How to buy a camcorder (or digital camera)

Recently, my camcorder's battery broke down. This camcorder was a Sony Analog Hi-8 type of camcorder I bought in '99. It needs to be put out to pasture. Its about as useful as a Winnipegger at a MENSA conference. Now comes the task of buying a new camcorder. I'm not exactly rich. I didn't just come back from sailing around the Caribbean. So, my pain is your gain. Here is exactly how you go about buying a camcorder, the steps are similar for a digital camera. Print these steps out if you have to.

1. Figure out your true cost tolerance and subtract 15%. So if you figure 800 is your limit, then 680 will be your soft target.
2. Go here to find out what the two best camcorders are in your target range. This website comes very highly recommended, she has a lot of integrity.
3. In your range, they have a winner and runner up for your soft target category. Read both reviews keeping in mind what your expectations are. For example, lots of lowlight recording, sports recording, etc. Basically, ask yourself how you intend to use the darn thing.
4. After reading both reviews, you probably have a good idea which one you're leaning towards, but you'll still want to read about the two models above while NOT exceeding your hard target (the 800 figure mentioned earlier). Spend a lot of time reading about these models.
5. Once you've chosen you're model. Go to Froogle and enter in the model number, model numbers should be distinct enough to return what you're looking for. If not, and you're getting models of furnace filters returned, you can always narrow it down with the manufacture name AND the model number.
6. Sort the list of returned camcorders from highest to lowest, not the other way around. If you start with the lowest, you'll get 20 pages of accessories you'll have to go through. When you sort from highest to lowest, you can just click "Next" and watch the prices get lower and lower until you run out of camcorders and hit an accessory.
7. Next, take your model number and double check Epinions, the only think you want to pay attention to here is the dud factor. Camcorderinfo doesn't really track your camcorders susceptibility to break down. Ignore the functionality articles in epinions, just get a feel for its repair history.
8. Go back to froogle and select a store. Hopefully, it will be a store with 4 stars or more. If the website says that they do not ship to Canada, call the 1-800 number and you'll find that they actually do, but their website functionality doesn't make it easy to have a "ship to Canada" option.
9. Wait for your camera to arrive and enjoy. Do not take beach video of shirtless pasty white skinned Winnipeggers without a high intensity glare filter. You'll fry your camcorder's internal processors.
   

That is all. Follow these steps and you can't go wrong.