Camcorder

darthpaul

I am looking into getting a camcorder as baby is due in 16 days and would like one to record all the special moments. Dont have a huge amount of cash say £150 to £200 max (cheaper would be even better). I know nothing about what is good and not good in the world and of course there are digital and analogue camcorders to consider!

Any advice would be brilliant :cool:

ffym

I think digital must be the way you should go. I have a Canon "miniDV" which is great. A newer version can be found here at ebuyer for within your budget.
I'm not saying this is the best or the cheapest available but it's a good yardstick to judge others by.
Good luck (with the camera and baby!)

helen21_2

I know jessops have a samsung mini dv for £180 in the sale, but sorry i dont know the spec.

alykhalil

ffym wrote:

I think digital must be the way you should go. I have a Canon "miniDV" which is great. A newer version can be found here at ebuyer for within your budget.
I'm not saying this is the best or the cheapest available but it's a good yardstick to judge others by.
Good luck (with the camera and baby!)

i too looking for a camcorder butam so confused about the pixels, resolution, zooming etc...

can you pls tell me what are "miniDV" camcorders ? am i right ifi say thatminiDV's are the mini discs that could run from any normal Cd rom drive ?
- whats their recording capacity ? 1,2 hours
thank you

helen21_2

I know naff all but do know mini dv is not the cd/dvd thingy your on about. It takes mini dv tapes, but it is digital not analogue! Soz to be of naff help

windym_2

Mini Dv is the mini tape, about 1inch by 2inch but the camcorder can be plugged into your PC via a firewire card/cable and you can edit the film onto a DVD. Analogue will be cheaper but not quite as good quality but also via the right connections, can be uploaded to a PC. There are camcorders that run straight onto a DVD, so that you do not have to edit but can direct upload - although I think editing is ESSENTIAL otherwise you are all bored to death. Finally there are camcorders where you can record straight to hard drive, the newest ones, so the most expensive.

You need to decide which type you want - I would go for Mini DV with your budget and then use the usual shopbots Kelkoo, Grabber, Runner and Dealtime to get the best price. Once found, come back here for the best vouchers or cashback sites. A little work now will pay dividends! Good luck.

alykhalil

cheers mate for the explaination. I wish i knew which one to go for but i have had a look on ebay and if you see these 2 camcorders which one would you go for :

1) http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7567888878&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

2) http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7568924434&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

or this one...

3) http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7569020331&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

i know the difference for the 3rd one but the 1st 2 i dont know any difference. all i want is that the output/recorded video should play the same as any DVD film. you see..

but i dont think i would take the trouble to go for a miniDV as it will be a small cassette and if i dont find the right cables & softwares to edit or copy the recorded video on the PC i will be in trouble..with a camcorder that takes a SD/MMC card i think life becomes easier..pls advice

windym_2

I would be a bit dubious about the description on the first 'an exact copy' what does that mean, that the camcorder is a copy of a real one?? I also would dispute his claim about how long normal cameras run on battery. My Panasonic runs for ever (or so it seems)

I hear what you say about minidv, but mine is superb and the quality is dvd quality. As far as software is concerned you have Windows Movie Maker for free on XP. All you need then is a firewire card and cable, a couple of quid if you are used to shopping on ebay.

I haven't used anything with SD card other than a camera.

However if you want an SD based one then I would go for a retailer like Ebuyer and something like this for £70 or this which records onto a hard drive for only £129

alykhalil

windym wrote:

I would be a bit dubious about the description on the first 'an exact copy' what does that mean, that the camcorder is a copy of a real one?? I also would dispute his claim about how long normal cameras run on battery. My Panasonic runs for ever (or so it seems)

I hear what you say about minidv, but mine is superb and the quality is dvd quality. As far as software is concerned you have Windows Movie Maker for free on XP. All you need then is a firewire card and cable, a couple of quid if you are used to shopping on ebay.

I haven't used anything with SD card other than a camera.

However if you want an SD based one then I would go for a retailer like Ebuyer and something like this for £70 or this which records onto a hard drive for only £129

i get your point..i think i will go for the MiniDV ones (if in my budget) _ would you pls tell me how long 1 miniDV (1 cassette) would record ? how many minutes ?
Regarding the firewire card and cable...i feel i have it but not sure...is it something like this item :

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6826628640&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.co.uk%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26satitle%3D6826628640%26fvi%3D1

i did get some cable too with it...

cheers for help mate

windym_2

The tapes are 60 mins normal 90 mins long play - its a bit like the old video cassette in so much as you can re-record over them. If you record and then put the full tape onto your PC via the firewire card and cable, you can then burn it to DVD if you have a DVD burner on your PC. Then you can record over your minidv tape. I would buy the best quality tapes you can afford, and really you only need 2 or 3. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/5-JVC-mini-DV-Camcorder-Tapes-1-92each-inc-VAT-DEL_W0QQitemZ7568579397QQcategoryZ15073QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The firewire cable plugs into your PC and other end into the camcorder. Then use Windows Movie Maker to download and edit your movie.

alykhalil

cheers mate,...