footage onto 8Gb internal memory
- Great in low-light
