| Taiwanese |
Hi,
My old JVC VHS-C camcorder is giving me trouble.
I am thinking of getting a new camcorder for our short vacation during kid's spring break next month.
At first I wanted to to get a DVD based camcorder but I think one mini DVD can only record 30 minutes (one hour but low quality). The only reason I like the DVD camcorder is because I don't need to archive it again. Hopefully DVD will last longer than tape.
Due to short recording time, I think I will end up with DV based camcorder. I will need to archive into disc in a few years when I have a few tapes.
I don't want to spend more than $600. I don't care about still photo quality because I have a digital camera. What do you suggest?
Thank you for your help. |
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| bzboy |
I just bought the canon elura 60. It just came out. I was deciding between the sony hcb60 (i think thats the model) and the canon elura line. Both are minidv based not dvd. Minidv will give you a much better quality picture than dvd. the reasons i went with the elura 60 was
1. Bigger aperture than sony so better in low light conditions
2. Sony has carl zeis lens but canon lens are just as good if not better
3. cheaper. elura 60 was 539 at soundtrack sony hcb60 was 699
4. similar battery life
the only advantage sony had was a touch screen display. it was cool technology but not worth 150 bucks more. |
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| Taiwanese |
I also bought Canon Elura 60. I have not receive it yet.
I went to Fry's to try different modle. Just to make sure it feels comfortable in my hand.
Canon is pretty good. I just don't want to pay that much more for the Sony name. |
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| RonH |
| FWIW, I have the Sony DVR-TR27 (or at least I think that's the model .. at work, can't look) MiniDV camcorder. To put on DVDs, I simply attach the camcorder to my PC and burn the tapes to my DVDRW drive. You can get around 4 tapes or so to a DVD, and as far as I can tell you don't lose any quality at all. I would think you could do the same with most any MiniDV camcorder. |
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| Ceenit |
I bit the bullet an puchased the Hitachi DVD Camcorder last month. The 30 minute limit for standard DVD is a bummer, but for most of what I shoot, it is plenty of time to capture the highlights of an event.
The ability to record right to DVD and then just stick it in a player is phenominal....though the prices are still a little steep.
Chris |
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| Taiwanese |
quote:
Originally posted by Ceenit
I bit the bullet an puchased the Hitachi DVD Camcorder last month. The 30 minute limit for standard DVD is a bummer, but for most of what I shoot, it is plenty of time to capture the highlights of an event.
The ability to record right to DVD and then just stick it in a player is phenominal....though the prices are still a little steep.
Chris
What happen when you pause? Does it become another chapter when you play using DVD player?
What happen when you turn it off then record again? Does it become another chapter when you play using DVD player? |
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| wmquan |
For a deal, you might look to the recently discontinued Sony Mini-DV camcorders. You can still find the TRV-33 or TRV-38 at some places, for a lot cheaper than when they were widely available. They are slightly bulkier than the HC series that replaces them but are way cheaper at the clearance prices. A while ago I saw some reputable online dealers selling the TRV-38 for $595, which is a bargain for a well-featured Mini-DV camcorder with a 3.5" LCD.
If you look to the Canons, be careful as many of them are well-known for having weak or poor low-light performance. E.g. when shooting indoors with just one or two lights one, they can get murky. Otherwise they have very good video performance. And the new Elura's have bigger CCD's which may finally address the low-light issue.
www.camcorderinfo.com has some good reviews, including some positive ones on the one or two of the new Sony HC's and the new 3-CCD camcorders from Panasonic. |
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| Taiwanese |
I just received my Canon elura 60. I paid $481.90.
So far I am happy with what it came with and the overall design.
It feels nice and looks well made. |
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