Samsung SC-D382

The Samsung SC-D382 is an ultra-cheap miniDV camcorder that retails for just $190 and was released in 2008. This piece would be ideal for a family that would like to record the simple pleasures of life without all the bells and whistles (and cost) of a more advanced HD camera.

Despite its price it has good features like a 34x optical zoom, has manual focus (which is a feature for intermediate users who would like to manually focus on objects the automatic one fails to), and it weighs just 12 ounces. Interestingly, despite getting good reviews from professionals like cnet.com, this piece didn't win in the minds and hearts of consumers: many complained about its lack of compatability with iMovie in Macs, and no 16:9 mode. While these may seem like advanced features, it is obvious that consumers' expectations are very high these days considering the falling of prices, accelerated introduction of features, and fierce competition.