i wanna camcorder around £300

davebrown

Has anyone spotted any great deals on camcorders ? Going on hols soon so want to film this one as is first proper holiday for the kids..

Not sure if better to try and get a HDD one or dvd ??

any thoughts/recommendations ...

gerretl

For £300 you will only get a cheap DVD one. Be aware, the discs are quite expennsive, and very delicate. If you want a good HDD one, look at the JVC MG21. The reviews are red hot, and it is easy to use. Cost is £400. You mauy want to consider a mini DV one. For the price you are paying, you can get a Sony HC35. Superb model, with dockig bay, touch screen, Carl Zeiss lens, and built really well.
Also, don't discount the editing. You will film a lot of boring bits (trust me), and event the most basic editing will make the footage watchable. Oh and don't forget to film the child crapping their pants, so you can show it to their first girlfriend/ boyfriend in years to come. They will really appreciate it.
Hope this helps.

davebrown

Hi, i was looking at the HDD ones, but actually was put off by the reviews I've seen.. seems low light is a problem as well as image stablization.. maybe the higher end ones are better but out of my price range. Where did you see the red hot reviews ? That could sway me... :-)
i'll do some research of the hc35..

bella4uk

there are a couple on bargain crazy
http://www.bargaincrazy.com/bcrazy/product.asp?brand=bcrazy&cat%5Fid=3013&zone%5Fid=&prod%5Fid=11194&seq=2&page=&OrderBy=&offer%5Fid=&source%5Fcode=&publication%5Fcode=&leaflet=&extra=&mscs_sid=0KS5G041VS3D8HKDR8GTPT0VUB500439
I have a 10% 0ff code that expires today, I will pm you it.

ckerrd

HDD is the way forward but MiniDV is a well tried and trusted format. If you have got the software and a pc you can link your camera to you pc, edit away to your heart's content and then burn to a DVD.
The important thing is the lens - if you have an all singing and dancing machine with a crap piece of glass on the fron then it will look the poorer for it.

bluenose1

The Panasonic camcorders are the best buys according to the Which online.

Regards
Anne

bigup7

got a Panasonic GS180 myself, had a hard time deciding which model to get

DVD camcorders, the mini dvdr will last for 20mins at good quality, then you will have to change the dvdr, expensive, so i stayed away from this.

HDD camcorders, nice options, nice idea, but once the HDD gets full, you will have to empty it, not good when you are on hols and not got access to a laptop/PC to transfer your footage. Expensive models have bigger HDD.

miniDV camcorders, as said above, most tried and tested, some nice models about to choose from, easily editable on PC with firewire. a middle range (£300 ish) miniDv cam will have better quality then the cheaper HDD/DVD camcorders IMO.

High Definition Camcorders: these are the future of filming, ive seen some footage of the SOny HC1 and the quality is amazing, still very expensive though and you need a hi def tv to watch it in its full glory, probably will be my next purchase after my current pana dies!

more info and reviews: http://www.camcorderinfo.com/ratings.php

stenny_2

Found the JVC MG21 as mentioned above by gerretl.
Selling at £329.99 plus £6.99 next day delivery at
https://www.buyacamera.co.uk do a search by brand at bottom left of page.

HTH

bigup7

stenny wrote:

Found the JVC MG21 as mentioned above by gerretl.
Selling at £329.99 plus £6.99 next day delivery at
https://www.buyacamera.co.uk do a search by brand at bottom left of page.

HTH

found a few more cheaper places mate:

£322 delivered here: http://www.cameras2u.com/products/details.cfm?PRODUCT=GZ-MG21

£311 delivered here: http://www.dixons.co.uk

Sheel

I have a Sony dvd camcorder and love it. Used to have a mini dv but prefer this one.

Comet have a good web only deal on this Sony DCRDVD202E at £299.99 WSL

billy_the_kid_2

A carousel of 25 mini dvd discs can be bought from SVP for around 6.50 so dont let the cost of media put you off. Or if you buy a multi format dvd corder such as the Sony, you can always use rerecordable discs and transfer your footage before formating your camera disc.