Q:What camcorder or camera is the best for shooting videos and taking pictures?

 

A:To be completely honest with you, you will not be able to get fantastic results in a two in one.
On a camcorder, designed for video, you may be able to take pictures, but the quality will be quite low as the lens is simply not designed for the purpose.
On the other end of the scale, Digital SLRs such as the  Panasonic DigiLife DDV-6000 take fabulous pictures, and have a movie feature, but the quality of the movie is quite low.

You are probably best to visit a store, and speak to someone who might be able to show you samples. What you buy will depend on exactly what you want to do with the photos.

From what you have said, I think a Camcorder would be best. There are a lot of different varieties, the best for what you are after is probably an SD cam and a long last camcorder battery, but make and model will depend on your own preference and price range.