anyone buy a camcorder lately? I need help picking one for DD bday

[miss missy]

I plan to get one for DD for her bday. She is 14 so I dont want to get one too expensive... thinking 300-350. No I am not nutts, there are some family members going in on it as a group gift, since it is a big price.

Sooo I am looking at HDD because I want easy transfer to computer and burn to DVD. (I am thinking I will use this thing too since I dont have one yet.) So easy is better for me I don't want to deal with having to buy tapes and DVD's. I know she will be doing a gazillion videos, so am I correct in saying HDD is the choice for her?

I see her using it as follows:

1. making video of herself playing music (drums/guitar)
2. fun video of herself- silly faces, ect.
3. with her friends, being silly
4. Disney trips!!
5. LOTS and LOTS of videos

She tends to do very well with her digital camera, she takes the best shots of herself!! She sets up all kinds of scenes and is very creative, so I would like to see what she can do with a camcorder, I am assuming she will be good at it.

Any suggestions?

I was at Bestbuy and saw them there, they had JVC model

GZM130 which is HDD 449.00 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8219643&type=product&id=1166236107365

and a DVD DCRDVD108 378.00
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8210447&type=product&id=1166234894238


I like the JVC one, but 449.00 is plus we talked about getting the service plan since she is a kid, and that is another 100.00-120.00, that is just way way too much! SO what can I do here??? HELP!

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Master Mason]

Well, first off, you can get better prices at places like B&h Photo or buydig or beach.

Other than that, I can't help you much, last time I bought a video camera for myself was almost 7 years ago.... I have used it less than 1 time per year, so probably won't get replaced, ever.

 

[miss missy]

Well, first off, you can get better prices at places like B&h Photo or buydig or beach.

Other than that, I can't help you much, last time I bought a video camera for myself was almost 7 years ago.... I have used it less than 1 time per year, so probably won't get replaced, ever.

Thanks. I was thinking of the service plan for her... that would limit where I purchase from though ugg I hate this!!

 

[Tuffcookie]

I bought the Canon S5 so I could take pictures and video. Best Buy had it for $399. She might get more use out of something that could do both. Just a suggestion.

TC

 

[miss missy]

I use Mini DV format and my camera hooks right up to the computer via USB or I can record it in analog mode to the (gasp) VCR and DVD recorder that's hooked up to my TV. I find that I like the security of having an actual tape. I know some say that Mini DV is obsolete, but there are many $2k+ cameras out there (and pros) still using Mini DV format. It's generally higher resolution than any camera that burns directly to DV and last I heard/checked even higher than standard defiition camcorders that record directly to Hard Disk. (As long as you don't get the cheapie 1CCD or less models.) So you save a couple hundred bucks and end up w/ junk video especially in low light. For once in a lifetime moments, is it really worth the savings vs. heartache tradeoff if you can't get the shot? DO not get the 1CCD or less camcorders in any brand on any format if you want to be happy with your videos! I bought 2 others in the last year one was a Sony and another was a $200 cheaper 1CCD Panasonic model. They both sucked rocks.
FWIW, the big brother camcorder to the one I bought for $400 used to sell for over $1000 until HD format (I mean High Definition, not Hard Drive) came out. So I feel like I'm getting a $1k camera quality for $400 (it's even cheaper now). That's not a bad deal.

But the biggest reasons I like having the tape is so that 1) I don't have to worry about dumping the video or running out of HD space, and 2) Hard drives crash. Point 1: I do a lot of videotaping/archiving performances (often in low light or backlighted situations) for my job. (don't ask) Anyway, many times, I don't have time to sit there and dump a video before it's time to take another one. So I never have to worry about running out of space; I just have to make sure I have enough tape on hand. I almost never shoot in SP mode and I have been very happy with what I get in LP mode w/ my Panasonic gs320. Point 2: A friend of mine recently had that happen (his camera's HD froze and crashed) before he could dump his video -- and his entire family vacation was lost. (It's a computer -- they crash from time to time.) Another guy I know dropped his HD camcorder and it was toast -- unless he wanted to spend $$$$ to get some comany to try to retrieve whatever was in his cameras HD. If I drop my camera and it breaks, I will still be able to open it up and retrieve the tape. Even if the camera is toast, other than the part that is stuck between the heads (which would have to be gingerly manuvered out of the machanism), the rest would be viewable video if I just buy another camera in the same format.
Most pros will tell you to never re-use MiniDvs, but I do it all the time and haven't had a problem yet. And if I feel like keeping the tape for archival purposes, I can do that as well without worrying about running out of space on my HD. DVDs don't last forever, they scratch, skip, etc, and tapes degrade overtime as well (we're talking years). Knock wood, I haven't had a problem yet with Mini DV tapes. And I never have to worry about the HD crashing and losing all my footage.

If you're interested in Panasonic 3 CCD camcorders, here are a couple of forums:
http://www.pana3ccduser.com/
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/f25

If you check out the forums, don't get freaked out by some people complaining about their 3CCD cameras getting all pixelated. There was a known issue with a fewer older 3CCD cameras and even though they were many years out of warranty, Panasonic is offering to pay for repeairs to be done, and also to reimburse anyone who already had repairs done. How's that for customer service? Most companies would say, too bad, so sad, sorry your warranty expired 3 years ago.

OK thanks for the info. I am just not sure what to get. Reading my DD's needs above, I dont know if I want to deal with tapes. She will take sooo many videos I may go broke. And she will be playing with them on the computer. Another thing, is I see soooo many are not compatible with Vista (my laptop) and that is not OK. I would put the good videos I want to save on my laptop, so I need one that will alllow us to use both. Plus if we go away, we need the laptop to be able to take the video. I dont get why the dont have many that work with Vista?????

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

OK thanks for the info. I am just not sure what to get. Reading my DD's needs above, I dont know if I want to deal with tapes. She will take sooo many videos I may go broke. And she will be playing with them on the computer. Another thing, is I see soooo many are not compatible with Vista (my laptop) and that is not OK. I would put the good videos I want to save on my laptop, so I need one that will alllow us to use both. Plus if we go away, we need the laptop to be able to take the video. I dont get why the dont have many that work with Vista?????

My Pana gs320 is Visa compatible. Also if you find a price online, ask Best Buy if they will price match and givethem the name of the online retailer. They usually will price match any reputable online company like Beach, B&H, etc. Be prepared w/ info where and how much so they can check it.