Hopefully everyone isn't getting too tired of me asking for advice, but now I need some help on purchasing a video camera.

I obviously don't have one and have used very few camcorders. Does anyone here have any recommendations? Any features that are must-haves? Anything to avoid?

The primary purpose for the video camera will be filming our new little boy in a few weeks. You know, just general things parents film, nothing overly complicated. Our budget is around $300, but I'd pay a little more if it was truly worth it. Thanks in advance!

I don't know anything about camcorders, so I can't help you there. I only know about the Flip Video camera, which is what I decided on a couple years ago.

The Flip camera is high on convenience and low on versatility. I love it, and that's because I only use it around the house.
If you're one of those parents who plans to video you child's dance recital, get a quality camcorder with a good zoom. If, on the other hand, you want something cheap for the purpose of documenting some nice family moments at home, get something like a Flip.

Our Flip just sits out on the kitchen counter. It's really small and there are no cables or accessories. It's just the Flip. And because it's small enough to leave out, we are always picking it up to quickly catch something that the kids are doing. We have caught a lot of great things on film that we never would have with a camcorder.

We got a mini DVD Sony from Wal Mart for $240 or so. We use it mostly to record dog training/performance events for self-critique later. It works very well for the use for which we purchased it. Image stabilization is a big plus, so I would be sure that feature was included.

I bought this one something like 7 years ago and LOVE it. It has worked without a hitch and we take it everywhere. Amazon has it with a complete kit for $329. It is the 80 GB version and includes an 8 GB micro SD disk. The 8 gig is for saving stills when you have it in camera mode. You can save stills to the 80 GB disk as well but gives you the option to pop out the 8 GB for ease.

Sony DCRSR68 DCR-SR68 80GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam® Camcorder with 60x Optical Zoom and 2.7-inch Widescreen LCD in Silver + 8GB Accessory Kit