The Flip MinoHD provides an easy way to shoot quality video, but if you are looking for something more substantial, buy a more conventional video camera that can shoot stable video at higher resolutions.

Microsoft last month started shipping the widescreen LifeCam Cinema webcam, which includes a sensor to shoot high-definition video. Besides using it as a webcam for videoconferencing, you can use the device to shoot quality video for upload to sites like YouTube.

In tests, the webcam shot high-quality video -- in some cases as good as video shot by standard video cameras -- and did a good job capturing images in low-light conditions. The camera caught a wider angle of pictures than traditional webcams, while a microphone caught sounds from meters away.