Almost ALL camcorders take Photos. However they are generally of a much lesser Megapixel than an actual Digital Camera. Most camcorders are 1 to 3 megapixel. There are a few that have 5 and 6.

Sony camcorders are rugged, reliable work horses. They also have some of the sharpest images thanks to the Carl Zeiss Lenses. Canon and Panasonic are also some of the Top manufactures of camcorders.There is also many types of media to record too. Anywhere from memory card to DvD and Hard Drives. Each having different advantages. If you plan to edit your video than DvD based camcorders are a little trickier to edit with than say a Memory, Tape or Hard Drive based camcorder. All manufactures make camcorders that feel different and have different lay outs of where controls are. It would be hard for me to say what would be comfortable in your hand. It would be best for you to stop by your nearest BestBuy and try several models out to see what best suits You.

Olympus cameras use xD(extreme Digital) memory not SD(Secure Disk). SanDisk does make a xD Memory Card.

The Sony DSC-P71 camera uses the Sony Memory Stick. You can get a Sony Memory Stick adapter to convert Sony Memory Sticks Duo to use as the older Sony Memory Stick. Check it out at BestBuy.com. Available Online Only.