Without knowing more about your budget and needs, its difficult to make specific recommendations, but here are a few suggestions. The three main types of camcorders are MiniDV, hard drive, and DVD. MiniDV are the cheapest, but hard drive and DVD are more convenient because they don't use tapes. DVD camcorders can also only record about 20 min of video. All have about the same image quality, with MiniDV being the best because it is uncompressed. All three connect via USB and MiniDV can also be connected to your computer via firewire. You also want a camcorder with a high optical zoom, but don't worry about the digital zoom rating. As far as brands, I have used Canon and Sony and liked both, but most any brand will satisfy your needs. Check www.bhphotovideo.com to search different models and compare prices.