Camcorderinfo.com Select Archive 06/05/02

by Camcorderinfo.com Editorial Staff
Published on Sep 22, 2002 12:00 AM



To help you make a fast decision about what camcorder, video equipment or digital video software to purchase, we offer the Camcorderinfo.com select. The following list are the products which Camcorderinfo.com feels are best overall in their price categories. There are two products in some categories because often we can't decide which is best. We consider all the features on the camcorder or in the product and the overall value. These are general choices, and might not be best for you. We update this list as new products come out and therefore our choices are always changing. Whenever we make a change, we'll submit a mini-article about why we made the change.The camcorders on this list might also not always be the most up to date ones, because often upgrades to camcorders or products are not worth it. In making your decision we recommend figuring out what features you want and which you don't need and choosing a camcorder or product accordingly. Please do research and read reviews so you make the right decision!

Sub $600
Panasonic PV-DV102 - Overall great features and still quality at a rock bottom price.

$600-$800
Canon ZR50MC - Great manual control at this low of a price.
Sony DCR-TRV740 - Best stills in this price range.

$800-$1000
Panasonic PV-DV702 - Best still performance and resolution in this price range.
Sony DCR-TRV25 - Overall best camcorder in this price range with great manual control, picture quality and still resolution.

$1000-$1500
Canon Optura 100MC - Good still resolution in a vertical form factor with high quality video and lots of manual control.
Sony DCR-PC110 - Great video and great stills if you can find one. Chosen over the newer DCR-PC120 because there are many extraneous features on the PC120 which makes it much more expensive.

$1500-$2000
Canon GL1 - This camcorder (which we think will be replaced VERY soon) offers professional features and 3CCDs, plus the great Canon optics at a low price.
Sony DCR-TRV50 - The addition of the touch screen LCD makes this camcorder extremely easy to use for the less experienced consumer. Plus the 1.5 Mega Pixel CCD produces excelent quality stills.

$2000-$3000
Sony DCR-VX2000 - This camcorder packs amazing professional quality 3CCD video and manual controls into a fairly inexpensive package. If you can afford this camcorder, nothing beats it under $3000.

$3000 and above Canon XL1 - Although this camcorder is getting old, it still produces top notch video.
JVC GY-DV550 - The GY-DV550 is one of the most affordable full size digital camcorders. You get professional quality video, with professional features in a professional form factor and a prosumer price.

Consumer DVD Authoring Software
Sony MyDVD 3.0 Chosen for affordability and more options than other DVD authoring programs.

High End Video Editing Software
Ulead MediaStudio 6.5 We like Ulead Media Studio for it's affordable price and many options.