If money is a concern, but your iPhone won't cut it, the Kodak Playsport Zx5 is a solid budget camcorder for filming concerts. Its CMOS sensor can capture great 1080p HD video even in dim lighting, and snap 5-megapixel stills, too. Since it only has digital zoom, it'll be most effective in small clubs, coffeehouses, and basement shows, where you can get right up next to the action. The crowd can get a little rough up there, but the Zx5 can handle some bumps, bruises, and spilled beers: It's shockproof and waterproof, too. It has no external mic hookup, so while its internal microphone is pretty good, it'll have some trouble recording loud music. Generally speaking, pocket camcorders aren't your best bet for shooting live music, but if you have no other choice, the Kodak Playsport Zx5 is far and away the best option. 

[Read our full Nikon Coolpix S8100 Review] No, the Nikon S8100 isn't technically a camcorder, but it will be one of your best friends at a concert. It's based around a backside-illuminated CMOS sensor, which means, roughly, that it's great in low light and can shoot full 1080p HD video. It can also use its 10x optical zoom during filming, and costs less than most high-def camcorders. Camcorders are purpose-built for shooting video, true, so the results will generally look a little smoother and won't suffer from the "zoom buzz" that compact still cameras add to their soundtracks. But consider this: A) Still cameras are better at shooting video than camcorders are at shooting stills, so a camera like the S8100 is pretty close to a true two-in-one device. B) At larger concerts (anything larger than a 1,000-capacity theater or club), security will often balk at letting camcorders into the show -- they can claim that it's "professional" recording gear, which is a no-no with many artists and bands. A still camera is less threatening (and less conspicuous in a club), even if it's almost as good as a real camcorder. Also check out the Nikon S9100, which adds an 18x zoom lens.

Now we're talking. The Sony CX160 is great camcorder for shooting live music -- one of the best affordable high-def camcorders out there, period. The video quality is simply excellent. We found that the 16GB CX160 (alongside the sans-memory CX130 and hard-disk-toting XR160) offers the best video quality among all of its competitors this year, which makes it a no-brainer for us. It captures 1080i AVCHD-format video through an Exmor R CMOS sensor (fantastic in low-light situations) and a 30x optically stabilized zoom lens. As the first proper camcorder in this list (funny how that works, huh?) it features a microphone input and headphone jack, so it lets aspiring videographers really give care to the sonic aspect of capturing a concert. Concert films still won't quite be ready for a commercial DVD release, but at least the kids watching your bootlegs on YouTube will enjoy the clips more than the typical iPhone shaky-cam.