At this time of year there are a lot of people looking for the perfect camcorder. Here's a few tips to help you find it.

When you ask about a camcorder be aware that not everyone here is familiar with every model on the market. There are some forums devoted to specific makes and models and you might get a better answer there.

If you ask about camera X vs. Y you will cut down the number of people with direct experience drastically. Make it a 3 or 4-way comparison and there probably isn't a person in the world who knows all of them. Your best bet is to read the reviews and the many recent articles from people who are looking for a new camcorder, too. You can learn a lot from their questions and the answers they receive.

Good luck and good shopping. We look forward to hearing from you in the future as you learn and advance with your video hobby.

Dennis

PS: Thanks to DaveC who inspired this article.

I'm rather new here but I've noticed that most of my questions have already been asked by others. A little digging through the threads will go a long way towards helping you out. And asking your question in a relevant thread rather than starting a new thread will help those who come along later looking for answers, as it is much easier to compare comments within one thread rather than comments spread out in several threads.

Hi All
I'm new here to the site and have really found these forums helpful in making decisions regarding the purchase of a new camcorder. Thanks to all of you for that.
As for my decision, I wanted something that would allow me to edit on my computer and allow manual functions when shooting. I am leaning toward a Canon Optura XI as it seems to be a decent (good sized) unit for a relatively low price. Does anyone own this camera or have any information/critiques regarding it? I'm not all that interested in still photos or bells and whistles. I just want something that will allow me to shoot good quality video and allow me ease of editing on my computer. That's all...
Any help would be really appreciated.
Thanks

Hi, New to forum. Attempting to buy camcorder for my son and his wife (and baby). They want to take some video, download to computer (quickly and easily), and e-mail to others. Without large complications.

So I started along path of DVD model, and almost bought Hitachi DZ-MV550A. Salesman spoke of some drawbacks (DVD technology still evolving, DVD-RW compatibility to DVD players, etc), and steered me toward Sony DCR-HC30.

I have ready the Sony reviews (all mixed). Then today I discovered this forum. And perhaps I can get some good recommendations.

My requirements:
1) Simple to use.
2) Easy to download video to computer
3) In $500 neighborhood.
4) Have no intention on editing video. WYSIWYG.

I never realized there were so many models to choose from.

Thanks!!

I also am new to Camcorderinfo.com and I have been greatly impressed by the knowledge base it represents.

I don't think that you can go wrong with the Sony HC-30 as long as your low light requirements are reasonable. Having owned a Sony, Panasonic and a JVC, the Sony was much better quality than the other two camcorders I owned. I would suggest that you read the consumer reviews on this website for camcorders in your price range. Doing this should help clarify your choice greatly.

Gee ZK, someone gotup on the wrong side of the bed.

I would submit that Rickbu52's asking questions about camcorders IS doing his homework. I think he wants personal opinions.

Rickbu52, I am not an expert. I have been doing research like you have. My budget is less. If my budget was around $700, I would be looking at the Panasonic GS200.

Merry Christmas

Rick

From what you've said, you want your camcorder primarily for emailing clips to others. Take a look at the JVC GR-DX77, it has a function specifically for shooting clips to email, though I've not used it on mine yet.
Glynn

__________________
Mini DV - JVC GR-DX77
Digital Stills - Olympus 5050-Z
Video Studio 8
Adobe Photoshop 7.0
Windows XP Professional

Hi,

I'm also new to this. The last camcorder I bought was over 13 years ago (the Sony TR101). Now, I've read the reviews and thought I came up with a good decision: to buy the Panasonic GS400.

I've got a Canon D60 Digital for still shots - and I am into photography - but my family is going to Hawaii where I believe a lot of opportunities will be in capturing action movies - so I want a good camera with good color saturation.

We will be doing a lot of activities that require different features of the camcorder:

Optical Image Stabilization & Zoom - Whale watching - from shore, from a boat - and maybe from a helicopter flight over the channel - so I need good optical image stabilization at maximum zoom (I wish it were 20x - but I will take 12x).

Low Light - Hawaiian dancing at night (the flaming stick juggler guy sounds cool) - so I need good low light performance - plus I am interested in buying a waterproof bag to take the camcorder snorkeling with me - I found one that is made for the GS400 (EWA-Marine VMX underwater housing) - but as you all know - the color underwater is attenuated unless you have additional lighting - which I won't have - unless the camcorder provides it - so I consider underwater filming as another low light condition (with white balance issues). I'm only snorkeling - no scuba with this camcorder.

Scenery Color Saturation and 16:9 mode - I'm big into landscapes and panaramas - and I understand that Hawaii has a few of these - which I would like to capture in 16:9 mode - to get the whole picture and playback it back beautifully back home. I feel that the GS400 with its 3 CCD's should capture the color ok.

So now I read about the problem with the GS400's tape transport mechanism - shoot - it took me a week to make up my mind and now this. Should I buy one or not? Will it live up to the requirements that I have for this vacation?

Your opinions are welcome. I am looking to spend under $1200 for a camcorder. I've found several GS400's listed between 1050 - 1200.

Jack

I'd say go with the 400. You've done the right research and it sounds like it fits your needs perfectly.

