If you are in the market for a web cam that can serve the purpose of casual event recording, try the Microsoft Life Cam Cinema.  I plug it into my laptop and bring my laptop to the event.

Then I record the event using the software that come with the product.

It’s a webcam so it is optimized to capture voices near the camera.  Therefore, the people near the camera must be quiet. 

I used it to record an orchestra concert.  I was in the back row to get a wider camera angle but that is where all the people who prefer to talk and make noise sit so the microphone kept adjusting volume for their voices over the performers voices and instruments.

I used it for a later performance and sat on the front row and had much better results from the camera and the microphone.