To future-proof your investment, be sure to pick up a high-definition video camera as they'll look (and sound) spectacular on an HDTV - after all, you're immortalizing these memories for future generations, too. These camcorders also shoot in widescreen presentation, like a feature film, so you'll be able to fit more on the screen, and some record audio in surround sound, too.
Here are a few tips on what to look for when shopping for a camcorder.
Storage format
A couple of years ago you'd likely buy a MiniDV tape- or DVD-based model, but today you might opt for one of two trendier storage formats: Flash memory and hard drive.
Flash memory-based players take those postage stamp-sized memory cards typically used in your digital camera. These camcorders are typically smaller and lighter than their hard drive counterparts, and you can easily transfer video to your PC (for editing, sharing or archiving) by popping the card into your PC's or printer's memory card reader.
While they cost a little more, hard drive-based camcorders can store a lot more video on the camcorder than Flash memory camcorders (many dozens of hours, in fact) and without having to replace tapes, DVDs or memory cards. A USB cable is required (and included) to transfer video from the camcorder to a computer.
Room for some zoom
Most camcorders will have auto-focus - which is important for novices -- and both optical and digital zoom. Optical zoom is the "true" zoom as the lens will physically get closer to the object, while digital zoom merely attempts to simulate a zoom by adding more pixels to the image. The higher the optical zoom, the better. Usually, camcorders offer between 10x and 32x optical zoom, which is more than enough for most users, such as "soccer moms" or "hockey dads" looking o capture emotion on a son or daughter's face.
Another important feature to look for is "image stabilization" to prevent the image looking shaky when you're zooming in on a subject from a far, and also accounts for a moving subject.
Other thoughts
* Camcorders also take still photos, so be sure to look for at least a model capable of taking a 5-megapixel image or higher.
* Most camcorders connect to a PC via USB or FireWire (cable should be included in the box) so you can archive the video, edit it, burn it to DVD or share it with others online.
* The camcorder will likely ship with video editing software but there are plenty of free tools available, too, such as Windows Movie Maker (bundled with Windows) or iMovie (found in Macs).