According to Panasonic about 10% of the 400's have a tape transport problem. It would appear that it is higher from what you read on the web but that is not a statistically valid sample. Any good vendor will let you return it if it has the problem as they are all well aware of it. (If they don't they are, by definition, not a good vendor. Ask first; don't assume.) Read the good info over at 3CCDUser about this problem: http://pana3ccduser.com/.

Just don't wait until it's too late for a return. You want adequate time to learn all they settings and features as your plans call for manual exposure and other 400 features.

And that brings us to the next topic: vendors. From what I've been reading here for the past few weeks the 400 is quite scarce. When you do find it it is near full retail price, somewhere around $1400. If you find a vendor selling it for $1050 - 1200 I'd be very wary. Check resellerratings.com and search here for past threads discussing specific vendors. Don't get sucked into a "deal" that turns out to be a scam.

Good luck.

Dennis

Hello all, just bought Sony HC42.
All those who did research, please let me know your thoughts.
thanks, Youyou.

Hi all,

I've been doing an extensive search on various camcorders, read many of the reviews on this site, Now, I have become confused. I know that I'm not ready for HD, because as of now, regular DVD's can't record that kind of resoution, and I don't have a monitor/TV capable of displaying HD signals at this time. I want a cam that I can learn on, with a lean toward professional videography. Something that has a good balance of auto/manual controls (manual especially for iris,white balance,gain,focus, etc.), good zoom (as in speed, not resolution), and good audio options (XLR?). The cams I have looked at so far are the Sony DCR-VX2100/2000, the Panasonic AG-DVX100a, the Canon GL2, and the Panasonic GS400. Now I realize the GS400 is high end consumer, but the price is appealing. So, if anyone has any thoughts on where I should go next (ie: which forums I should be reading/posting to) then please post a response.

Thanks!

As a reply...

I think the GL2 and the AG-DVX100a are comparable. A friend of mine has the AG-DV model and I've helped him shoot some of his documentary. I'm a fan of many of the features but from what I understand they're fairly standard in both models. He happens to prefer Panasonic.

Personally I think the GS400 is more tempting, but it largely depends on your needs. What are you shooting? How many hardware options on the camera do you need? Do you need the manual audio levels and XLR inputs?

The difference in price between those levels of cameras is prohibitive for me, so I think my wallet stops at the GS400. I can't justify spending $4000 on a camera at my level of video experience.

---

Now for my own questions, I've been using a real entry level camera for the past 2-3 years (Canon ZR40) and have been a little frustrated with the video quality, especially in lowlight.

I'd like an upgrade I can grow in to a bit , but without taking the price leap in to the professional level of cameras.

I find the GS400 very appealing with it's manual control rings, 3CCD, and fairly compact size for the machine quality.

I was curious if there are prosumer camcorders available that have the manual audio level controls of a higher end camera. I think that is a very valuable feature and would love to be able to include it in my next purchase.

Additionally, for almost every review I read, I see pretty harsh criticisms of camcorders' lowlight performances. Are there any GOOD low light cameras?

I shoot a public access show, but I like to maintain a higher standard of quality than most access producers IMO. I'm a graphic designer by trade, so I like things to look sharp and don't like to cut corners. I've been using Motion for some interstitials and have been learning After Effects as well.

I often find myself shooting in darker clubs with poor lighting, as I did last night and become very frustrated with the all or nothing automated controls of settings like "Spotlight" vs. "Low Light" on my ZR-40.

As far as prosumer cameras are concerned, is shooting in low light generally problematic or are there cameras that excel in this area without resorting to "night vision" effect?

Thanks for your responses!

It takes me an eternity to purchase electrronic gear reading reviews and forumns. After much research I'm strongly considering the GS250. The primary use will be for family videos but I will also shoot some interviews and short clips for church. I realize this is a consumer grade camera but can't really afford much more at this time.

The manual controls seem like they would give me the best of both worlds. Ease of use for my wife and some flexibility in controls for me to dabble with. Getting to my point, after reading reviews I keep seeing that it performs poorly in low light. Can anyone define what poor performance is? Does this mean that shooting home videos indoors with low light will be fruitless? Does it mean you get ok video but somewhat grainy or dark? This unknown is the only block I have from buying this camera, any insight you could offer would be appreciated.

I have read a lot and learned a lot from this forum. Here are my criterias for my next camcorder. I am using the Sony DVD201 now and it generates big motor noise with not so clear sports image.

1. I will use the camcorder for filming tennis matches. The location of the cam is usually restricted so that wide angle is very important.
2. I have hard time balancing the tennis court and the backlight. If I take the whole court, the strong light from either the lights on the top or the sky will darken the court. If I zoom in the court, I will lose most part of the play. Will 16:9 help me?
3. I want to be able to track the tennis ball while not loosing the whole court movement. Besides higher resolution cam, what else should I consider?
4. During tennis matches, the court is usually very quiet, I would like to have a cam that has low noise level without me almost yelling to the mic.

Any recommendation is appreciated.

I've decided to get Canon ZR-100 or ZR-200. I think they are pretty similar. What do you think?

Or how bout JVC D250?