Video options

Time was that a palmsized camcorder was your only option for recording home video. 

Natali Morris of cnet.com says "but if it's sitting at home, then you've missed the shot then what good is it?" 

Video recordings become an almost standard option on smart phones and CNET's Natali Morris says a few, including the Motorola Droid and iPhone 4, have stepped up the competition. 

Natali says "they have high definition lenses, they have high definition screens so you can see what you're shooting in a very beautiful screen." 

But in each case, the video is 720p high definition rather than the full 1080. 

Natali says "is that a huge difference, well, it depends, do you want to put that on a 52-inch TV for your family to see, then you'll be able to see the difference maybe." 

If your heart's set on full 1080 video and portability, Morris suggests Kodak's playtouch. It's under 200 bucks, also takes 5 megapixel stills and offers easy connections to social networks. 

Natali says "you just flip out the usb and plug it into the computer and it's ready to go." 

The playtouch also offers a feature similar to one found on the iPhone 4. 

Natali says "you can do on board video editing, so you don't have to download the movies into the computer and then find the software to shorten the clip or fuse two clips together. You can do it right in the camera." 

If high definition's not a must, Morris says the best bang for your video buck is another Kodak offering, The Mini. It's the size of a credit card, waterproof and just under a hundred dollars. 

Natali says "it's going to get some really good footage and it's not going to wear down either your budget or your pants." 

And the Mini fits Morris' philosophy that the best camera to use is the one you have on you.