Cannot vouch for any camcorders. If total budget is 1300, than that precludes you getting an SLR. P&S, the best brands are as follows: Casio Canon Pentax (higher end models, not the entry level E-series) Fuji. Most (but not all) nikons are disappointing, as are most Kodaks and Samsungs. Do NOT pay too much (no more than 250-300) DO try to get optical image stabilization. What you want is quick autofocus even when it's dark, good exposure, and low noise. Best bet is to look for image samples. Google "DC watch Impress". It's in japanese, but search for the cam model and they usually post full-res jpegs under a variety of luighting conditions.
