Camcorder feedback

[reins317]

Hi.

I think it is time to buy a new camcorder. Our old one weighs a ton and is very outdated. I would like to buy one that records directly onto a DVD. Does anybody have any recommendation on a good and light-weight camcorder? Where did you buy it?

Thanks so much!!
Christal

 

[tmt martins]

Go to the photography board and see if there's a sticky on just this topic. Kelly grainger (sp) has a lot of info as well.

But if you are looking for ease of use then yes a direct to DVD is the way to go and Sony is the tops ( IMHO ) .

If your looking for quality then the ones with the DVC tapes have the best .

Look at the formats that they record in and do some research on those formats; Mpeg2 ,mpeg4,and so forth.

 

[Disneyrsh]

.

 

[M&M's]

Here's some good DVD cameras (prices are rough estimates):

1. Sony DCR-DVD505 ($660)

2. Panasonic VDR-D300 ($650)

3. Hitachi DZ-GX3300A ($500)

But before you commit to DVD, you might want to check out MiniDV or HDD. MiniDV is the most popular, and is usually the best quality (because the video isn't compressed). HDD is fairly new and untested. Each has it's own pros and cons, so it's worth it to you to do some research. You may even want to take the plunge and step up to the future of camcorders with an HD model (Sony's HDR-HC3 is excellent! I can vouch for it).

Check out www.camcorderinfo.com for some extensive reviews. Have fun researching!

 

[reins317]

Thank you for all your replies. I checked on camcorderinfo website and got a lot of good info. I also tried to find the camcorder reviews on the SmartMoney website, but could not find anything.

Thanks again,
Christal