[saint_david]

My Sister has just emailed me asking for advice on what to get her husband for xmas. She wants to get him a camcorder and wanted to know if the Sony DCR-DVD110 DVD Handycam link for £166 is any good? I said id do some research and get back to her - so for roughly the same price can anybody suggest what might be a better purchase? How would the Canon FS100 compare?

[senu]

Depends on what he wants really,
DVD camcorders dont do much for me and one at this price point even less so
If tape is out ( as in "this is 2008") Even the SD card Ones like Canon FS100 cost a bit more
Have a look at Samsungs MX20 ( £150-180: my Local Comet ) . I was at a product outing with Samsung and later had a play with it .Ill be doing a write up shortly . I would certainly chose it over a DVD one even if it is comparable quality wise

[saint_david]

Thanks for the reply. Im guessing its to record moments involving their kids (ones 3 and the others due on NYE). He's got a 42" plasma which no doubt will be used to playback the videos to family and friends so i guess the recording quality will be the main issue?

[senu]

Probably.
It is the fickle nature of DVD blanks as media and the low cost of the camcorder that make we wonder about the whole package
( see the FAQ on DVD camcorders)
For Quality any MiniDV will beat it hands down and will still retain quality when put onto DVD
For £250 maybe the Canon FS100 or Some of the more pocket friendly HDD?SD card models ( which arent fantastic as such especially in low light which is where we do most of our taping)
A 42" Plasma will show up all the quality shortcomings . Im loath to suggest a higher budget and Say a Panasonic SD9 ( £350) or similar but that will look awesome

[onkeh]

Originally Posted by senu

A 42" Plasma will show up all the quality shortcomings . Im loath to suggest a higher budget and Say a Panasonic SD9 ( £350) or similar but that will look awesome

What's the SD9 like in lower lighting? My bro had a 1080i Sony thing and it was terrible for anything in less than ideal lighting.

[senu]

Originally Posted by onkeh

What's the SD9 like in lower lighting? My bro had a 1080i Sony thing and it was terrible for anything in less than ideal lighting.

The SD9 is not outstanding in lower light but ( the truth be told) none of these consumer camcorders is

Better low light ability is always a matter of degree and they all shine, the more light you give them

This is infact the case with all camcorders , just that the standard def and tape models seem to be a little more tolerant of lower light in comparison but it still boils down to sensor size, pixel density, lens ( iris ect) and electronics :
Unfortunately it is indoors in rooms lit with 2X 60W tungsten bulbs that many camcorders get used domestically and the fact of being a "Sony 1080i" thing does not matter. It could just as easily be a 3CCD Panasonic 1080p.
The moral is to use them within known limitations and not be too disappointed if dim and dingy scenes look.. well dim and grainy with washed out colour
As with all kit one has to have realistic expectations.. The ones used professionally cost 4-5 figures and should not be compared with those going for few hundred