Buying a digital camcorder

[Frank Y]

This is kinda on topic but I am looking at buying a digital camcorder to record shows and stuff. There are just waaay too many priceless memories that are lost, and I need to start saving them. Does anyone have any opinions on a good one? I was looking at the Sony that you can record right onto a dvd but then saw "not for linear recording, for editing purposes only" and that doesnt look good. Plus the dvd's only hold 30 mins. I would like one that I can hook right up to the tv (or the computer if I wanted). My computer right now is not fast enough to handle something like that. Also would like one that can handle taking photos too. Does anyone have a digital camcorder that they like? Pros, cons? Thanks for any help!!!
Frank Y

[Keith Smigle]

Frank~

I may be totaly wrong on this, but unless you are going to shell out a boat load on this camera, from what I have been told, still shots from a vr or dvr can not compare, in quality, to a dedicated still digital camera. It is like the restroom in an RV, you wouldn't trade it for the one in your house.

~Keith in Delaware, oHIo

[Tom Winland]

Hi Frank,

I have a Sony recorder that also takes pics but have actually never used the pic function because I have a digital camera also.

Tom Winland
Ohio

[J. Marti]

Have a Cannon that takes the pics plus video. I think it was like $350 from sears. Uses the little sd cards. Takes wonderful video but fussy photos. Unless you want to carry a tripod around so the camera is held perfectly still to do the photo part I would skip this option.

Most camcorders now days plug right into your vcr.

If it was me I would go buy a $150 - 200 camcorder and a $150 digital camera (and a pile of AA batteries, if you use the flash alot they drain faster then the gas tank in my old truck).

Just my 2 cents.
Jon

[Bob Fultz]

I have a Panasonic DVR-M50. Got it a Sears on sale. It compares slitely below Sony but just as good. It has image stabilization, which is good for my nervous hand. It' about the size of your palm and uses either a disc for movies or a card for stills. I use a rewritable disc and then copy it onto a dvd recorder , then erase the camcorder and start again. Check it out on Panasonic.com. However, if you ask 10 people, you will probably get 10 answers.

[Craig A]

Here's a good place to start: http://altavista.dealtime.com/xPP-Ca...mera~CR-1~DW-1 Get ALL the specs, especially the resolution of the CCD in VIDEO mode-NOT still pic mode....they'll try to fool you! Sony is STILL using MOSTLY about 340K pixel capture whereas most of the others are using 680K pixel CCD capture. It makes a HUGE difference when you blow it up to TV size! I've seen both and there is no comparison.
I'm usually kind of partial to Panasonic but bought a Sharp VL-Z7U (the Z3U and Z5U are just as good except for the still image quality!!) and I love it. It has BOTH Firewire (love that too!) AND USB interfaces. Do LOTS of comparisons before you buy!!! And when you settle on something check out www.buydig.com for the lowest price! Craig

[Keith Smigle]

Sony is STILL using MOSTLY about 340K pixel capture whereas most of the others are using 680K pixel CCD capture.

Craig~

Aren't most digital still cameras 10 times this quality? Maybe I just don't understand what you are saying. My old Casio digital camera is 320k pixel and my new Sony digital camera is 3.2 mega pixel. If you plan on printing any photos, don't waste your money on a DVR that takes stills and expect any quality.. Show me a DVR that takes 3 mega pixel stills and costs less than $450 and I will be the first in line to buy one!

[Craig A]

I use my digital still camera for stills and my digital video camera for video. In a pinch, however, even a 1 meg image is more than adequate for the web.
The two numbers (340,000 pixels vs. 680,000 pixels) I mention in the previous post refer to the quality of VIDEO you are going to wind up with, ie: the actual capture capacity of the CCD when recording video and you can't really compare still camera and video camera resolutions in the same sentence. Not for a while anyway.
If you shop around you can get a very decent digital video camera for under $400. Mine happens to be mini DV. I have NEVER been a fan of "one does all" technology because they USUALLY do ONE thing well and the rest is crap.

JVC is making a Digital Video Camera that WILL do around 2 meg STILL images and what must be FABULOUS video quality!!

JVC [GRD230US] - Digital Video Camera w/2.5" High Resolution LCD & Hi Rez Stills
The perfect combination of style and performance is what makes the GR-D230 unique. It offers a 1.33 Megapixel CCD for superior video (540 lines of resolution) and still pictures (1600 x 1200). For little over $600!!

[Frank Y]

Hi guys. Thanks very much for all the advice and tips. I went to the store and talked with one of the salespersons and got some good info there too. He told me to check my dvd player to see if it can handle the dvrw disks and lo and behold it cant. So it looks like its going to be a minidv camera. I also learned that you dont need a computer to view the video and that the camera can play it right to the tv, just cant edit it or put it on a dvd. But this purchase might have to wait for awhile as another toy has found me . Might be just as well though because this way i can wait for the quality to go up and the price come down. Again, thanks for all the very helpful input!!

Frank Y

[Craig A]

"I went to the store and talked with one of the salespersons and got some good info there too."

Don't believe a salesperson in a store. Do your own research on the web.
I was listening in on a conversation between a salesman and a couple wanting a digital camera. This was in a Best Buy store and I couldn't BELIEVE what was coming out of his mouth...... Just a load of crap......I sure hope that couple didn't buy a camera based on what HE told them.......