Help choosing camera's?

[PammyPoppins]

Hi!
I know I am in the right place for great advice on camera's. First let me say we know nothing about camera's. We have had two video camera's but they are OLD and vhs.We want to purchase a dvd camera and a digital camera(tiny to fit in purse). We are willing to by the best ones we can find but have no idea what the best ones are. Nothing too fancy as far as working the camera, the more built in things the better.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Sorry, that we know nothing about camera's but we want to buy good ones so we need advice.
PammyPoppinsa

 

[ukcatfan]

Tell us more about your shooting style and situations plus what your budget is.

Kevin

 

[PammyPoppins]

Hi Kevin,
Well we really don't have a shooting style but we just want clear pictures of my daughter on her trip. She likes to get her picture taken with the characters. I also would like to get some of the parade and the scenery. We would like to take still shots and video. We could go as high as $1500.00 to $2000.00 for the combo of both camera's. We don;t want alot of fancy buttons we would have to work but built in automatically would be Super!
Thank-You,
PammyPoppins

 

[ukcatfan]

With that budget, go for DVD camcorder and an entry level DSLR. Keep in mind that this is going to take up some space, so a nice camera backpack would be good for you. I say DVD instead of tape b/c it is easier to use than a tape one even though the quality will be slightly lower. That will be around 500-700.

For the camera, go with an entry level DSLR like the Pentax K100D, Nikon D40, or the Canon XTi. They all have auto features and it gives you tons of room to grow. Then you should have money left over to either get a second lens or a lens that covers a large range(easier to use but less image quality) and possibly some other things like an external flash or a fast prime lens for low light situations.

Even though you do not have much experience, you should read some reviews to see what is best for you. It might turn out that DSLR is complete overkill for you and you might be better off withan advanced p&s like a Canon S3.

Kevin

 

[MICKEY88]

I would recomment digital tape cam corder instead of dvd, the quality is better, and the recording time is a lot longer...

if you want a purse size digital camera, a dslr is not what you are looking for...

 

[PammyPoppins]

Thank-You so much for the repilies. I pronted this out and I going to take it with me to Best Buy to look for the camera's.
Thank-You,
PammyPoppins

 

[manning]

I second going for a tape camcorder over a DVD.

 

[Anewman]

I second going for a tape camcorder over a DVD.

Make it a TRIPLE.

It really is not that much harder to pop in a TAPE, I would not buy an EXPENSIVE one right now since HD(high def) camcorders should start becoming affordable in a couple years.

 

[Blueyed Girl]

I've been shopping around for a new camcorder for a while and I'm happy to say I got the one I've been looking at for Mother's Day!! It is a Panasonic PV-GS320. It is a mini DV 3ccd cam. There is also an HD version but since we don't even have an HD Tv in our house , there really isn't much point in getting an HD camera just yet. Anyway, if you are still looking, you may want to check it out. They have them at Best Buy and Circuit City. This camera shoots digital video as well as still photo's. The still photograph portion shoots at 3.8 mega pixel which isn't as good as my digital still camera but is a great feature to have at your fingertips for decent snapshots.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8216389&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat91400050050&id=1166236106283

Edited to say that this camera is tiny! I love it because it fits in my small hand with no problem, is very light weight, and you get to all the features by moving a tiny joystick with your thumb. Very easy to navigate the menu.

 

[ukcatfan]

I would recomment digital tape cam corder instead of dvd, the quality is better, and the recording time is a lot longer...

if you want a purse size digital camera, a dslr is not what you are looking for...

Yes, tapes have a little better quality, but the OP basically said that they have zero experience, so I think the DVD would be better. This is very likely a user that just pops the DVD into a player to watch and will not be doing editing. Depending on how any inputs the user's TV has, it might be a real pain to have to connect the camcorder to it. I recently helped my father in a similar situation and after I explained the process, pros, and cons of each, he picked DVD over tape.

Kevin

 

[Groucho]

The other problem with a tape one is that it's easy to accidentally overwrite something that you didn't mean to... I'd still go for a tape (better quality and cheaper!) but I can certainly see the appeal of a DVD-based one.

If you start looking at higher-end digital cameras (whether PnS or DSLR), you can probably also save a decent chunk of money buying online. This can be controversial though, if you spend time in the store playing with the different cameras and talking to the salesmen, some thing it's not fair to then go buy elsewhere. I have mixed feelings... especially if we're talking about a "big box" place like Best Buy or Circuit City where it's likely that the person you talk to is not exactly an expert.

(Try asking them if they know how big the sensor is in a given camera... I expect you'll probably get a blank stare in return. )