Camcorders

[Beefcake]

There was a thread on camcorder advice back in December 06, but I'm wondering if anyone has any new recommendations based on the latest and greatest to hit the market?

I'm another guy whose expecting his first kid in a few weeks, and I want to have a camcorder before that time. The most important factors for me will be quality and phyisical size.

Does anyone who has really done their research on this topic have strong recommendations with respect to hard-drive vs. mini-dvd, high def vs. standard def, etc? Any recommendations on a particular brand? The best shop in town to buy from?

For reference, old thread at:
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=35267&highlight=camcorder

[ernie]

Originally Posted by Beefcake

There was a thread on camcorder advice back in December 06, but I'm wondering if anyone has any new recommendations based on the latest and greatest to hit the market?

I'm another guy whose expecting his first kid in a few weeks, and I want to have a camcorder before that time. The most important factors for me will be quality and phyisical size.

Does anyone who has really done their research on this topic have strong recommendations with respect to hard-drive vs. mini-dvd, high def vs. standard def, etc? Any recommendations on a particular brand? The best shop in town to buy from?

For reference, old thread at:
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=35267&highlight=camcorder

We were going to get one when our daughter was born but then decided against it. We just got a decent digital camera capable of taking some movies and we find that it is more than enough.

If you are a regular camcorder user already, you'll use it a bunch. If not you may want to make sure you'll use it or if you'd be just a happy with some quick videos of important/funny things kids do and lots of stills.

[fredr123]

We got a camcorder for the birth of our first child in February. So far, we've barely filled more than one tape. We got one of the cheaper (yet decent) models available and I'm glad we didn't spend a lot for something we haven't used a lot.

[Beefcake]

I can definitely see myself not using it a ton, but if I even capture some key moments over the next few years, I'll be happy with the purchase.

[Prototype]

Camcorders are becoming more the video/still all in one answer than their digital camera counter parts. But you still have to decide if you want great pictures or great video. It's still too expensive to have both at this point.

I liked the JVC line, Enviro, I believe it was called, as far as size, and how user friendly it was. I think their 30 Gig model was around $650 at Future Shop last I saw, which was over a month ago.

I wasn't too much a fan of what I saw from Sony... especially due to the Memory Stick Pro Duo. It's more expensive than any other memory stick, and for the most part, only Sony uses it. Not sure how compatible it is with other things.

I'd reccomend looking into Canon as well. When I worked for Future Shop, they seemed to be the guys setting the bar with all the products we were carrying.

And remember, if you are going into a Hard Drive camcorder, it's like a computer... the HD can crash at any moment. Remember to back up your video as soon as you can.

Sorry I couldn't provide a specific model to make your choice easier, but I hope this has helped.

[ken0042]

I used to sell camcorders back in the 90's. Some of my knowledge is likely out of date (or most camcorders have these features as standard), but a few key points to keep in mind:

- Optical zoom. Ignore the digital zoom as it will make stuff look pixelly. A 20X optical with 150X digital is better than a 12X optical with a 300X digital
- Image stabalization. Very important.
- Large view screen. Nothing worse than missing little Johnny's first steps with your own eyes because you were looking through a view finder. Also make sure it has the flip around feature so that when the runt is 18 months old they are looking right at the camera because they see themselves on the screen.

[fredr123]

Panasonic PV-GS180

That's the model we went with. It has great performance in its price range. Being mini-dv it's still a bit bulky and noisy and it's worse than the equivalent canon model in low light. The idea was to get something that would last us a few years until HD cameras with solid state drives were more reasonable. I didn't want to bother with mechanical hard drive models and the mini dvds scared me too for some reason.

Decent camera and right before Christmas it was really cheap at BB/FS.

[prarieboy]

We bought a Panasonic as well. PV-GS500. It takes really good film without having any prior knowledge. We bought it on E-bay (new) and we got a whole bunch of accessories and a lower price as well.

[Beefcake]

Thanks for the comments.