Sanyo VPC-C40 Camcorder

This little flash camcorder is pretty amazing. I just came across this at Radio Shack as a closeout. You might still be able to find one at a local store. I couldn't resist the $200 price tag. Sure, it won't take the place of even a mid line MiniDV camcorder, but it has a couple of definite advantages.

Looking to take a trip in the next few months, I was hesitant to drag both a camcorder, and a still camera along with all our stuff. Sure, my still camera does take short movies, but they are terrible quality. Not only does this thing take vga quality video that's surprisingly decent, but it actually takes quite good still shots as well. Yes, it's only a 4MP imager, but as most of you know, a higher number here does not guarantee a better camera.

You can find a number of videos on Youtube from this camera, including this one that demonstrates the rather respectable macro mode. Unfortunately, Youtube does tend to put a hurt on video quality, so it's not the best representation.