Which Video camera should I buy for our family?

the camcorders with the build in hard drives are good. i believe jvc makes some like jvc everio-g gz-mg37us about ($500) would have been one if i didnt get my sony. i have a Sony handy cam dcr-dvd405 about ($500) which i love a lot except the minidvd format. your videos can only be 30 mins long before switching to another dvd.

What kind of movies? If she enjoys making films, then get her a miniDV camera, period. If you just mean movies as in home videos, then a hard drive camera will probably be good enough, but miniDV is still preferable if you want to edit. Dont go for dvd cams at all. As for sound quality, I have a $1500 GL2, yet a $300 mic would probably have better audio. So my point is, dont look for good onboard mics, look for cams with mic ports. Also, I can safely say that all cameras being manufactured now have tripod holes, so you're good on that. I'm not too familiar with specific models (or hard drive cams for that matter), but I've heard good things about the canon elura 100, its around $400, and has a mic port, so you could probably get a $200 mic and have it come out to around $600 total; not bad considering your getting good audio and fairly decent pictures. Panasonic's pv-gs series has some 3ccd cams, the ones I would recommend are the 300, and 500, and I would recommend the 400 over any camera, but you probably wont find one, unless on ebay. However, if you do find a gs400, get it. It will be the best quality for the price. Hope this helps!

Yes, a bigger sensor will get you better low light. Lower f stop numbers as well, but they wont make a huge impact if you have a small sensor. However, you will most likely not be able to find a 1/3 inch camera for under $1000, unless you just happen to stumble upon one. 1/5 or at most 1/4 is probably the best you'll get. And yes, you'll need a firewire port, but if you dont have one, adapter cards can be bought cheaply at any electronics store for under $100. If you plan on getting a hard drive cam, then dont worry about it, USB is fine.

First make sure you have a computer with an IEEE 1394 port. The transfer of DV is standardized using IEEE 1394 (Firewire or iLink). Then you can use a miniDV camcorder. For a given price, you will get the best optics and best sensor in a miniDV camcorder. HD and DVD recorders cost more for the same performance.

From my experience, you need an external microphone for good sound quality. The internal microphones pick-up the sound of the mechanism of the camcorder.

Low light performance is directly related to sensor size and number of sensors. A 3 sensor camcorder should have better low light performance than a 1 sensor camcorder. If the number of pixels is the same, a 1/3" sensor should have better low light performance than a 1/6" sensor.

Sony HC-26

Panasonic GS-29

Samsung 103 or 203, forget which it the Mini DV one

JVC GR 350

YOu might want to wait another month as the new cameras are starting to come out after March 1

You computers must support FIREWIRE or you will need a FireWire card

It must have a fast hard drive and processor, preferrably a Pentium 4 and you need lots of ram 1 GB perferrably.

You wll need to buy the firewire cable.

The JVC Evio is interesting. It's a hard drive camera and will record 3.5 hours straight but you MUST upload to the computer to get it off via Firewire or USB 2.0

You CAN record to SD cards, but you only get about 15 minutes on a 1 GB card.

They make one with a f/1.2 Lens for low light light in clubs.

This it he most costly at closer to $600.

Everything else is under $400

yes , this is a fantastic model , and brand , but as a retailer , I would suggest you look more at models which are SD or HDD hybrids , the mini dv just doesn't have ease you will get from a HDD camera , I would suggest you shy away from mini dv , the technology is phasing out , and it really isn't the best choice if you aren't buying second hand yes HDD camera's can crash , but the system is usually the culprit , and the file recording will usually remain intact , but that said this occurrence will happen as much as you would get a head cleaning warning , or a fault to the Head which will half record new stuff on top of the digital recording. every camera has it's bad points , canon in optics for any medium is probably in the top 2 for optics and system strength and faults low, as a suggestion I would ask you to reconsider HDD or sdhc as a method of choice.

Try cheapest prices search engine. You get consumer reviews, product details, prices from across the internet, brand comparisons and more.

I hope this helps you.

http://www.cheapestpricessearchengine.com/

Panasonic, Panasonic, Panasonic!

***And no, I am not a sales rep for Panasonic, I just believe they have the best products out there.***

If you want a serious camcorder not a piece of junk read this, but know that you will end up spending between $400-1000 for a "good" one.

***Remember, miniDV tape format is digital and any video you take with a miniDV camcorder you will be able to use on your computer (to edit and make movies), on your tv (to play back your video), and if you have a DVD recorder you will be able to make DVD's from the video you have on the tape and then the tape becomes reusable***

***I would recommend miniDV camcorders because for the price, what you can get is way better than what you can get with a DVD camcorder. And the tapes are pretty much comparable in price to the DVD's. The DVD camcorders are a newer technology and they haven't perfected everything yet. The only positive thing about the DVD camcorders is that you can get the video on your computer or on your DVR in a matter of seconds. With miniDV, it takes a little longer.***

Panasonic, Panasonic, Panasonic!

