what would you say is the best camcorder in the word?

I'm going on a trip with my bf + his sister to their hometown, Nicaragua. I know there's alot of things i want to tape (their house/land is gigantic!) and i need the perfect camcorder. I need one with a battery that lasts looooooooong, crystal clear video recording with sound, night vision, built in light, and portable.

I have a very low budget so, if anyone can, let me know the #1 cheap best camcorder and a #1 expensive camcorder (but not all expensive ones are the best ones)

+ which form is better? the minidv, minidvd, tape, hard disk, etc....?

i'll be gone for two weeks so it needs to last a long time without all these tapes + cds lying around

thnx in advance :)

Firstly, stick with Mini-Dv. The hardrive camera's are a good idea, but the technology is still resonably new, and they have the potential to 'crash' (just like any computer) With Mini-Dv you have an automatic backup with the tape. The mini-DVD's tend to be quite expensive, and pretty fragile, with the only bonus being that you can slap it straight into a DVD player, which isn't that benificial if you want to edit it. You can record 90 minutes in long play on a standard minidv.

As for battery life, most camcorders come standard with a 60 - 120 minute battery (depending on the camera) so if you want a bit of extra juice you will prob have to pay for a second battery. Most camera's will take a generic battery (except for Sony which require their own brand). Battery lengths differ but there are some 5, 6, & 7 hours outthere! They are big though, and look funny sticking out the back of the camera. Might have to sacrifice style for functionality.