Can someone please help me choose the right digital camcorder?

decoratede

I need help finding the digital camcorder that's right for me. There are some things I'm looking for:
1. Set up vertically, with a screen that is turned/pulled out to record video.
2. Ability to record both video and take pictures (I care more about video quality than picture quality) and upload to a laptop.
3. There should be no restrictions on the length of a video recording, other than the memory of course.
4. High quality sound recording. For decent audio at concerts.
5. I'd appreciate it if the camcorder was kinda small. Small enough to be carried in little purse, or smuggled into concerts.
6. Ability to zoom in for pics and videos. The more the better, obviously.
7. Ability to function as a webcam.
8. Lol, I'd really love it if it came in colors other than silver. Black, white, or pink would be awesome!
9. I want to spend as little money as possible, but am willing to pay a lot if the camcorder is worth it. You get what you pay for.

Does anyone have any advice? Thanks!

Answer
I know what you are looking for and in general it is trash. The problem is that most camcorders that are vertical record using memory at really low quality. Although they are very small they have a terriable image and generally even worse audio. However there small size and cheepness (like this one at $210 somewhat make up for that http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/B000EVLZNQ/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_top/002-6861088-3094417?ie=UTF8&n=502394&s=photo#customerReviews ) Really I would insted recomend a cheeper Mini DV camcorder like this one http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/panasonic-pv-gs39/4505-6500_7-31660660.html?ar=o&tag=pdtl-list . This camera is cheep at only $212 from Amazon.com. Plus this camera has a fold out screen, can take pictures ( however poor of quality), can record for 1 hour or 90 minutes (the length of a tape in SP or LP modes), Very inportantly has a microphone input so if you dont like the quality of the built in one you can buy another mic from bestbuy for around $50, is small this camera is defiantly small enough to go in a jacket pocket or a purse, this camera can defiantly zoom with a 30x OPTICAL zoom. Optical is very inportant, while a digital zoom "zooms" by croping the picture/image and loosing image quality an optical lense zooms by moving a physcial glass lense. Optical zoom is always way better, and 30x is a lot. However past around 15x the image gets too shakey to use. This camera will also function as a webcam though the built in USB port. Sorry it doesn't come in colors. Overall this is a good cheep camcorder. The quality differance between Mini DV and memory is fairly drastic, especially on the low end camcorders. Plus with features like a longer battery life and external mic jack you really cant go wrong. Mini DV is always the best choice.

Whats a good camcorder to get?

Scott Elwo

I am planning to buy a camcorder for a website that I run. I will be doing various things with it, so it should be able to perform in various lightings.

The main thing that I am looking for in it though is computer compatibility. I will be hosting the videos I create on a website, and won't be using it for 'Home Video' use. So USB or Firewire or HDD are highly preferable.

Price range should be below $500, so any helpful tips on what to buy?

Answer
Recommend that you visit the cnet site. It has reviews of all the models, identifies which are the top sellers and provides a decent comparison between different makes and models. Based upon your budget apetite, you can narrow down the search too at this site.
http://reviews.cnet.com/Camcorders/2001-6500_7-0.html?tag=dir

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Is it a pain to take pictures with the Flip Ultra?

top camcorders cnet image

Frannie

i want to get a new camera but i want one that also takes great videos i know that you can take pictures from the video on the computer but is that i pain to do??

Answer
You may want to start your search for a digital video recorder at
CNET, a Web site that specializes in reviews of electronic prices.
Their reviews of digital camcorders
(http://electronics.cnet.com/electronics/search/0,10126,0-6342639-1302-0,00.html?tag=dir)
gives the highest rating to the Sony DCR-PC9, which costs around
$1,300-$1,400. The site says lauds the camera's small size, ease of
use and picture quality. Of CNET users who rated the camera, 92% gave
it a "thumbs up."

The top-rated camera in the $1,000 and below price range is the Sony
DCR-TRV17, which scored just below the PC9 from the editors and has a
95% thumbs up score from users. It is listed at $829 to $1,009.

Some words of caution: CNET does not rate every digital camera, and,
unlike Consumer Reports, it accepts advertising. Consumer Reports
(www.consumerreports.org) does have ratings of digital video recorders
(released last December), but accessing them requires a paid
subscription.

A third site, Consumer Search, is sort of a review of product reviews
from magazines. Its list of top digital camcorders
(http://www.consumersearch.com/www/photo_and_video/digital_camcorders/index.html)
includes the Sony DCR-PC110 and DCR-VX2000, the Panasonic PV-DV
series, the Canon ZR25MC and the Hitachi DZ-MV100A.

The *bestselling* digital camcorder at Amazon.com is the Panasonic
PVDV52, which has a price below $550 and an average user rating of 4.5
out of 5.

