Microsoft Expression is my personal favorite screen capture program for Windows. It may have an extra step (encoding the recording) but the final product is perfect as you’ll see in the sample recording at the end of the video. The free version is almost as good as the Pro version. The main difference is that you can only record 10 minute segments with the free version whereas with Pro, you can record for an unlimited amount of time; absolutely not worth the $199 price tag.

Encode a wide array of video file formats, stream live from webcams and camcorders or screen capture your PC. Make simple edits to video files and enhance your media with overlays and advertising. Choose encoding settings, choose from a range of player templates and publish rich media experiences

Customize your video to guarantee viewers a rich, pixel-perfect media experience. Expression Encoder allows you to add simple cuts to any clip, titles, pre-roll and post-roll advertising, captions, metadata and more. Capture computer screen activity for training or support needs.

Delivering a web-ready Silverlight experience is easy. Import QuickTime, AVI, MPEG, and other formats into Expression Encoder, leverage the latest quality and speed improvements to the VC-1 codec, choose your favorite Silverlight template, and publish directly to your web server using Expression Encoder Publishing Plug-ins.

Microsoft Expression 4 overview: http://www.microsoft.com/expression/products/Encoder4_Overview.aspx
Microsoft Expression 4 Free download: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=24601

Question:
How many screen recording programs (free or paid) have you tried to use before?