[stevep94]

I am new to camcorders so I am looking for some advice for a decent entry level camcorder....
Use will primarily be for holidays and events etc (specifically a 3 week honeymoon coming up in May)

I think MiniDV is going to be the favourite above a HDD as we dont want to take the chance of either the hard drive filling up or (unlikely I know) corrupting in some way! (unless anyone has a better idea?)
As far as budget goes, I dont really want to be spending more than £500.

Any suggestions?? (and where is good to buy from??)

Thanks in advance....

SteveP

[redsox_mark]

£500 gets you more than entry level. It can just about get you a HDV camcorder (which uses DV tapes in high definition or standard definition), e.g. the Sony HC5
http://www.pricerunner.co.uk/pl/8-86...Compare-Prices

Web prices are generally cheapest, any of the highly rated sites on pricerunner are OK. You can often get cheaper prices on imports, e.g. from ebay; best if you get a recommendation on a specific site though. Most are good, but there is the occasional bad one.

[chrishull3]

Originally Posted by stevep94

I am new to camcorders so I am looking for some advice for a decent entry level camcorder....
Use will primarily be for holidays and events etc (specifically a 3 week honeymoon coming up in May)

I think MiniDV is going to be the favourite above a HDD as we dont want to take the chance of either the hard drive filling up or (unlikely I know) corrupting in some way! (unless anyone has a better idea?)
As far as budget goes, I dont really want to be spending more than £500.

Any suggestions?? (and where is good to buy from??)

Thanks in advance....

SteveP

http://www.twenga.co.uk/prices-HV10-...corder-18112-0

this looks an amazing deal on this very good cam

[stevep94]

Thanks for the replies guys, both of these look pretty good - although I wasnt really looking for high-def (dont even have a high-def TV yet!) so given that, the £500 budget could probably stand to drop down to somewhere around £350ish if poss???

Thanks again...

Steve

[chrishull3]

Originally Posted by stevep94

Thanks for the replies guys, both of these look pretty good - although I wasnt really looking for high-def (dont even have a high-def TV yet!) so given that, the £500 budget could probably stand to drop down to somewhere around £350ish if poss???

Thanks again...

Steve

just think in years to come how much better your honeymoon will look in hd[i think you regret it]

[Topefisher]

just think in years to come how much better your honeymoon will look in hd[i think you regret it]

True.
You should always spend more than you can afford, you know it make sense.
If you want a futureproof model then its got to be the Canon HV20 at £540 ish.

Given a month or two and it may drop further.
Check out:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-Defini...9096809&sr=8-1

Tape units can make more sense in some instances in that you are not limited by how much you can store on a Hard drive before having to download.

If I had £500 to spend on one, I would certainly stretch that extra.

[redsox_mark]

If you want to limit your budget to £350, then I suggest the Panasonic GS320, or the Sony HC96 from ebuyer (about the only place which sells it). Both are standard def DV.

But agree with the others, if you can afford a high def model, then it is worth it, even if you don't have a HDTV now. It is especially easy with HDV models, as you can shoot in high def but have the camcorder convert to DV. In this way you can work in DV for now if you want, but keep the high def tapes to re-master later.

[senu]

It wont be long before you cannot find a Hi def TV...Then you'll be pleased you recorded the honeymoon in Hi def..

Rationalise all you can : Well shot Hi def really does look that much better than SD on a suitable display.

Also as you lower your budget, you get into the territory of " you get what you pay for"
And I would get suggest you get your "toys" now.

Wives tend to stand between Boyz and their ToyZ!

[stevep94]

Thanks for all the advice guys.... having looked at the high-def options I think a standard def camera is more than enough for my uses!

With this in mind, it seems to be a straight choice between the Panasonic GS320 and the Sony HC96E.
Since I prefer the look of the GS320, I'm just wondering what sort of performance the standard battery has??? Also, if I get a bigger spare battery, is it going to stick out at the back over where the viewfinder is?? (having seen one in the shops, the viewfinder seems to be in a bit of an awkward spot, just over the battery and doesnt stick out past the size of the standard battery, let a lone a larger capacity one!?!?)

Thanks for continued help guys....

SteveP

[redsox_mark]

The standard battery on the GS320 will last about 30 mins in typical use; over an hour for continuous recording.

The more powerful batteries are larger. The viewfinder can be extended however.

[stevep94]

Originally Posted by redsox_mark

The viewfinder can be extended however.

Are you sure?? I've seen this camcorder in the Panasonic shop and I'm sure the viewfinder was just a static one???!!!???

SteveP

[stevep94]

Originally Posted by redsox_mark

The standard battery on the GS320 will last about 30 mins in typical use; over an hour for continuous recording.

Plus.... what use is a 30 minute battery when most people will have a 60 minute tape?!?!

I've seen a bundle on pixmania with a spare battery: http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/5404...html?itag=9698 but the spare battery is listed as 7.2 volts (the same) but 1200 mA wheras the original battery is a 2100 mA - will this matter???

Also, I've read about Vista compatibility issues - is this still right? (I've read about a patch to correct it, but only when using USB 2.0 rather than firewire!?!?!)

Thanks again guys....

SteveP

[redsox_mark]

Originally Posted by stevep94

Are you sure?? I've seen this camcorder in the Panasonic shop and I'm sure the viewfinder was just a static one???!!!???

SteveP

Yes, see page 14 of the English manual here
http://www.panasonic.co.uk/customer-...oad-centre.asp

Plus.... what use is a 30 minute battery when most people will have a 60 minute tape?!?!

To get you to buy another battery…. it is common to supply a low capacity battery as standard.

I've seen a bundle on pixmania with a spare battery: http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/5404...html?itag=9698 but the spare battery is listed as 7.2 volts (the same) but 1200 mA wheras the original battery is a 2100 mA - will this matter???

The mAh rating is a reflection of the capacity; the greater the mAh the longer it will last. The standard battery for the GS320 is only 640 mAh.

[stevep94]

Thanks for all the help mate, I'm learning more and more every day!

So does it translate to mAh = time? eg. if 640mAh = approx 30 mins, does 1200mAh = approx 60 mins & the 2100mAh battery (which I would imagine sticks out a LOT, even over the extended viewfinder) = 120(ish) mins??

Any idea on the Vista support too??

Thanks again....

SteveP

[redsox_mark]

Yes; double the mAh would mean double the recording time.

If you download the manual there is a chart which shows you the recording times for the various (official) Panasonic batteries.

[redsox_mark]

Oh and sorry I don't use Vista; but DV is standard and you shouldn't have any problems.

[stevep94]

Thanks again for all the info Mark....

I'm sure the format is fine, I've just read that the PC connection software isnt Vista-friendly at the moment! (having just swapped to Vista - damn!) I've read there is a fix for the USB connection but not the (much faster) firewire connection!!!

SteveP

[slowpoke]

There is rumours of a new Panasonic being announced in Vegas next week. Might be worth waiting for to how good it is.