CAMCORDER help please for a novice

Lally

I want to buy a camcorder as I am expecting a baby in 2 months and want to capture those first few years. I have no idea which is best though; Mini DV, DVD or HD. Are there any others?

My budget would be about £250. I notice that Argos have a good few deals and I am not sure which to go for.

JVC GR-D390 Mini DV Camcorder. Was £229.99 now £149.99. Says SD Card compatible....so is this what I record onto?

Hitachi DZ-MV3000E DVD Super Compact Camcorder. Was £199.99 now £169.99. Do i record onto normal size DVDs with this?

Sony DCRHC44 Camcorder. Was £379.99 now £219.99. What do i record onto with this?

I also noticed one with a 20g hard disk......what is the minimum i would be looking for if I went for one of these types?

Sorry for the questions but I have never used a camcorder in my life before! :rotfl:

Cheers

Lally

wageslave

The JVC uses small tapes to record onto, the SD card means it has a digital camera facility too.
The Hitachi uses very small discs but it will play back through a DVD player.
The Sony uses small tapes too.
People never use camcorders as much as they imagine they will so if I was you I wouldnt spend a fortune.
For the less technical amongst us a camcorder that takes DVDs would be much easier to work, no transferring via cables etc.
Congratulations BTW

Lally

Thanks very much, so it looks the Hitachi one may be the way to go! :beer:

I saw the little dvds in tesco last week, I will have a look at them today.

I think you can also get camcorders which use full size dvds too?

wageslave

I've had a quick glance at the Hitachi specs.
Not the best optical zoom in the world but perfectly OK for what you want it for I imagine. It uses minus DVD's so check what your buying in tescos:)
You can buy rewritable ones, I'd get at least one of those to practice with.
If you open the DVD drive on your player or PC you'll see a round ring which is the perfect size for a coffee cup, the little DVDs sit in there.

Lally

They had none of the DVDs left in tesco but still had loads of the tapes, £4.95 or thereabouts for 2.

Thanks for your help :T

PS Argos have these http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5706031.htm it says 60 mins recording time, and they are double sided, so is this 60 mins per side?

wageslave

4.95 for two tapes is expensive.
Its 60 minutes in total, double that in long play. Its far too expensive for one disc too.
Hey your welcome:)

Lally

wageslave wrote: »

4.95 for two tapes is expensive.
Its 60 minutes in total, double that in long play. Its far too expensive for one disc too.
Hey your welcome:)

The tapes were in the clearance section :eek:

Lally

Just looked at it, good reviews all round. :T
So, for the purposes I intend to use it for do you think it is worth paying the extra £100 or so instead of getting the JVC one from Argos?