You should look for a camera that is similar to the one listed below. The Panasonic PV-GS300 is listed below and is a great camera for around $475. Other good Panasonic brand camcorders include the PV-GS320 and the PV-GS500 but the higher the model number, the higher the price.

•10x Optical Zoom and 700x Digital Zoom

•2.7” Widescreen LCD Display (123,000 pixels)

•3CCD (3 x 800,000 pixel, 1/6” CCD image sensors for best quality and clarity photos and video. The same kind of system used in professional broadcast cameras means crisp color reproduction, thanks to a separate CCD for reds, greens, and blues. (most camcorders just have 1CCD)

•Recording system NTSC

•SP and LP recording and playback modes (most MiniDV tapes are 60 minutes, but in LP you can record 90 minutes on these tapes)

•Video and Photos can be taken in 16:9 (widescreen) or 4:3 (regular)

•High-quality Lecia lens (37 mm)

•5 preprogrammed auto exposure modes for a variety of shooting options

•OIS (optical image stabilizer…minimizes shake and vibration distortion) This is a helpful tool, but if you want still images use a tripod.

•Soft skin detail mode (softens details to reduce skin imperfections when shooting close-ups)

•MagicPix (allows full color recording in low light)

•1-touch navigation with easy joystick control

•3.1 MP photos in Photo Mode with build in flash that can be turned on/off. Photo size is determined by what mode you have the camcorder set at. (video/photo and 16:9/4:3) In Video mode, the photos are smaller and quality is not as good as taking a photo in Photo mode.

o.2 MP photo size is 640 x 360

o.3 MP photo size is 640 x 480

o1 MP photo size is 1280 x 960

o2 MP photo size is 1600 x 1200

o2.4 MP photo size is 2048 x 1152

o3.1 MP photo size is 2048 x 1512

•Min shutter speed is 1/30 sec

•Max shutter speed is 1/8000sec

•Built in Stereo Microphone

•Stores photos on SD Memory Card (slot located on bottom of camera)

•Stores video on MiniDV Digital Tapes

•USB 2.0 and Firewire IEEE 1394 compliant

•DV, AV, external mic, and USB ports (the included AV cable has RCA and S-Video outputs)

•PictBridge (direct printing from camcorder)

•Includes MotionDV and Quick Movie Magic software

What’s in the box?

•PV-GS300 Camcorder

•RCA/S-Video cable

•AC cable

•Battery and charger

•Remote control

•Hand and shoulder strap

•USB 2.0 cable

•Software

What you will need to purchase.

•MiniDV Digital Video Tapes. Most stores sell these tapes between $7-10.00/tape! Check out eBay for good deals on tapes...you can probably find them for around $3.00/tape.

•Carrying case (Circuit City and Best Buy have a good selection, but expect to spend about $20.00.)

•Firewire (DV) cable. You don’t necessarily need this, but the quality is supposedly better when transferring tapes to DVD. I haven’t noticed any difference between the two and I prefer to use the included RCA cables with my DVD Recorder. If you have a laptop or desktop that has a firewire port this will come in handy...but note, a firewire cable is NOT included on most camcorders. You do, however, get a usb 2.0 cable that works just fine. Check out www.accstation.com for cheap, but great quality firewire cables. And if you have windows xp, you can use Windows Movie Maker to edit your videos. You shouldn't need to purchase any extra software.)

Stores and Prices

www.jr.com had it for under $475.00 (including shipping). Definitely check out this site. They offer great customer service, competitive prices, and fast/cheap shipping. They are located in New York and are a very reliable, trustworthy store.

•Circuit City…around $500.

•Best Buy…around $500.

Panasonic makes the best. If I were you, before you make an expensive purchase, do some research...look at customer reviews at www.camcorderinfo.com, www.bestbuy.com, www.circuitcity.com, or at any other review website. Most of those people that answer reviews do it for your benefit...they let you know if it is worth spending $500-1000+ for a certain product.

I have owned a JVC (miniDV), Sony (miniDV, DVD, and hard drive), and Panasonic (miniDV and hard drive) camcorders and I have to say that the Panasonic are the best. They have the best quality...best design...are the easiest to use...and are more durable than JVC and Sony. I use them for my business, which is why I have used and tested so many different kinds.

***PLEASE...go to the stores and try them out...don't make a purchase online without actually holding one and testing out its functions.

***And also be careful...if you do a google search to try and find a store that sells the camcorder that you are looking for, for the cheapest price...do some research and check out that store before you make your purchase. There are many great deals out there, but at what cost? A lot of places will advertise a cheap price but then will try to get you to buy more equipment for your camcorder that should already be in the box! WATCH OUT FOR SCAMS! I can't stress that enough.

GOOD LUCK!