Thanks to all of you who put so much effort into making this site useful! I appreciate reading all your advice.

I have been looking into getting a camera since I participated in a year long course in documentary filmmaking last year. Of course I was spoiled by having access to great cameras/audio/lights, however I've decided to put off investing into a really great camera until I practice the basics of framing, editing, interviewing and storyline. I am about to move to Central America for about a year and would love to have a camera to play around with while I am down there--mostly to make short "slice of life" kind of videos to practice filming, editing, all the above.

I am looking for something really basic (standard def, around $250-$450) and small since I will be traveling and focusing on content rather than great HD picture. I would ideally like a camera with a microphone jack and manual controls, but understand that these might not be available in this price range. I am also assuming that I will want to have a format that can directly plug into a computer to upload videos to a site or burn footage onto a DVD for future editing (if that is possible). Overall, I will be looking for a format that is more flexible to work with down there than miniDV. On the other hand, it is also possible that I will not be able to find a computer very often (or ever) down there with the capacity to work with video, in which case I'd like to have a format with permanence and a large memory so I can pack home several hours of footage. Possibly an SD memory card with a USB connection? Could anyone suggest a good new or used starter camera that may fit these specifications?

Thank you for your help!