Twelve Days of Christmas, Holiday Gift Ideas: Video

The holidays are upon us. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are both over, and the December rush has begun. Whether you're shopping online, through retailers like Amazon.com, Overstock.com, or offline in retail outlets such as Wal*Mart or Target you can be a smart consumer. By using sites like PriceGrabber or Google Product Search or mobile applications like ShopSavvy (Android & iPhone) you can be sure you're getting a good deal.

Of course, the best place to start is to look at who you're buying for, and how much you're willing to spend on them. But to get you started, I've thrown together a list of some of the bigger consumer products of the year. Ranging from the cheaper stocking stuffers, to the more expensive presents this list has a little bit of everything, although it's definitely for the geekier folk.

Video

Canon VIXIA HV40 HD HDV Camcorder $725.95

This lightweight and super-affordable camcorder is great. Video quality is very good (especially considering the price), and it has a nice featureset. Plus it's a Canon, and I'm a fanboy. Oh, and the wonderful Ryan Connolly of Film Riot thought it was so good, he's shooting with it for a month. It's on my wish list.

Sony HDR-CX100 AVCHD HD Camcorder $353.56

Another camera reviewed by Ryan was this Sony. It's less than half the price of the Canon, although lens flare and controls (touch-based) could be an issue. For $350 though, it's not bad.

Flip UltraHD Camcorder $149.99

For the more consumer-oriented purchaser, Flip Video's camcorders are the standard, unless your lucky friend is also wishing for a media player, in which case iPod nano is the best way to go. The UltraHD shoots 2 hours of 720p video, and has a gorgeous 2 inch screen.

Manfrotto 3 Section Aluminum Tripod $145

Now, if you're shopping for the more professional, serious photographer (or you're just feeling generous), Manfrotto's tripods and monopods are some of the best. The prices may seem ridiculous for what is essentially a glorified stick (or three sticks stuck together), but anyone who's used a bad tripod can tell you, quality is everything.

Joby GorillaPod $44.95

Joby's GorillaPod has to be one of the coolest tripods ever. It's bendable, wrap-able, and can really do just about anything you need it to do. Just mount the camera on, and bend the legs around whatever you can find, be it a railing, a chair, or just about anything else, or just stand it up on a surface to get a nice steady shot.

Microsoft LifeCam Cinema $45

Sure it's not something you'd traditionally think of in a category of photography, but Microsoft's LifeCam Cinema shoots full 720p 16:9 video in an amazing little package. It's small, it's powerful, and it can be clipped just about anywhere. If you want to video conference with your mom in another state, don't buy her any other webcam. The image quality from the LifeCam Cinema is great, as well as the audio from the built in mic.

This is the day four of our Twelve Days of Christmas, Holiday Shopping Ideas from Maverick Revolution.