Need help finding a reasonable Camcorder

[etwinchester]

Now that I'm working part-time, I can actually afford to buy DH a present from my own money. I would like to get it for our 10 year anniversary, which is on the 10th. If not, it will be a Christmas present.

Problem - I don't know anything about them!

We would be using it for personal use and he is an AVID, FULL-FORCE, DIE HARD, NON-STOP Hunter (can I get any more detailed about the hunting? - I think you got the picture).

I would like the new one that takes DVD's that way we can just pop them right into the DVD player.

* What is a good brand?
* What zoom should I be looking for?
* What is a reasonable price for them now?
* Is there anything (a feature) I should look for OR avoid?

I figured I would ask here since I don't want it to leak around the family/friends and get back to him.

I know when people purchase things, there is always some feature that they either really like on their item or should have gotten and now regret. Any help would be greatly appreciated...

 

[chefdeb]

Hi Tracy,
My DH just bought me a new camcorder for Mother's Day...of course I picked it out and did the research...heck, I even ordered it ! I guess he just gave me the okay to purchase...but all that aside, here is what I found.

I too thought I wanted one that would record on DVD, but after doing some research and reading some customer feedback, I went with the MiniDV format. Seems there are problems with the DVDs not playing nice with all types of DVD players...the technology is fairly new and is really expensive based on the unreliability of the media. Plus the DVD-R media is more expensive.

I found a lot of good information on www.cnet.com They have online comparisons and they also help you find the best price. The camera I bought was $90 cheaper online for brand new, full warranty, in the box. Best Buy wanted $399 and I paid $309 with free shipping. Try www.beachcamera.com, they have great prices and some really good packages.

If you purchase a MiniDV camcorder, most of them have the ability to export your video via a USB connection. If your computer has a DVD burner, you will be able to hook up your camera and burn your tapes onto DVD and then play them in your DVD player. Most stand alone DVD-R machines also have a USB connection so that you could burn to a DVD without using a computer. Heck, even if you bought a MiniDV AND a DVD-R player/recorder, you still would have less invested than if you bought say a Sony DVD camcorder.
Take a look at the Canon Z200....I have been very pleased with mine and can't wait to take it to WDW in June. Make sure you buy an extra battery no matter which camera you buy....those LCD screens eat up battery juice like a kid with a Mickeybar !!
Happy hunting!!!
Deb

 

[kaddjr]

Make sure you buy an extra battery no matter which camera you buy....those LCD screens eat up battery juice like a kid with a Mickeybar !!

This is VERY true! I bought a mini-DV camcorder (Canon) for our vacation this past April and am very pleased with it. Paid $299 for it. I like the fact that I can also use it for a camera and can also send still pictures from the video to a card. I DO eventually want to buy one that uses the discs, but not until the prices come down and the technology gets better.

 

[etwinchester]

Thanks for the websites. I'll be sure to check out. The only problem is that as of right now, my computer doesn't have a burner. I also have my parents DVD player that doesn't record/burn. I do want to get one for Christmas though.

So, if I get a DVD player/recorder, it is easy to burn the mini DVD's to it? You hook it up to the player and like re-record it onto the bigger/regular disks?

 

[kaddjr]

The mini-DV takes mini tapes, not DVD. The video is digitally recorded onto the mini tape. If you bought a DVD burner for your computer, you could hook the camera up to the computer and then burn the video onto a DVD. HTH!

ETA: Oopps! I just noticed you said DVD-R/player. Yes, you could still hook the camera up to the recorder/player and then record onto the DVD.

 

[etwinchester]

So the regular size DVD camcorders still have too many glitches?

I saw a Sony Handycam for around $550 that I was going to check into. That way we could just take the DVD out the camcorder and right into the DVD player.

Might just have to tell DH about this suprise. I'd hate to get the wrong thing. They seem more complicated than what they use to be...

 

[etwinchester]

bump...does anyone else have a camcorder, either DVD or mini DV and would like to share their experiences:

The model, your likes and dislikes about it...

 

[simpilotswife]

I just bought a DVD camcorder for DH. It's a Father's Day/Anniversary present sssshhhhh. It it the new Sony DCR-DVD403. CNET gave this one a very good review. I found it for about $200 less than just about everyone else.

If you are looking for features look for image stabilization and low lux (ability to record in lower lighting). If you want it for still pics then make sure that it has decent MPEG for the stills.

