Why You Can Trust CNET Get an Insignia 720p camcorder for $24.99
What's the catch? It's a refurbished, lower-end model, but it also has features you won't find on, say, the popular Flip Video series. Get one before they're gone!
Huh. This Cowboom place is really knocking out the deals these days. On Monday it had a dirt-cheap GPS, and today it's just about the cheapest HD camcorder I've ever seen.
Check it out: the refurbished Insignia NS-DCC5HB09 720p pocket camcorder for $24.99. Shipping adds $5. This deal is today only.
As I noted Monday, Insignia is Best Buy's house brand. In my experience, some Insignia products are solid, others just so-so.
The camcorder looks fairly solid, at least from a spec standpoint. It records 1,280-by-720 video on SD/SDHC memory cards (not included) and features a 3-inch LCD that can rotate and swivel--great for shooting while holding the camera up over your head or down at your feet. (Good luck doing that with a fixed-LCD camcorder like the Flip Video.)
It can also snap 5-megapixel still photos (though these are almost always disappointing, so don't quit your current camera) and output videos and photos alike via HDMI (cable not included).
I haven't seen any pro reviews of this model, and the user reviews on sites like Amazon and CNET are decidedly mixed. Some folks absolutely love the NS-DCC5HB09 (even after paying $100-plus for it), others found fault with its low-light image quality (a problem with all lower-end camcorders, trust me) and oddball AVI codec for recorded videos.
Personally, I think $25 for a 720p camcorder is a no-brainer. Grab one for the kids, grab one as a backup camcorder, grab one just for fun. But hurry: the sellout potential is huge.
Speaking of which, if it appears to sell out, be sure to check back again later in the day. The aforementioned GPS was in stock, out of stock, then in stock again all day long.
Bonus deal: Another interesting Insignia deal, this time from MidnightBox. Today only, get the refurbished Insignia NS-WBRDVD Blu-ray player for $79.95 (plus $3.95 for shipping). This model offers not only Netflix and Pandora streaming, but also Wi-Fi! I bought one myself a little while back, and it's been great.