Best Camcorder for under $350?

[msi1337]

whats the best camcorder I can buy for $350 or under used or new?

needs:

good low light recording
ability to transfer video to the PC for editing
good optical zoom

just want something decent to start out with. I have never owned a camcorder, so I am not sure what else I need to know about them.

I have been looking into the Canon ZR series (ZR45, ZR45MC, ZR60, etc.)

any other suggestions?

thanks!

 

[Chucko]

You should be able to get a new zr80 from dell for 310-330 ish after their 20% off and a nice coupon. They run these sales all the time. I scored one from dell for 310 and it is a great camcorder for the money.

 

[Chuck73]

I second the ZR series. I got one of the ZR70 last year and I really like it. Low light is not its strong point tho. with tweaking you can get decent\good low light, but a lot of folks say the sonys are much better(and more expensive)

Unfortuneately I bought mine right before the 80,85,90 came out so I paid more for it than you will have to.

 

[Falloutboy]

well no camera under a grand will give good lowlight (heck I like any camera cheaper than the VX2000 for low light performane) but for your price range I agree a zr80 is the way to go

 

[msi1337]

hrm...zr80 huh


any other suggestions? I will be buying in 12 days

if I only spend $250 and I get a zr60 is there a huge differance.. This is my first camcorder, so I am not sure I need all the power of a ZR80

 

[msi1337]

anyone?

 

[oldfart]

Originally posted by: msi1337
whats the best camcorder I can buy for $350 or under used or new?

needs:

good low light recording
ability to transfer video to the PC for editing
good optical zoom

just want something decent to start out with. I have never owned a camcorder, so I am not sure what else I need to know about them.

I have been looking into the Canon ZR series (ZR45, ZR45MC, ZR60, etc.)

any other suggestions?

thanks!

I have a ZR40, and it is a nice camcorder. I've been generally very happy with it except.....It is NOT a good low light camera.

 

[Chuck73]

The ZR80 and the ZR60 are very comparable models. the 65 and 70 correlate to the 85 and 90 respectively. So at this point I would get the model that had the features you want that is the cheapest. if the 60 is cheaper than the 80 I would get it. if the 65 is just a bit more than the 60 and still cheaper than the 80, I might get that instead. I paid a bit more than the 60/65 to get the 70 because it came with the wide angle lens and a bigger battery. you might be able to get the 70 cheaper than the 80 too. Same might be true for the series before that too (ZR40/45).