With the impending birth of our first child I think its time to get a camcorder. I'm looking for something decent but budget friendly at around $200 - $300. Nothing super fancy since it will be taken to Moab, the beach, etc. and has a great chance of getting damaged. I did a little research and it seems like the Mini DV is the middle ground as far as technology and price. What features should I be looking for? Any recommendations or good sites for more research would be appreciated.
School me on Camcorders
- Thread starter Jay5.9L
- Start date
IMO, stick with Mini DV for sure. If not then go for the HDD...forget the DVD camcorders, they are a PITA to do much with, and you gotta make sure you get the correct disks, etc (my parent's have one and I always make fun of them cause they can't hardly use it 
). I love my Canon, but it's a couple years old now and there are better models out now. Canon is a great brand to look at. I think the things you'll want are image stabalization, a high optical zoom, and the physical size of the camcorder.
). I love my Canon, but it's a couple years old now and there are better models out now. Canon is a great brand to look at. I think the things you'll want are image stabalization, a high optical zoom, and the physical size of the camcorder.
Brad J
Registered User
- Location
- Woods Cross, UT
X2
We ended up w/ a Sony DCR-HC36 and have really liked it. I chose it from reading the "real life" reviews on Amazon.com. I have not burned any DVD's from my recordings yet though.
Brad J
Registered User
- Location
- Woods Cross, UT
On one of the review sites they really like the Canon Elura 100. 20x zoom and image stabilization
I'm pretty sure we were about to get that one but the Sony was on a great sale.
how many hours can you fit on yours? I'd love to get me a HDD based camcorder
7 Hrs on High Quality or 20 Hrs on 'Long Play'.
I'll have to check the quality of the 'long play', but the HQ setting is really crisp and clear.
that's awesome, even at 7 hours thats like carrying 7 miniDV tapes around. Granted you do have to remember to pull it off if you want to keep it7 Hrs on High Quality or 20 Hrs on 'Long Play'.
I'll have to check the quality of the 'long play', but the HQ setting is really crisp and clear.
...I think I'm going to look into an HDD one that's awesome, even at 7 hours thats like carrying 7 miniDV tapes around. Granted you do have to remember to pull it off if you want to keep it
Yeah it is pretty nice having that capacity in one shot. And it stores each clip individually, so you can go back and view them... if you don't like a clip you took, just delete it. Just like a digital photo camera.
I don't know if the miniDV has that capability or not. HDD would kick ass.
X
XT Utah
Guest
The beach? Are you gonna let your kid crawl around on the edge of the Great Salt Lake, over the piles of flies, dead seagulls and brine shrimp carcases?
locally I think pricing is about the same, maybe a few bucks here or there. The biggest thing you'll find is additional accessories (bags, cards, tapes, stands, etc). Some places will price match though, even from online places. RC Willey couldn't price match Newegg on a camera but instead they gave me a free memory card (which at the time was equivalent to a price match.
The beach? Are you gonna let your kid crawl around on the edge of the Great Salt Lake, over the piles of flies, dead seagulls and brine shrimp carcases?
No way...............that's my job!