New Camcorder.... ?

whybelieve

Hi we have an old tape camcorder but its DV out has stopped working and so we can't export to computer any more. Also it is not widescreen and looks poor on our HD TV.

We don't want to spend loads on the very latest gear but wondered what people would recommend and what specs we should look out for when deciding on a good new replacement.

Is one with a Hard drive built in the best way to go??

Thanks so much for any tips or advice

HGLTsuperstar

Interesting in hearing the replies as thinking of a similar purchase in the coming months.

donnajunkie

if i was getting one at the moment i would want one that is hd and has a hard drive. i wouldnt go for one of those cheapo hd camcorders for about £100. they have rubbish lenses. unfortunately a decent enough hd camcorder with hard drive still costs a few hundred pounds i think. if you dont want to spend that then i am sure you could get a decent hard drive camcorder for a couple of hundred pounds.

i wasnt going to look but here we go. if i was getting one i would fancy one of these.
http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/77165/show.html

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/75854/show.html

whybelieve

Thank you for your thoughts and taking the time to look

Iconic

The Sunday Times did a review of HD camcorders last weekend. Might be worth asking someone if they still have a copy of the 'In Gear' pullout.

http://timesonline.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

BillScarab

I wouldn't get a Camcorder with a Hard Drive. I';d get one that takes SD cars. That way you have virtually unlimited storage as you can just keep wapping them out if you fill them up.

I got one of these at Christmas and have been happy with it. It's a fairly basic machine but suits me.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-HDC-SD10-Definition-Camcorder-Optical/dp/B0029LHG8M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1275387371&sr=8-1

BritRael

After loads of research I bought my first one recently.

I got a JVC Everio, which has a 60gb HDD. I also bought the largest optional battery as well, and a small carrying case (both off ebay) .

I am over the moon with it. It is light, compact, very easy to use (one-handed: start/stop, zoom), records up to 75 hours (depending on setting), has 35x optical and 800x digital zoom (yes, 800! ), very good in low light, very easy to use menu, not touch-screen (so messy fingers isn't a problem). You can also fit an SD card, but I haven't bothered as the HDD is huge.

I would highly recommend getting the larger capacity battery as it lasts all day when out sight-seeing and shooting.

I have only two small negatives: 1) When shooting sunsets (in Thailand last month) the colours were washed out and not like the actual. However, I believe this just requires a UV filter to sort out. 2) There is no viewfinder (which I would like), and some reviews had said it was difficult to see the screen in bright sunlight. However, Thailand was pretty sunny (and I work in the Middle East) and I have not found this a problem. The screen itself rotates 180 degrees so you can hold it at arms length and see yourself (the right way up! ).

All in all, for a few hundred quid, I couldn't be happier with it, and would highly recommend it.

brandx

I fell for the cheapo option ( Kodak ) and donna's right. Not exactly rubbish but very limited, maybe good for parties or small groups on a jolly. Went on and bought the Panasonic HDC -TM10 which is the next model up to Bills. It has a hard drive ( 8GB ) and SD/SDHC capability. I paid a little under £300 from Amazon and I haven't been disappointed. Software is rubbish though.

http://stuff.tv/review/Panasonic-HDC-TM10-review/

donnajunkie

BritRael wrote: »

I have only two small negatives: 1) When shooting sunsets (in Thailand last month) the colours were washed out and not like the actual. 2) some reviews had said it was difficult to see the screen in bright sunlight.

obviously never point the camcorder at a bright sun. however i have also filmed sunsets when the sun is not so bright. problems occur because of the contrast between the bright sky in the top half and the dark landscape/sea at the bottom. i have found moving the camcorder up slightly usually makes the sky clearer but of course the landscape/sea will go slightly darker. obvisouly doing the reverse makes the landscape clearer and the sky too bright. its a case of playing around to see what looks best and possibly changing certain settings. i'm no expert of course this is just from my own experiences. professionals will obvisouly have ways of dealing with such things.
regarding it being hard to see the screen in sunlight. i suspect this is a common problem as i also have problems seeing the screen on a bright day. perhaps more expensive camcorders have some way of dealing with the issue.

10JH

The flip camcorders get very good reviews.

Around £120, HD, very compact and apparently very easy to use.

donnajunkie

Paul_R wrote: »

If you want to record audio with a plug in microphone or remote source, usually, only the high-end unti provide this.

this must be a new policy because my old 8mm camcorder had a slot for a mic and so does my 5 year old mini dv. neither of them were top of the range.