Digital Camcorders

[djhothands]

im looking to buy a digital camcorder and i have round about 350 - 400 pounds to spend, any advise on good models. or good deals?

i was thinking about buying one of e-bay, but was not sure if thats safe(as ive never brought of ebay)

help would be apreciated, thanks people!

[vivitron 15]

Id go to a local store, and talk to them. pretend like your buying from them, and get all the information on all their models. Find out what they recomend, and tell them you will think about it.

then look for the model on the net...simple

but if you havent usd ebay, id stay clear; for your first purchase, i wouldnt be spending 400 quid on it

[Buffalo]

Swat up on what you want, My advise is to buy secound hand, as that cash your got will get you a good one.
Buy the free adds each week, keep a look out, and your get a good one.
A lot of my equipment is secoundhand, And i've done well

[djhothands]

thanks for the help, your right about ebay....its a bit much for my first buy off there!

this is the one ive decided to go for Digital camcorder!!

what dya think of it??

[ShareDaddy]

Originally posted by djhothands@13 May 2003 - 12:54
thanks for the help, your right about ebay....its a bit much for my first buy off there!

this is the one ive decided to go for Digital camcorder!!

what dya think of it??

Optical Zoom is the main thing, JVC makes very nice camcorders, however you may want to try for more optical zoom, digital zoom blows. Very nice other than that. What kind/amount of memory does that thing use/have? This to is all important.

[djhothands]

thanks, i cant find out about the memory, gonna have a look , ill get back to you if i find out

thanks

[Spindulik]

I would like to buy a digital camcorder too! I know nothing about them.
I would like one that allows manual adjustments and auto adjustments.

Can I record for hours, then dump the high-quality video into my PC in a matter of minutes? Ulead video editor accepts DV devices.

[harrycary]

Formats are important.
There are hybrid camcorder which will record on a tape in analog form. Then you connect to your PC via firewire(the fastest&#33 and do a D/A conversion. This is good for those with old tapes to convert.
There are camcorders that record strictly in digital on a tape.
The digital mediums vary. If it is a proprietary(like Sony memory sticks) than you will pay more for them. Look for more generic formats(e.g. mini DV tapes).

Firewire connectivity is by far the best and fastest. Your PC will recognize the camera as another drive. Very simple to use.

Plan on buying(hehe) 3rd part software. The bundled software will probably be crappy and useless.

Picking up and handling the camcorder(s) you like is the best advice I can give. Some are simple, some aren't. You got big chubby fingers? How big are the buttons? Everyone has their own aptitude.

Lithium-ion batteries are the best. Ni-cad probably 2nd best. What do they cost?(you will want a 2nd one) Optical zoom is better then digital zoom by far! Still picture capability shouldn't be a factor, they all stink in that department.

Extended warranty. Buy it if you can. Camcorders are more complicated than any other consumer electronics you will probably buy(incl PCs). They are more likely to break. Repairs can be quite expensive(I work in this field).

After your purchase, use it as much as possible the first 3 months. Any defects will arise.
After that, run the camera at least once a month. Not only do you know it is working but it is actually good for the electronics inside. (components can age prematurely)


Lastly, buy a nice case to protect that valuable piece of equipment.