If you had to buy one Camcorder...

which one would it be???

I can spend up to $500 in one and would like to know which one do you suggest. I am looking for nothing really fancy, just that it has a good performance and easy to use...

Thnx!

 

http://www.panasonic.ca/english/audiovideo/video/palmcorder/PVGS31.asp

i got mine from ebay, but check out http://www.bizrate.com or http://www.nextag.com

 

Does it use standard MiniDV tapes??

 

yes

 

Thnx so much!

 

I have the same question... I am looking for a Camcorder.
I am new to video making and editing,

I will be purchasing Vegas 6+ for editing and burnig...

Any others recomend this camera or another one???

thanks!!

 

Giving a good recommendation is impossible without knowing which aspects are important for you. The real sensible thing to do is list the aspects that matter and compare various models on those aspects. Then try to find people that have experience with the models that are on your shortlist.
Here's an article about what aspects to take into consideration:
http://www.digitalvideoclub.com/basics/camcorder.php
And here's a discussion that might be of help:
http://www.digitalvideoclub.com/forum/viewtopic.29.html
Since you are new to video editing the articles over there will probably also be very interesting for you.

 

I just recently(two days ago) got a Panasonic PV-GS31 miniDV camcorder. I really like it so far. It has a decent amount of zoom, seems to be pretty smooth and stable, and I like the small thumb joystic for the menu options more than the touch screen that some of the other camcorders had. It was also a very economical camcorder.

One thing I will say though is to not listen to the sales guy. From what I've found they don't know jack.

 

I recently bought a Sony MiniDV handycam which I think is excellent, and cost £295 ($475). It has a real camera manufacturers lens (Zeiss) has all the optical zoom and more than you can use without a tripod, is small and has a large touch screen which is an easier way to control the camera's features than other methods I have seen. It also beats my previous Canon MiniDV camera for image quality, especially in lower light situations. Better than the Canon for battery life with the supplied battery and charges in half the time to make it even better. As I live in the UK the specific model probably is not relevant but I am sure there is an equivalent American version, Also lets face it all the JVCs, Canons, Panasonics etc are all well and good, but they are not Sony!

 

I'm glad you like your camcorder. I like Sony products and have had a Sony camcorder in the past. I just don't like the touch-screen very much. It's a much simpler and more efficient way to navigate the menu items on the Panasonic that I have in my personal opinion. Stuff like that is just a personal preference though. I also have found that with Sony products a lot of times an equal product by another brand will cost less. Basically you're paying for a good camcorder, but a portion of that money is being paid just for the Sony name IMO.

 

I would have agreed with you a few years ago about Sony items being over priced but stangely (in the UK at any rate) in the last year I have ended up buying first a Sony car CD stereo, then a a digital camera and most recently the camcorder. I bought these items not because they are better than other makes but because they did everything I wanted, looked good and mostly because they were amongst the lowest priced! The Sony Camcorder was about £150 less than a Canon of similar speck (my last Camcorder which I only half owned with a relative was a Canon). I am not sure why this change in Sony prices has occured in the UK.

 

I wish it was like that here. Sony prices aren't outrageous, but in most cases they're just a bit more. One exception is home theater stuff. Their packages seem to be the best priced out there.

 

now what camcorder would u guys reccomend for, lets say i have a movie recorded onto the camera and i want to put it on dvd? now i want it to have realy good picture and sound, also i saw a camera thats called a dvd camcorder? all u put in is a blank dvd and record? then ur movie is on dvd?

 

I think that any full blown digital camcorder will give you good pictures. Avoid any of the mini MPEG4 so called camcorders that record video unto digital camera style memory cards. That leave either miniDV tape camcorders (a few Digital 8) and as you mentioned Camcorders that record unto DVD disks. In my opinion the tape variety are better if you have the patience to copy them to PC to burn to disk. Why because the basic recording is at higher quality and is in a format that allows editing. The DVD camcorders recording are much more heavily compressed and will are not suitable for any editing. Also the disks can not hold much video and are much more expensive than buying tapes and blank DVDs for the computer.

It all depends on what you want. As for the actual camcorder model, ofthose I have experience with the Sony cancorder (mini DV) that I recently bought gives the best pictures. I would avoid paying extra for loads of features. Very few people use them. £300/$500 is plenty enough to spend.

 

^^ yes miniDV tapes are far far superior to dvds. dvd cams should only be used by people who have no idea what they are doing or just lazy people that dont know how to make thier own dvds.

buy a mindv cam and make your own dvds, use a good encoder. encoders in the dvd cams are terrible.

 

Hi there...

it seems I'm finally going to get one Digicam (miniDV of course) is the panasonic still a good alternative?

I would like not to spend over $ 500... and for home usages mostly. Nothing fancy...

What are the specifications it must have? Like optical zoom and such?

 

Check out this article that contains info what to pay attention to when buying a camcorder: http://www.digitalvideoclub.com/basics/camcorder.php
When you have specific models in mind, check this site which has reviews of almost every camcorder around: http://www.camcorderinfo.com/

 

Thanks

 

My two cents on the camera discussion: consider if you already had a camera in the past. I have had 8mm camcorders for many years, so I have a large collection of 8mm tapes. I bought a new Digital 8 sony (model TRV-350). This camera allows me to play my old 8mm thru firewire into my computer. Another VERY important feature is a "pass through". With this, I can play an old VHS tape thru my digital 8 camera into the computer. I would have to disagree about the quality of the encoder statement, at least with this camera. It does a fantastic job encoding old tapes to digital. Just a few things to consider.

 

I do not have had cameras in the past, and the VHS option is a nice-to-have feature, although not 100% necessary...