DVD are crap, DV is what you want. There's a fairly good site on the net which you might find helpful: http://www.camcorderinfo.com/ Read the reviews on that website, they really do cover everything you will want to know. The resolution isn't really that important - after all DV footage only has 0,42Mpix so there'll won't be much difference between a 1Mpix CCD and 3Mpix as long as you just shoot video footage (the image will be a bit sharper, but the low-light performance will be worse). Higher res will effect the photos obviously, so if you intend to use it as a still camera as well, go for higher resolution. Also, look for a camera that has some manual controls, they can be really handy. I use exposure, focus and shutter speed controls all the time. Personally, I'd stick with Canon or Sony. As far as budget cameras are concerned, Sony are probably the best. Canons are extremely good but come at a steep price, the cheaper models aren't worth getting. I've been using a Sony DCR-HC1000 for over 2 years now, great camera. Changing to the HDR-HC7 in a few weeks time, purely out of interest.