Hello everyone. Christmas is closing in and Im planning to buy myself a camcorder. Ive got a 1000 euro budget, so thats about 1300 U.S dollars. Ive been checking out the Canon and Sony camcorders and I think I should go with the Canon Opteron 600. What do you guys say, and what do you think would be a good camera for me?
The camera would go to making short documentaries and films, so I would need good low-light qualities and preferrably not a "point and shoot" interface.

Thanks a lot

For anyone searching for a new camcorder, I'd recommend the smallest, least expensive MiniDV camera you can buy with either 3-CCD's -OR- an RBG primary color filtered single-CCD and optical image stabilization and a true 16:9 widescreen mode and as many exterior controls and in/out ports as you can find.

Example: Canon Optura 50 (US$445)

A complementary color (Cyan, Magenta and Yellow - CMY) filtered camera provides good image brightness and low luminance noise at the expense of color fidelity and higher color noise. Alternatively, a RGB primary color filtered CCD provides improved color fidelity and reduced color noise compared to a CMY filter but at the expense of a dimmer image and a higher signal-to-noise ratio. Many of Canon’s camera models tout Canon’s proprietary “RGB color filter” which works in concert with Canon’s “DiG!C DV” DSP to manage image noise and further refine the image signal. A single-CCD camcorder using an RGB filter can often approximate the color quality of a 3-CCD camcorder. Obviously, this is true for all camcorder brands, not just Canon. Canon’s low-end Elura and ZR-series camcorders still use CMY color filtering while the more expensive Optura series uses an RGB color filter and the DiG!C DV chip for improved imaging. Sony’s upper-end single-chip HC90 & HC96 camcorders also use a primary color filter.

3-chip cameras (both CCD and CMOS sensor-types) offer the best color resolution, color-fidelity and signal-to-noise ratio and, as such, are typically used in professional-grade video equipment. The downside is cost – 3-chip cameras are more expensive to produce than equivalent 1-chip cameras. Just as Canon aggressively markets its RGB filter technology to consumers, Panasonic has been aggressively marketing the benefits of 3-CCD technology through its mid-range and high-end consumer cameras. Unfortunately, there is always a trade off – the money spent on producing a 3-CCD camera has to be taken away from other aspects of the camera such as the lens, stabilization system, display, etc.

Regarding whether or not Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) is that much better than Digital/Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) - if you're buying a Sony camcorder perhaps not. Buy any other brand and there will likely be a noticeable difference...
Link to article

The following web sites have a great deal of useful information for camcorder buyers. Some of them have full-resolution frame-grabs, photo samples, and even video downloads available. Four of them have audio downloads from camera noise tests.

DVinfo.net
Panasonic 3CCD User
VideoZona.ru
MagazineVideo.com
SimplyDV.co.uk
CNet.com Digital Camcorders
EasyCamcorders.com
SonyHDVinfo.com
DVspot.com

Hey Everyone,
I'm an aspiring filmmaker in highschool and i have been saving up for a camcorder. I was wondering if anyone could help me find a digital camera that would be good for short films. I have read the buyer's guide which helped me get a better understanding but i was wondering if anyone had any specific cameras or specs that are specifically good for filmmaking. My budget is about $500-$600.
Thanks

Canon Optura 50Canon Optura 50

If you want other specific recommendations you'll have to cite your concerns about what you've researched thus far. Your problem is not how to get a professional look from a camera under $600. Rather your problem is how to get professional lighting and sound within a budget that barely buys a decent consumer camera let alone much else.

Thanks for the help ktnr2. The Canon Optura 50 seems like a well rounded model and is right up my price range-- "Rather your problem is how to get professional lighting and sound within a budget that barely buys a decent consumer camera let alone much else." --It seems like the Optura is a pretty decent consumer camera and i was thinking of putting an external mic if i get this model which i will research more. Thanks for the help.

The Optura 50 certainly isn't perfect and there are any number of higher-priced cameras which outperform it. However, the feature-set and performance for the current $445 price makes the Optura 50 an excellent value.

The automatic white balance on the Optura 50 is more easily fooled in difficult lighting than rival cameras so you may frequently find yourself manually choosing a white balance setting. It's not a huge problem since the controls are easily accessed but it’s something to be aware of. Low-light is not this camera’s strong suit due to image noise.

A more serious issue is that a minority of units exhibit higher than normal tape transport noise. Several people including myself have had to exchange cameras that were much louder than they should have been. I haven’t heard of anyone who got two bad cameras in a row though.

Strengths:
Optical Image Stabilization (unheard of at this price-point)
Easily accessed controls
True, high-resolution 16:9 widescreen mode
Microphone-in port with manual audio level control (unusual at this price-point)
Accessory shoe (cold)
Tilting, extendable viewfinder

Weaknesses:
Other cameras provide a better image in low light
Automatic white balance could be both more accurate and more consistent.

I closed this thread because it has drifted far from the original intent and has lost its usefulness.

I started it before Christmas in 2004 to address the questions we were getting about comparisons among different camcorders. Its purpose was to warn people that they may not find anyone with experience with several different camcorders and to read the reviews and other posts to help them decide what to buy. That's why it was made a sticky thread. By now it has drifted so far that it is no longer useful.

Don't hesitate to start new threads with your camcorder questions. I think it'll be better if they get their own thread instead of adding to this one.

Good luck.

Dennis