[ttreaders]

Hi all,

I've recently become interested in buying a camcorder - mainly for filming the kids (my kids before the jokes start)

I know next to nothing about them and would like a few suggestions on some widely regarded decent ones or what to look out for. Looking to spend as little as I can yet I do want a decent one so I suppose up to £250.

A friend suggests getting a HD one for the added futureproofing.. is this a viable idea?

Thanks

[A n d r e w]

I'd avoid high-def camcorders under £350 or so. MiniDV (standard definition, tape-based) camcorders will give you the best image quality for the money you're looking at spending. Do a search on Amaz*n for "Canon mini DV," "Sony mini DV," and "Panasonic mini DV" to see what's avaliable. The Canon FS100 (standard definition) seems to be an attractive middle-ground choice for those not willing to stretch to high-def but who want a flash memory-based camcorder rather than one that records to tape. Picture quality not as good, though.

Andrew.

[kayeled]

I have the Canon FS100 and I think it does the job perfectly well for capturing the moments when your child is dancing naked on the landing etc!

It starts up really fast, clear picture and not too much trouble loading it onto PC. I am a complete novice and even I have managed it. It is, as has been previously mentioned on here, a bit rubbish in the dark.

Cheap enough for my budget and I got the Canon Cashback. Took it on holiday and it did what it said on the tin! If you want more technical detail there is a thread posted on here already with clips etc.

But, if you are like me and you just want to record the basics so you can embarrass your daughter at her wedding in 20 years time, then it certainly does the job well.

I also liked the fact I could just take one item in the beach bag as it takes reasonable photo's- not amazing but OK for general snaps.