Dual use devices are always compromises. They do each job half as*sed. ~ And if one goes down, they both are usually compromised.
I have several camcorders for different uses, including a $2500 Canon GL2. The camera I use most often, however, is a little Panasonic GS39 I found at Costco for "only" $239.00. It is a miniDV with all the necessary cables and accessories - battery, ...
go to consumer reports online and pay $6 for a one month subscription and do a lot of research. Don't buy a camcorder to also double as a digital camera, better to buy a digital camera as well. No camcorders take decent digital photos. In general, dv...