Looking for camcorder suggestions...

[AlbertZeroK]

A sony NEX is what i recommend, but it's not cheap. The 1024x720 (720p) NEX 3 is $600, the Nex5 which is 1080p is $700. I think it takes better video than my old Canon T2i and my Nikon D90, and has the same quality sensor as a APS-C DSLR (basically any DSLR under $2000). The photos are GREAT!

If stills are what you're really interested in, I would consider a digital camera that takes video instead of a video camera that takes stills. Also consider if you want HD video, you likely need more expensive, faster SD cards, and you'll need a bigger memory card.

 

[richcook99]

Ok, then switch the question. How good of video can I take with a regular ditigal camera? Can a camera take decent video in low-light situations like Pirates? What specs should I be looking for?

 

[AlbertZeroK]

Ok, then switch the question. How good of video can I take with a regular ditigal camera?

You will loose things like image stabilization. But you should expect YouTube quality.

Can a camera take decent video in low-light situations like Pirates?

The short answer, No. Atleast, not in the price range you're looking at.

What specs should I be looking for?

ignore high IsO capabilities in point and shoots, I laughed at the one we use for photography class, it says 6400 ISO, but even my $1200 camera body can't shoot well at 6400 iso.

I like Sony, Fuji, Nikon or Canon. Stay away from Samsung, Sanyo, HP and Kodak as a general rule.

Mega pixel count isn't important. Anything over 5 MegaPixels should be fine. Point and shoots don't have good enough lenses that you can really see a difference in higher megapixels when printed.

 

[jesszac610]

We are looking to upgrade our antique jvc vhs-c camcorder to a HD camcorder for our Thanksgiving vacation to the world. Looking for ease of use, high quality, low light for nightime parades and fireworks..Hoping to spend under 500. Thanks in advance !

 

[photo_chick]

It's going to be difficult to find great low light performance in a camcorder for under $500. Unlike still cameras, they don't seem to be pushing the low light issue forward in lower end video cameras. Probably because HD video is becoming a standard feature on still cameras now.

Canon and Panasonic are who I'd look to when shopping for a camcorder. With Sony and JVC after that. Beyond the brand it's about finding the features you want at a price you can afford.

 

[seobaina]

Hi

Been doing a bit of research on camcorders and I was looking at getting one originally for under £200. However, this HD one seems to have very good reviews and it's tempting me. Just wondered if anyone has one and has any thoughts?

If not, what would you get for between under £400 (pref under £360)?

Thanks

 

[NateNLogansDad]

I have one from panasonic that we got last year and it's ok but nothing more really. If I knew back then that it only records in their own proprietary format, I would have stayed away from it, but if you are only going to burn strait to dvd it's ok. Personally, next time I'd go with a flip. They are pretty cheap and I've seen some pretty good video on youtube from them.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Which Panasonic uses a proprietary format? I thought that all of their tapeless HD cameras use AVCHD, which is the consumer grade standard for HD recording. It's a @#$% to edit directly without specialized hardware and software, but you can transcode it to something more reasonable for editing purposes.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

You've probably seen it, but there is a review of the HDC-SD60 on CamcorderInfo.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Which Panasonic uses a proprietary format? I thought that all of their tapeless HD cameras use AVCHD, which is the consumer grade standard for HD recording. It's a @#$% to edit directly without specialized hardware and software, but you can transcode it to something more reasonable for editing purposes.

I'll try to remember to pull it out of storage this weekend and let let you know. Whatever it was when I looked it up on google, no one liked it. If I remember corectly, if you changed the extension to mpg, windows media player would play it but no other programs would recognize it.

 

[zetachi]

I just rec'd my HDC-TM55 which is the same but with internal 8GB plus SD card. Have not had much of a chance to try it out but will update when I know more. For the price it is supposedly one of the best low-mid range HD cameras.

 

[seobaina]

interesting comments, thanks guys

 

[NateNLogansDad]

The camera I was referring to was the Panasonic SDR-S7. I thought the specs were closer than they are but the point I wanted to make was just to check the format that it records in. This camera only recorded in *.MOD format. To view the video, I could just rename the video to *.mpg but if I wanted to do anything with it, I needed to do a real conversion and not just a rename. The software that came with it was just "eh" but it's been over a year now so I'm sure it would be much better now if I was to buy a newer one now.

However, I did look up the specs for the SD 60 and it appears to record in MPEG4 which would have made all the difference for me. Anybody want to trade?

 

[seobaina]

Ah ok, thanks. That makes me feel better

 

[rachel09985]

Help!!! I need advice from anyone. I am looking between three camcorders- a Sony with 80 gigs internal memory or two Canons( both HD with 8 gigs and one is less expensive).

I don't want amazing picture and will be only be using the camera for memories, converting to DVD or watching on TV. I am clueless. I like the big memory because I don't want to buy more memory cards and it will be used for vacation, but don't want the picture to be awful. So two questions.
1.) Canon or Sony Camcorder
2.) HD or Large Internal Memory (will non HD be enough for my needs?)

any responses will be much appreciated. I am new to buying any kind of camcorder and need advice. Thanks!!!!

 

[AlbertZeroK]

I have an old Sony camcorder with a hard drive, it's nice because it will hold 30 hours of video. Sony and Canon make great camcorders, you could compare features between them, but I think image quality is good with either.

Personally, I like the idea of flash memory. Hard drives WILL fail, it's only a matter of how long, also Hard drives are more likely to get damaged if the camcorder gets dropped. In short, flash memory, or memory cards are MUCH more reliable and durable. Also, if you get flash memory, you need something FAST if you want to do High Definition Video.

The Sony Memory Sticks look reasonable for the price. Also, see if you can get your account linked up on SonyStyle.com with an employee discount (google it). This might save you a few bucks.

In short, Hard drive cam corders are nice and cheaper than a flash based cam corder with a comparable amount of memory. But Flash memory is more reliable.

 

[rachel09985]

Thanks for the advice. It made me solidify my choice! I think I am going to choose a Canon HD with Flash memory

 

[orbrian]

Personally I like Canon HD.