Cindy and I have worn out our Flip and Kodak camcorders so I’ve been looking for a good replacement. My requirements are small, full HD quality, ideally external rechargeable battery and ability to connect external microphone/audio source. What I have found is this one. It’s a Sony Handycam, Model HDR-CX260V/W. It’s got plenty of good features including zoom lens, image stabilization and I like the hidden USB connector cable in the hand strap. The first video I shot was at the Agri-Marketing Conference last week. I just plug it into my Mac and use iMovie and it imports just fine. The format is AVCHD so you’ll need to import from the camera or make a camera archive folder on a hard drive for the same purpose.

Fall in love with the stunningly beautiful 1920x1080p Full HD videos you create and capture ultra-steady footage that rocks without the roll associated with camera shake thanks to Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization with Active Mode. Back-illuminated Exmor® R CMOS sensor provides excellent low light capabilities while a wide angle G lens lets you fit even more in every shot.