I could tell you more from the reviews, but that would risk
infringement on copyrights, so you'll have to visit the sites
yourself!
Regarding picture quality, Leonard Fischer of USA Today
(http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/ccarch/2002/03/06/fischer-dv.htm)
says all digital camcorders record at the same picture quality:

"When searching for a camcorder, choose the best camera you can
afford, but realize that you're going to be able to create
good-looking footage on any digital camcorder because they all record
footage at the same resolution, regardless of what other special
features they include."

As for burning video onto a DVD, that is a function of your computer
and its software, not the camcorder itself. See this Fischer article:
(http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/ccarch/2002/06/19/fischer-dv.htm).
An exception is the Hitachi DZ-MV100A, which records directly onto a
DVD.

Finally, recording time depends not on the camera but on the tapes and
batteries you get for it. Again, the Hitachi DZ-MV100A is an
exception, because it does not use tapes. According to
MPSuperstore.com (http://www.mpsuperstore.com/video/indexMy.htm?discr17964.htm),
the Hitachi can record from 30 to 120 minutes, depending on the
settings.

For the second part of your question the answer is that you require 3 things to do this

1. A Hardware Capture Device That Allows You To Connect Your Mini DV
or 8mm Playback Device To The Computer System.

2. A Video Software Capture Program. Your Windows or Apple Operating
System May Have Already Included This Type Of Program As Part Of The
Operating System. This Would Depend On The Operating System Version?

3. A DVD R/W Drive. It Is Possible Depending On The Computer System
For This To Be Either An Internally Installed Device or Externally
Installed Device, Again This Would Depend On Whether Or Not The
Computer System Is Capable Of Or Configured To Support The Type Of DVD
R/W Harware Peripheral You Choose(internal or external).

There are many internet hobbist sites and bulletin boards that have
vast amounts of information on what you are asking about. I would
suggest a Google search for "How To Video Capture On A Computer
System." I included such link below this line as starting reference
for you. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

http://www.aboutvideoediting.com/

What is the best(under $200) camcorder?

kingjoser

I'm looking for the best video camera under 200 dollars. Not a camera that uses tapes and stuff. One that uses either a memory card or saves the video inside the camera and can connect to a computer to upload to Youtube. Doesn't have to be HD. I'm mostly going to use it to make short videos and for youtube. Personal use, not anything big. Any suggestion? Thanks

Answer
I like my Toshiba Camileo H30 walmart.com has it for $135.00 it is 1080p hd. I will say that low light performance is not top notch, but it is not bad for this price range a little grain can be seen at low light levels. The step up is the X100 Toshiba for $159.00 at walmart.com as well. My H30 shoots pretty good stills as well as long as you use 10 mpix and not the 16 mpix setting. The h30 has a 10 mpix sensor and uses a digital process to produce 16, this adds artifacts to the picture so stick to 10 mpix for the best stills. Both camcorders will upload to you tube with the push of a button on the camera. I will say that I don't like the software that came with it to convert the AVI files to DVD so I went to cnet and downloaded a free high rated AVI file to DVD burner and it works great. I think you will be hard pressed to find a better camcorder for 135 bucks.

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What is the best(under $200) camcorder?

top camcorders cnet image

kingjoser

I'm looking for the best video camera under 200 dollars. Not a camera that uses tapes and stuff. One that uses either a memory card or saves the video inside the camera and can connect to a computer to upload to Youtube. Doesn't have to be HD. I'm mostly going to use it to make short videos and for youtube. Personal use, not anything big. Any suggestion? Thanks

Answer
I like my Toshiba Camileo H30 walmart.com has it for $135.00 it is 1080p hd. I will say that low light performance is not top notch, but it is not bad for this price range a little grain can be seen at low light levels. The step up is the X100 Toshiba for $159.00 at walmart.com as well. My H30 shoots pretty good stills as well as long as you use 10 mpix and not the 16 mpix setting. The h30 has a 10 mpix sensor and uses a digital process to produce 16, this adds artifacts to the picture so stick to 10 mpix for the best stills. Both camcorders will upload to you tube with the push of a button on the camera. I will say that I don't like the software that came with it to convert the AVI files to DVD so I went to cnet and downloaded a free high rated AVI file to DVD burner and it works great. I think you will be hard pressed to find a better camcorder for 135 bucks.

I'm looking for a digital camera/camcorder?

irulebabey

I'm looking for one under $200 any suggestions?

Answer
Even at your price point, there are many to choose from. The top three out there are Sony, Panasonic and Canon; I tend to gravitate towards Panasonic and Canon since they tend to have more manual controls for a "prosumer". But, you can't really go wrong with any of the three. My suggestion to you is to determine your top 3 uses for the camcorder, then look for the camera that will best suits these three needs. If quality is high on your list of attributes in a camcorder, then you should stick with MiniDV. I have found that the folks at www.camcorderinfo.com do a good thorough job at reviewing camcorders. Sometimes a little too good if you want to just get some quick answers. What you can do is use their site to help you make a choice among your top choices once you have narrowed it down. I also like using CNET reviews (www.reviews.cnet.com). Good luck.

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