You may have noticed in the past few weeks that I have been talking more about video-blogging and the tools that can help you get vlogging done more effectively. The most essential vlogging tool is your camcorder. If you intend to make a professional quality video for your web show, you are going to need a decent cam. The mini camcorders that you see in retail stores do a good job taking videos on the go, but if you intend to conduct interviews with the experts at conferences or professional gatherings, it’s always good to have a pro camcorder.

I have always wanted to own a pro camcorder to not only check it off of my wish-list but also capture better quality videos to share with others. I do have a Zi8, so I am all set for my road trips. But I have never really cared for paying $5000 or more for a pro camcorder. I have never wanted to be a director or professional producer, so spending that much money on a pro camcorder has never made sense for me. Besides, there are a lot of other things you can do with $5000-$10000.

Thanks to Panasonic, I didn’t have to spend that much money to get my hands on a super cool camcorder. Panasonic Professional AG-HMC40 is a brand new pro camcorder that is decent enough to capture HD videos, and it doesn’t break the bank either. It may not be as powerful as some of those high-end pro camcorders, but for what I want to do, it’s the perfect gadget.

This camcorder is a dream come true for newbie video producers. It’s affordable enough for most to invest in it, and it’s of high quality, so you do get a lot of bang for your buck. I won’t bore you with technical specifications for this device, but the fact that it can take 10.6 MP still photos is a big plus.

Panasonic Professional AG-HMC40 may not be as portable as a Flip, but it does work great for those interviews and serious videos. It’s certainly not for everybody, but if you are hoping to take your vlog to the next level and try your hands in the field of video production, this is a good camcorder to get started with.

Your take: how’s been your experience with AG-HMC40 pro?

I am a big fan of mini camcorders. I have owned a bunch of them in the past and couldn’t be happier with them. But as is the case with most gadgets, you get what you pay for. And a $100 camcorder does not give you super video quality. The vidoes that I took with my Flip Camcorder were good enough but they were by no means superb. Another big problem with these mini camcorders is the fact that you need to take a digital camera with you to take higher quality pictures as well. So in essence, you have to take 2 gadgets with you on the go instead of one.

iPhone 3GS is an exciting gadget and can be used to take good quality videos and decent quality pictures. But if you are anything like me and want to take high quality videos on the go, iPhone 3GS won’t do. That’s why I decided to pay a bit of money to get a Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2000 HD Camcorder. Xacti line caught my eyes a while back, but I had a couple of good camcorders at a time and decided to wait for better models. VPC-HD2000 is certainly a superb model.

What I love about this camcorder is the unique design. This is one powerful gadget but it feels like a mini camcorder. You can easily hold it and take high quality videos (1080p) and awesome still images (8 MP) on the go. So the next time you are going to a conference, like Comic Con, you can take killer videos and share them with your readers. The audio quality is decent as well, so you can capture every moment to its fullest.

The quality of this camera is just superb. If you think you have been capturing nice videos with your Flip HD, wait till you try VPCHD2000. You do get to store your images and videos on SD cards. I would have liked to have a big internal storage with this camcorder, but the SD cards will do.

All in all, I am pretty happy with my investment. I don’t take a lot of pictures but I do take some from time to time. Flip HD was a great camcorder but was just not doing it for me. I needed higher quality (video), and VPC-HD2000 is just the camcorder. Not only is it powerful, but it’s very portable as well. A big win – win for me.

Livescribe 2GB Pulse Smartpen: Pulse pen is a great little gadget that makes it easy to store notes and attach audio to them. If you take a lot of notes at conferences or meetings, you can use this pen to record your information information and store them on your computer.

Kindle: Amazon Kindle has been a life saver for me. Not only I have managed to read more books using my Kindle, it’s very easy to get the latest books right away. Amazon allows you to download books to your Kindle in less than 30 seconds, so there is no need to wait days to get your books in mail.

Netbook: I personally own an Asus Eee PC. I’ve got to say. It’s been one of the best buys I have done in years. The netbook is so portable, and it comes with plenty of storage and a mini-cam. Great for blogging.

iPhone: the iPhone is great for folks who are constantly on the go. If you are going around the world to all these conferences, you can blog right from your iPhone. And let’s not forget that the iPhone is more than just a phone.

Flip HD Camcorder: if you are a video blogger, you are going to love Flip HD. It’s an amazingly portable camcorder, and it gets the job done. Don’t expect super HD quality from this camcorder, but the quality of videos is quite decent.

There are many other gadgets that you can use to become more effective as a blogger. Your goal should be to get more things done for less. So what are your favorite blogging gadgets?