by Christopher Chatterton

Created on: November 03, 2009

As the old saying goes, "Christmas comes but once a year", and it's at Christmas time that we consider buying expensive gifts like camcorders and digital video recorders for our nearest and dearest.

Camcorders come in all shapes and sizes and range in price from below $200 to well in to the $1000's. The hottest camcorders for Christmas 2009 come with a whole host of in-built editing software and super zoom functions. So if you know a budding moviemaker, or want a good quality digital video recorder to record your precious memories, there's a camcorder to suit your needs.

Camcorders for less than $200

Flip UltraHD Camcorder best price $179.99 (2009)

It seems each year sees ever more technologically advanced camcorders and digital video recorders come on to the market, with the amount of features in so-called basic models improving all the time. But honestly, how good can a camcorder costing just $179 really be?

The Flip Ultra doesn't pretend to be an all-singing-all-dancing camcorder, but does have some nice little features.

Firstly, it is extremely compact (roughly the size of most cell phones) and is very lightweight at 11.2 ounces. Immediately this will limit the amount of camera shake as the camera can be held steadily whilst filming via the clear 2-inch anti-glare screen.

Secondly, the Flip Ultra films in true HD, which in a camcorder under $200 is very impressive. The in-built 8GB memory can record up to two hours of footage with no additional memory cards required.

The Flip ultra is a very versatile camcorder as it has a special 'instant record' button; perfect for filming straight away, without waiting for the camera to 'warm up'. The niftily concealed USB storage arm flips out to connect to a Mac or PC, and can install the accompanying Flipshare software that allows easy upload of movie files to sites like Youtube. One drawback of the Flip Ultra is the slightly inferior sound quality compared to more expensive camcorders, but it is nevertheless good enough to hear on playbacks.

As it is so small the Flip Ultra can be tied to bicycles and skateboards to give an alternative view of the action and can carried in a coat pocket so you never miss an opportunity to be creative. Indeed combining the Flip Ultra with a waterproof case, the wonders of deep can be brought to your living room.

The important thing to note is that not everybody wants, or can afford a top of the range camcorder. If you desire a portable, easy to use camcorder

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