Good place for camcorder reviews?

[AndrewR]

My wife wants a camcorder, and I know very little about them. The only place I know of for reviews is CNET, and I am leery about trusting them. PC World only has a top 5, which isn't terribly helpful.

What are the respected camcorder sites out there? Second part: does anyone have experience with recent Sony models, specifically the sub-$500 ones (either miniDV or DVD)?

 

[Vette73]

Sony would the the last company I would buy one from.

Check out amazon. They have personal reviews from TRUE owners.

 

[Pikachu]

Too many morons on this board... :roll:

I'm an owner. CCD-V101 purchased 0n 2-27-1991 worked flawlessly till late 1998 when it got wet and died. Replaced with TR-V85 on 1-21-99, which is still working flawlessly. My mom bought the same unit about a year later, gave it to my sister a couple years after that, and it's still working perfectly. My inlaws bought a $250.00 Sony Hi8 a few years ago, and it's still working perfectly.

 

[pinoy]

I'm like pikachu, I bought my 3rd Sony camcorder 2 yrs. ago. So far, its still working flawlessly. My first 2, gave it to my brother and sister. Still working to this date.

 

[Quasmo]

DONT YOU DARE BUY A DVD CAMCORDER. They are SH!T! They only record for 30 min, you wouldnt believe how many times I've had people come into my work (I do VHS->DVD Transfers and video production) wanting to know what I can do to help them with thier scratched disk. With miniDV you'll want a 3 chip camera, it's better for low light. I'd go with Panasonic, they make a great set of cameras for the regular consumer. If you want to step it up a level get a DVX-100 you can get one on Ebay for pretty cheap. ($1400) Great camera.

EDIT: If you notice in the above reviews that only ONE of the cameras shot on DVD, and that was because it had it's own catagory.

If you want high-def, wait a year, and get a REALLY cheap miniDV camcorder to last until better Non-first gen models come out, unless you really want to shell out some cash and get the Panasonic HVX-200 (worlds above the Sony HDV-FX1)

 

[Pikachu]

He said, "...specifically the sub-$500 ones..." not $5,000.00 ones!

 

[Quasmo]

Originally posted by: Pikachu
He said, "...specifically the sub-$500 ones..." not $5,000.00 ones!

blah blah blah... I could have told him to look into the Sony Cinealta still panasonic is DEFINATELY the way to go. I usually start talking like that because I'd love to get my hands on an HVX200 (I really want a nice SDX-900 setup though, of course I have to take out a large car loan to get that)

 

[Pikachu]

Last time I looked, Panasonic would have been my top choice, but I have to wait till my current one dies first. Now that the boys are older, it doesn't get used as much. Hard to justify spending too much just on a whim.

 

[Quasmo]

Originally posted by: Pikachu
Last time I looked, Panasonic would have been my top choice, but I have to wait till my current one dies first. Now that the boys are older, it doesn't get used as much. Hard to justify spending too much just on a whim.

So you're getting a CineAlta when it dies? or an HDW-F900 rather?

 

[Pikachu]

Never heard of that one, before checking Google just now. Might as well have been 1" Beta for all I knew!

No, last one I was considering was the PV-GS400. By the time mine dies, there may be a better deal out there. I think the models that replaced the 400 no longer have the analog pass through, which I need.

 

[Quasmo]

The GS400 is an awesome camera, Panasonic did a great job with that lineup. Me and my boss recommend that series to anyone who comes into our store with Hi-8 tapes, or anyone that wasted their money on a DVD camera (I feel really bad telling people that just bought a camera, that it was probably the worst decision they've made in terms of long term storage)

 

[AndrewR]

There's a very specific reason why I'm looking for Sony -- with my credit card rebate and a coupon, I can get about $450 off the price of one. Since we're on a tight budget through the end of the year, free or nearly free is better.

Thanks for the info on the DVD camcorders -- didn't know recording time was so poor. I guess I'll search through Amazon.

 

[Pikachu]

Low light shooting ability is on top of my feature priority list. Check these out for that reason:

• Sony DCR-HC90 $589.00
  
  Sony DCR-HC96 $575.00