What kind/brand of camcorder would you recommend?

[Smedlee]

I want to get a camcorder for my son who is going off to college, but I don't know type would be best. He will be filming extreme sports and stunts, so I don't want to spend more than $300 on it-- I need to save all the $$ I can for ER visits! He will be downloading the videos to his laptop (and straight to YouTube, no doubt), using whatever software comes with a MacBook. What camcorder will transfer the easiest without worrying about formatting and encoding files? Afterall, if this kid were computer savvy, would he be out there performing and filming stupid stunts?

[Soopafresh]

This will work. http://news.digitaltrends.com/news-article/16994/aiptek-offers-1080p-camcorder-for-199

Here's some example footage.

http://www.vimeo.com/457837

I'd spend $50 on a stabilizer as well, so the footage looks steady

http://spiderbrace.com/



Or, you can search around for a used DV Camcorder.

[nwo]

The panasonic (PV/GS) series are good and small i use the Nv-GS1, i did drop it in water and it still work, well after i dry it for week.

[Soopafresh]

Panasonic also has a new line of camcorders that are waterproof. They're $350


SDR-SW20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWomMMrnokw&fmt=18

[Bodyslide]

That is Sweet...Only goes under for 5 feet....

[edDV]

...

He will be downloading the videos to his laptop (and straight to YouTube, no doubt), using whatever software comes with a MacBook. What camcorder will transfer the easiest without worrying about formatting and encoding files? Afterall, if this kid were computer savvy, would he be out there performing and filming stupid stunts?

You said "using whatever software comes with a MacBook". That limits your choice.

Safest bet is DV format which transfers over Firewire. Most other formats will require external capture devices or format conversion for use with iMovie/iDVD. Uploads to YouTube will require additional conversion.