The marketplace arrayed by price range (with examples, NOT recommendations)

• [NEW MARKET NICHE] $100 - $200: "Grab and go"/"shoot and share" pocket camcorders, some capable of HD (high definition), by Flip, Kodak, Sony, JVC, Creative ... and also some new smartphones
  
• Example of models at Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/ydu9454
• HD models reviewed by PC Mag (http://tinyurl.com/yfdwyx4) and by CNET (http://tinyurl.com/yhsx3ls)
  
• Example of smartphone with direct YouTube upload without a computer: Motorola Droid smartphone, review at Videomaker: http://tinyurl.com/ybouah5 ($200 with 2-year Verizon Wireless contract)
  

• $200 - $500: Regular point-and-shoot camcorders with higher video quality and more features, such as optical zoom, better sound and, at high end of price range, optical image stabilization and HD (Caution about high-definition video)
• Example: Sony Webbie MHS-CM1 (memory stick) at Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/yl52unx (on sale for under $200)
  
• Example: Samsung SMX-F34 (flash memory/memory card) at Crutchfield: http://tinyurl.com/yahlnfb ($250)
• Example: Sony HDR-CX100 (memory card, HD) at Crutchfield: http://tinyurl.com/yzmro2k ($500)
  

• $500 - $1,400: Full-featured, compact high-definition camcorders
  
• Example: Panasonic HDC-HS20 (hard drive or optional memory cards) at Crutchfield: http://tinyurl.com/yeyyazl ($600)
  
• Example: Canon VIXIA HF S11 (flash memory/memory card) Videomaker review: http://tinyurl.com/ydt9d8p ($1,400)
  

• Above $1,400: Larger "Prosumer" and professional models, including DSLRs that shoot camcorder-quality video (advantage: high-quality optics with short depth-of-field film look)
  
• DSLR example: Lumix DMC-GH1 review at http://tinyurl.com/yd2sbvc ($1,500 - $2,500)
  
• DSLR example: Canon 5D Mark II review at http://tinyurl.com/yc59npn ($2,700) [new Canon 7D review by pdn Gear Guide at http://tinyurl.com/ybftup3 ($1,700, body only)]
  

Additional resources

• Reviews: By experts, see sites like CNET, PC Mag, Videomaker; by users, see online stores like Amazon, BestBuy...
  

• Short learning tutorials at Crutchfield
• "Shopping for a Camcorder" video at http://tinyurl.com/ye266ot (HD vs. SD, camcorder types...)
• "Understanding Hard Drive & Flash Memory Camcorders" article at http://tinyurl.com/ya78lzh
  
• "Watching, Sharing and Editing Your Home Movies" article at http://tinyurl.com/y98ru7w