Camcorder Advice Please

[marlasmom]

I want to get my daughter and SIL a camcorder so they can send me weekly (or ok bi-weekly) videos of our joyfully anticipated grandchild. I know nothing about them except that there seems to be a number of formats.

Please advise me as to what kind of simple camcorder to buy. Price is important.

Thanks very much.

 

[Aurora63]

I can't advise you on a specific model, but I know I like our VHS-C format camcorder. It's very easy to pop the tape into an adapter and watch it in a VCR. You can't do that with 8mm, but you can almost as easily dub it with some RCA cables.

And of course now there are the digital ones, the DVD ones, high-8, etc.

I don't know what to tell you except to do lots of research. Check out epinions.com as well, and search for camcorders. They have reviews of them from people who actually own them.

Good luck!

 

[Elwood Blues]

MM,

My advice is to get a digital camcorder as it makes transferring videos to a PC much easier. You really don't need to be concerned of the camcorders still picture capabilities. For the most part, they don't compare to a regular digital still camera. There are two digital formats. Digital 8 (sony) and mini-dv. The format is not really a concern because it's digital. You should be more concerned by the camera video taking quality. There are numerous web sites (search google for "camcorder reviews"). Check out Circuit City's web site as they allow users to post their experiences with products (and rate them).

 

[Micca]

I think you want digital. It may seem excessive now, but in the long term, I think it will work out best for you.