need camcorder advice from DVC friends

[MOMO2DK]

Hi,
We are heading to OKW in 3 weeks. My husbands winter bonus is burning a hole in my pocket. I want to buy a camcorder to bring. I've been looking at the Sony that records right onto a DVD disc. Seems pretty simple for the techno-challenged me. Though I may have to upgrade my computer drives in order to edit and copy.

Would love to get advice from my fellow DVCers. I also posted on the community board and hope to get some good advice.
thanks!!!!

 

[WDWCRAZY32]

I have a Panasonic mini dv camera and the features and picture quality are great. It also has still pix available but kind of useless as I have a high res still camera. Most video cameras with still have limited res. therefore picture blow ups are not the greatest. The one drawback I found with the small cameras is that they are very difficult to hold steady while filming, just because they are so small. I have to keep pix stabilization turned on all the time, make sure the camera you choose has this feature. Another thing to check before buying is make sure the DVD from the camera will work in your DVD PLAYER, there are different formats for the DVD and not all work in all DVD players. I purchased the mini DV because I already had a DVD burner in my computer so I could transfer old VHS tapes to DVD which also allows me to edit my mini DV movies and put on disc. You'll also find the built in lighting is not the best, more light is needed quite often. My camera has a 10X OPTICAL zoom and I wish it had a little more now that I've used it. Buy an extra battery. Hope this helps, don't be scared of all the buttons you'll only use 3 or 4 of them. Good luck with your decision.

 

[wisbucky]

Even though this is not about what type of camcorder to buy I thought I would let you know about our experiences. My husband has a Sony camcorder. He films everything and I mean everything. One thing I found that was so helpful was to take extra batteries with you in the park. And also if you can purchase a wide angle lens. You will be so happy you did. No need to back up constantly to get everything. When you view your trip later on you will see so much more. It is one of the extra items I could never do without again.

 

[niks81]

Hello....this is the camcorder queen I tape EVERYTHING at Disney and I drive my husband crazy. He begs me to turn the camcorder off and I just can't!

First of all, I have to say that I am a Sony advocate with all my electronics for the simple reason that they have never given me a problem. Both my computers are Sony's, my camcorders are Sony's, digi cams, DVD players....so you get the idea

With that being said, if it were me with the money to burn I wouldn't go with the DVD cam just yet. It is a new concept right now which means there is a LOT of room for improvement on the model. The newest one, the DCR-DVD-300 has improved a lot compared to the 100, not sure which you were looking at. Even so, there will be newer models coming out with more features, etc. If it were me, I would probably stick with the MiniDV at this point because you can probably get a better camera, with more features for the same price.

Looking at the price of the DVD-100 and DVD-300 I tried to find a MiniDV cam that was within that price range to compare. JMO but I think the two best MiniDV are the

Sony DCR-PC105

and the

Sony DCR-TRV-39

The DVD cams are nice but I think in the next year or two Sony will make them better than ever....right now they are so new there is a lot more they could do. If you have your heart set on a DVD Cam though, definitely do the DVD-300

I personally think that the most important things about a camcorder are the image quality (pixels, lines of resolution) and what exactly the camera can do.

Ok, enough from me GOOD LUCK!

 

[niks81]

Oh yes, I have to add something

Accessories are important!! I believe most of the camcorders out right now have memory sticks for taking digital photos on the camcorder (great feature BTW). Make sure you buy another memory stick with more space!! I currently have a 128MB, 64MB, 16MB and 8MB. I would say the 64MB is ok for the average person I take an obscene amount of shots, therefore I need more

Also, I totally agree about the extra battery. On my previous camcorder I had an 8 hour battery...it was a lifesaver!! I got it on ebay too and saved some $. I think this is the most impt thing to get...I can't tell you how ticked I get at myself for forgetting to charge the camera and not having battery!

There is a lot of stuff you can buy for camcorders...depends how much you like to tinker. I have a wide angle lens, tripod, light, etc. But the memory stick and battery are a must!

 

[Frozenfingers]

Look into a Cannon Elura 50. Very small, lightweight, and fits in the pocket (but we carry in a fanny pack). Satabilization not a problem ..(Thunder Mountain got a bit jerky though) The camera was rated #1 in PC world when I bought last year. Gives great movies, pics are low res, stretching it to say they are web quality, as with most camcorders.

Batteries are 1 or 2 hours.. so we have three and they last the day easily.. recharge takes about an hour which we do at night.

Bad thing? I filmed the Little Mermaid's Under the Sea skit.. I had low light setting on and saw how the "magic" was done... spectromagic and fantasmic came out great though!

I shyed away from the dvd recorders.. felt the ongoing media costs would get out of hand, plus we transfer everything to the hard drive to edit and manipulate anyway..

You might checkout http://www.internetvideomag.com/ProductReviews/camera-reviews.htm

 

[gopherit]

My brother and I go back and forth vying for who has the most techno-toys! I have to say, we have similar taste, and we usually sight-unseen copy each other in a creepy, almost uncanny way! Several yrs ago we bought our first VCR -- a Sony (regular 8) , and sure enough, less than a yr later, bro goes out and gets the Hi-8 version. I got a wonderful Olympus digital still camera (D-490, with 2.1 megapixels), bro gets himself the next model up with 3 mp. We get a Sienna van; he gets the next yrs version, complete with TV. Well, this time I'm one over him. Last yr he bought a DCR-TRV250 for himself, and also even bought several for his employer (the military), he liked it so well. And this xmas, I one-upped him, I guess -- I got a DCR-TRV-350!

Truthfully, we aren't trying to one-up each other -- we just see a quality item, and with the way technology advances so quick, by the time one of us goes to buy, the "older" model is obsolete.

So why did we get a TRV-350? Well, we have tons of movies done on our old SOny camera -- this will enable us to convert over to digital easily. THe media is cheap (technically, the Hi8 tapes are just fine -- it's the camera that makes it digital); it's small, but not so small that steadiness is a huge issue; easy to use (I have yet to read the manual and have taken movies galore already, with dating, fade-in/out, you name the feature!); and it didn't cost an arm or leg (I recall getting it at Best Buy in Novemeber for under $400). Consumer Reports rated it quite highly too.

When looking at cameras, look at the other "stuff" too -- what type media does it take, could that media become obsolete, what type batteries does it take, does it have more features than I really need, am I paying for cutting edge technology that 6 months from now will be cheaper (and most likely with fewer glitches)? And let's face it -- if it has so many dials and knobs and confuses the heck outta ya, you aren't going to use it -- or at least, not to the extent for which you're paying.

(I confess -that's one reason I love Panasonic stuff OVER Sony -- typically, it's much easier to figure out without prior knowledge -- the buttons just make sense. Just look at their stereo and home theater stuff -- it's much more logically layed out. Were it not for the Sony compatibility with some other stuff I had, I was seriously considering a Panasonic digital camcorder; I recall there was one rated highly also in Consumer reports along with the Sony I bought.)