Which Camcorder to Buy

[Mizzoupoodle]

We are a tech challenged family of five. We have saved a some money and want to buy a camcorder before our Disney trip but we are overwhelmed by the options. We are hoping for a camcorder that records onto dvds for the tv or something similar?

Any suggestions very appreciated.

Sylvia

 

[kaybracon]

I recommend a mini-DV camcorder. These record onto small tapes which hold about 1 hour of video. The camcorders can be very small, small enough to fit into a fanny pack, but give excellent quality pictures.

I don't like DVD camcorders for the following reasons:
- In highest quality mode the DVDs only store about 20 minutes of video. This makes your cost per hour of video pretty high.
- In lowest quality mode you can get an hour, but the video is poor (VHS) quality
- Even in highest quality mode, the compression used on DVDs is higher than that of DV tape, so the pictures aren't quite as good, particularly for fast-action.
- The life span of recordable DVDs is not fully understood. It's turning out that some of the DVD-Rs which you can record onto from your computer are dying after just a few years of shelf life, even though the manufacturers tout 100 years! The life span of digital tapes can be measured in decades.
- If you get just one scratch in the wrong place on a DVD, the whole DVD can be trashed - none of the video is recoverable. With a tape, if one spot gets messed up you can cut that part of the tape and splice it, and you've just lost a few seconds of your video.

It's gotten pretty easy to get your video off of a mini-DV camcorder into your computer using firewire and burn it to a DVD if you want to. Or you can use cables to connect the camcorder to your TV.

 

[sharibrat]

I agree with the advice above. We have a Canon (ZR 85) and are pleased with it. THat model number is a few years old, not sure of the new number.

Flip out LCD screen is a must!

 

[Mizzoupoodle]

We see the advantage of not taping onto a DVD immediately!
Thanks also for the model number and make- that makes it so easy to shop!!!

Sylvia

 

[Kick Save]

We've had a Canon Mini-DV camera for a few years, and love it. Model is even older than sharibrat's, I think we have a ZR-45.

Anyway, a couple options with the mini-DV are that you can plug the camera straight into the TV to watch your videos, that's pretty quick and easy. The other option is to transfer the files to your computer and then render it as a DVD and burn it to DVD. Takes a bit longer, but can be worth it. I started doing this about a year ago and have become addicted to editing home movies.

The downside to that, even without the editing, is that it's pretty time consuming. There's no "direct download," you have to play the camera and record it to the computer. So an hour video takes and hour to transfer. Then the rendering, depending on the speed of your computer and what you've included in the final cut, will take 1.5x to 2x longer than your video. I usually start that and go to bed.

However, it can be worth it as you can cut some of the bad parts of the recording out (that accidental shot of the ground for example ), and add in music and photos.

 

[sharibrat]

Wow Kicksave! I really need to learn how to do the editing like you do. I got a new computer last year for Christmas and I am certain it is capable of those things. It would also be nice to have all my tapes transferred to DVD, if only for backup purposes!

Maybe you can help me with my other post on this forum - looking for tips on taking a nice family video that isn't so choppy and disjoined.

Love your Mickey hockey picture - and I am a Clark Griswold fan myself!

 

[Order66]

If you're looking in the budget compact range the mini DV can't be beat. It's affordable and even my kids (6 year olds) can operate it. The model choices can be confusing. There are several review sites such as cnet that can explain the features of each make and model and the average selling prices. Ultimately we chose a JVC GR series due to it having the highest ratings on low light of all the buget cameras. Basically it retains quality color at much lower light levels such as indoors or evenings while most buget line camera start to grey out unless it's very bright. It's very lightweight and fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. I got a sweet deal on ebay on a used GR 290. Sold as used because it was not a sealed box...but if it was used at all I can't even tell but is last years model. I got it for 169 shipped so if you have time I would suggest researching and watching for a good sale and/or ebay. I would suggest investing in an additional battery as well. The camera comes standard with only a 1 hour....and if you use the view screen (as all of us techno-geeks should) it's more like 40 minutes. I also watched ebay and picked up a 4 hour battery for 50 bucks. The battery is heavier than the camera. But it was nice to not have to worry about the battery being dead half way through the day.

The Sony Handicam series is also a good choice for ease of use and is a decent camera for the buget priced lines...though slightly higher than some of the other manufacturers.