Hi,

Im totally new to camcorders and have been searching around to find the best one for me.. It seems that the Panasonic DS27B is quite good for me. I would like to spend between £350-£400

What I want to know is that, is the Panasonic DS27B a Mini DV or a Digital 8 camcorder?

These are the following things I would like in my digital camcorder and could someone please say which one they would recommend or whether the Panasonic DS27 is a good choice for me.. I will also be using it for indoor and outdoor use.

I want: >>>

- To be able to record in the dark.

- To be able to plug camcorder straight into TV and watch on TV (if its possible on any cam) or to plug into computer through USB not firewire.

Thats it really.

Thanks for your help.
Kev

[Duster]

Hi

It will be a mini DV camcorder, as only Sony make Digital 8.

No camcorder works well in the dark, you will get a grainy picture if you try.
Check out this link to tell you about lux, http://www.dvfreak.com/lux.htm

Your Camcorder will plug into your TV, if it has a AV or a S-video connection on the front of it.

If you want a good camera that will record in the dark, I would reccomend any of the higher end Sony cameras, as most of them have the infrared "nightlight" capability. Any of them should have the ability to plug into your t.v., but as far as being able to plug into your computer via usb port, I'm afraid I'm not that far with mine yet. I'm thinking about buying a hardware package that will enable me to record into my computer by means of firewire, and after I've edited my footage on the computer, to play it back out of the same firewire connection.
Good luck on your purchase. Tunes Man.

[MarkE19]

USB is simply not fast enough for the transfer of high quality video. All it will give is webcam type quality. Even USB 2.0 will struggle.
If all you want to do is use the cam as a webcam then several cams have the software/lead etc supplied with them.
The ONLY connection that will enable you to capture full quality DV video is firewire. Firewire cards are very cheap and can be added to all but the oldest computers as long as you are running Windows 98SE or later, so there is no real need to stick to USB.

Mark.

I agree, USB is not fast enough for decent transfer onto PC.

To record in dark, the Sony models with infrared are probably the best bet.

If you dont mind using Digital8, I would suggest the Sony TRV DCR355. This has all the connectivity you should need (to computer and back (DV in/out), to VCR and back (AV in/out) and direct to TV. It has infrared night option, inbuilt light, is backwards compatible with Hi8 and Video8 tapes and can record onto the cheaper Hi8 tapes.