Camcorders??

[thehurlatron]

Which format of camcorders do you think are the best and why?
(Mini-DV, Digital with harddrive, mini-dvd, ect)
And no, I don't want some 1980's mongo VHS tape recorder or Betamax machine)
I don't think I need HD or surround as well.

My wife and I are looking around at camcorders lately to capture some "firsts" from our 7mo old. The big box stores employee's are idiots around here, and have no idea what to reccomend besides the most expensive things they carry. (which is okay if it's expensive, but I want to know why it's the best choice)

I have a a couple great computers, so downloading and simple editing are not a problem.

What's your thoughts?

 

[Michael Jewels]

I can't recommend one myself, but when others give their suggestions, you can use this site to compare features or even buy from them.
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Good luck.

Mike

 

[vindy500]

my 30gb jvc is great with the amount of footage i can get onto the harddrive, and i dont have to worry about tapes running out, i.e so i can record a whole gig in one hit.

 

[Phil Mastro]

I honestly know nothing about camcorders, but I've worked with Mini-DV, and I thougth it was pretty simple and efficient, and the quality was also good.

 

[bassguitar]

Mini DV quality is great and probably cheaper, however it you want something easy that you can just shoot and then stick in a DVD player to play then get one with Mini DVD. I've got a Sony (don't know exact model - it's about 3 yrs old) that records to Mini DV and it's awesome - we use it quite a bit with our young child.

If you don't mind transferring to your PC and editing and then burning to DVD go with the Mini DV. Tapes are cheaper than the Mini DVD's and if you ever go on vacation and run out of tapes they're probably easier to find than Mini DVD disc's.

 

[MJ5150]

my 30gb jvc is great with the amount of footage i can get onto the harddrive.....

This is the one we bought as well. I knew that all of our footage was going to be going onto our PC anyway, so the JVC was a natural fit for us. Not messing with tapes is great as well.

Here is the model we bought: Invalid Link Removed

I made a DVD from my trip to do relief work in New Orleans using this camcorder, and the camera option within it. Everyone that watched the DVD commented that the video quality was excellent, like a professional production.

-Mike