I ended up with a Zi8 after exploring options for a small video camera. I really wanted a camera that fit in my pocket, handled 16:9, didn't require phone contracts, and claimed to be HD.
I shoot mostly outside and love that I can always have a camera on me now. Like Gena noted the shake on these cameras is very bad handheld so you have to figure out ways to work around it. I bought a small Gorillapod to take out when I know I want to shoot something locked down for long durations or creatively attach the camera to something. http://joby.com/ Otherwise I just shoot short bursts and sometimes smooth short shots out in post. My last two posts use the zi8 http://blog.aaronvaldez.com/ Seems like a great choice if you are upgrading from a webcam setup at home and want to use external mics. Steve Garfield has some tests with mics on his site. http://offonatangent.blogspot.com/2009/09/kodak-zi8-entry-level-mic-tests.html Is there anyway to use mirrors to bounce the display around so you can see it? As with anything D.I.Y. it should be at least 10x bigger than the camera itself.
