Spec me please

EliotG

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Hi people.

I'm out of the loop by quite a long way and was wondering if you guys could point me in the direction of a new camcorder.

I will be filming all sorts of different things like parties, out door events, in car videos etc.

I would be very, very grateful if you guys could suggest something along the lines below:

- HD Preferred
- Decent Battery life (maybe interchangeable batteries?)
- Be able to mount in a car
- Image Stabilisation
- Would love to be able to plug in an external microphone in case the one on board is rubbish
- Small, (like a bloggie)
- Sub £200
- Zoom would be nice but not essential

Thank you guys :)
 
HD with a mic input for 200 might be a big ask but you can always record separately and stick the audio back on in the edit.

The Panasonic sdrs70 is standard def with no mic input but the image stabilisation is great and they're about 160. Just about any new HD camcorder for 200 will be pants with a cmos sensor instead of a ccd sensor so image stabilisation wouldn't be as good. The likes of the bloggie and Flip use cmos sensors too. Just about all cameras on the market can go on a 13quid Hama tripod and go in a car.
 
The external mic thing comes up a lot, strange so few manufaturers offer it.

Anyway, below £200 you can purchase either a Zi8 or Playtouch, both by Kodak. They are, to the best of my knowledge the only small, low cost, pocket video cameras that have an external microphone socket.

Neither has a zoom, but they do everything else you want.

Take the mic socket out of the equation and you suddenly have a load of options, of which Flip, Sony, Samsung etc. all have models. The Panasonic range including the model quoted below are very popular here and seem to review very well.

Hope that helps
:smashin:
 
Have those little Kodaks got a mic in? **** me how did I miss that?
 
Shortly after I posted this thread I saw the Kodak Zi8. I decided to go for one of those along with an 8gb Sandisk Extreme card so that it can keep up with the HD.

Thanks for the input chaps.

It will be my first video camera, I'm not after a proper thing like that Panny just yet. This is more something to carry round with me and capture odds and sods.

EDIT: Actually, would you guys recommend a specific external mic?
 
Have those little Kodaks got a mic in? **** me how did I miss that?

Yes they do. I do mention it when it comes up in threads, but I don't want to sound like I'm trying to market them too much since I work for Kodak!

Actually, would you guys recommend a specific external mic?

I've heard good things about some of the small Sony mics, but most people I know have just bought a cheap one off Amazon or ebay and been pretty pleased with the results.
 

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