 

[eeyore45]

So the regular size DVD camcorders still have too many glitches?

I saw a Sony Handycam for around $550 that I was going to check into. That way we could just take the DVD out the camcorder and right into the DVD player.

Might just have to tell DH about this suprise. I'd hate to get the wrong thing. They seem more complicated than what they use to be...

I'm also looking, and wanting to buy one, I went to the camera store and asked them, and they agree with the previous poster, too many glitches today with a DVD camcorder - but you will want a 'digital' camcorder... and like the old camcorders, you'll get the wires to hook it up to a tv, and the camcorder will hold the "digital" tape, and play it on the tv for you... but with the digital technology, you can also hook it up to your computer, and edit the film you took... and if I'm not mistaken you probably could buy a burner for your computer...

 

[MyGoofy26]

I have a Mini-DV - it's a JVC (model #GR-D32U) I paid just barely over $200 for it and so far (bought it last year) haven't had any problems. The only *problem* is when filming in night mode, it's gets grainy and choppy. . . but I never film in night mode (tried it one night from the balcony while staying at AKL in December) so it doesn't bother me, and for the price it wouldn't have been worth paying more money for a camera that does night mode better since I don't use that feature.

I also have a Magnavox DVD recorder. Love the thing. Have a burner for my computer, but I prefer the analog one. I basically use the computer for making copies. I don't do much editing, I don't get that into my home movies - I'm just as happy watching them exactly as I taped them, so for me I don't care about editing. I think for as much as you're going to pay for a video camera that records to DVD, you could buy a cheaper Mini-DV AND a recorder for the same, maybe even less since the recorders are falling so quickly in price. I paid just under $200 for my recorder after rebates, and I've seen them hit under $150 lately. Plus with having an actual DVD recorder, you'll have more options. You can have ANYTHING you want on DVD rather than just what you record on your camera. A little more versatility. Plus, as someone mentioned, some DVD players won't play DVD+/- R's, so if you happen to run into one, at least you'll have the Mini-DV version of the footage that can be thrown into a VCR with that adaptor thing.

Oh and the price of blank DVD+/- Rs are falling. I bought a 100 pack before Christmas for $20 from Amazon (free shipping as well) so that's just 20 cents per disc. Watch for the sales and stock up! They're almost as cheap as CD-Rs now.

 

[etwinchester]

Wow, does this all sound confusing...

So, they have miniDVD's or you buy tapes for the camcorder?

 

[kaddjr]

Wow, does this all sound confusing...

So, they have miniDVD's or you buy tapes for the camcorder?

The mini-DV camcorders use mini tapes. HTH.

 

[shelly3girls]

I am so confused! We were planning to purchase the Sony DCR-DVD403 b/c we read great things about it and loved the 3 megapixel built in camera. What are the issues with the DVD? I haven't read anything about problems but surely want to know what we are getting into.

simpilotswife where did you find your camera? I have been checking online and it seemed I could get it for around $750. I just saw it on InfinitiPhoto.com for $609 which seems too good to be true.

 

[SnowWhite]

These days you don't even need digital camcorders. If you want to save some $$$'s then get a good Hi8 with good zoom. I have a 880X zoom on mine and it works just great! If you want to put it on a dvd then buy a conversion kit (costs less than $100.00 here in Canada at Costco) and presto you have your images and/or video on the computer ready to burn to dvd. This method costs less than the cost of a good digital camcorder and is similar in quality. Just my two cents.......

Rob (Snowwhite's DH)

 

[pinkdiamonds1007]

These days you don't even need digital camcorders. If you want to save some $$$'s then get a good Hi8 with good zoom. I have a 880X zoom on mine and it works just great! If you want to put it on a dvd then buy a conversion kit (costs less than $100.00 here in Canada at Costco) and presto you have your images and/or video on the computer ready to burn to dvd. This method costs less than the cost of a good digital camcorder and is similar in quality. Just my two cents.......

Rob (Snowwhite's DH)

I SOOOOOO agree. We were debating on weather or not to get a new DVD sony cam, and opted for the HI8 as well. You can also have your 8mm tapes from your camcorder turned in to DVD's at Walmart for like $20. And the Hi8, is also at walmart for like $250, as compared to the $600 for the DVD sony handi cam.