Whats best digital camcorder on the market under $1500?

shepaints, Go to www.epinions.com for prices and ratings of digital camcorders. It's what I use to buy most appliances, electronics, and computer equipment. The consumer ratings are really helpful. c.i.

Maybe we can get quinn1 to pop in here. She just went through some of this a few weeks ago helping a friend look for one and I know she looked at the JVC models.

ah..the joy of digital camcordering...its simple and yet so complex really.

I looked at the JVC, Samsung and Canon...ended up with the Canon....at actually just over 800.00.

It all depends really on what you are looking for specifically, and what you feel more comfortable with when handling it. I noticed when looking at one of the Canons the person I was assisting had a habit of covering the speaker in front with hand/finger, etc., however on the JVC the habit was to switch the mode of the camera due to the placement...which is a bit more serious and a harder hand placement to work with when trying to not do that.
The Canon also had the ability to do digital pics at a high resolution as stills seperately from the digital recording which makes it a dual use camera...this was not only an essential but, a selling point as well....the others either didnt have the capability or they were so bad it wasnt worth it.
The Canon also had the ability to record in low light/night setting which was also one of those selling points.
You can get a great camera for mid cost and not worry about all the bells and whistles you dont really need....dont be fooled by all of it.
Have you a VHS recorder in the past? What uses did you have for that? Usually you can figure what irked you or what you enjoyed with that and go from there.
If you havent a VHS or 8mm or anything in the past then, you need to figure out what you want/dont want, need/dont need in a camera.
I found that most have either too much or too little woohas for the usual person. The Canon seemed to work well in the middle and in a decent price range. The images were fabulous and although I havent seen yet the transferred image, it didnt seem like all that a troublesome process with the software included.
However..make sure you get the right connector when purchasing the camer if you are going to transfer to your computer. Just an FYI.

Boy, I must really live in the sticks because I didn't even know they had digital camcorders. Cool. One of my next toys for sure :-D

quinn, I have a Canon ZR20 that I've had for over two years. I'm glad to see your support of the Canon. I'm also looking at the Canon G3. What is your opinion? c.i.

Sony - I'll get you a model# in a few hours, is dvd a must? cd ok?

Husker-I wouldnt go for a Sony myself..I have a thing about being able to use equipment with ease...Sony doesnt seem to have as much in this area, not that its not a great and wonderful piece of equipment if you're willing to go all the way with it....most people dont need, nor are they patient enough to handle it, plus..most are more expensive than comparable other models...why do that to yourself. If you're a nut..heck..go for the gusto and after getting all the connections right...all is well. It generally helps to have all Sony equipment though so, if you already have all that Id say yeah, go for the Sony.

ci, Im a big fan of Canon but, dont let that fool you, since I was going for someone else I went to all the online forums to get feedback from all sorts of models and actually went in thinking she'd end up with something else...it was after looking at everthing and considering what her needs were that she went for the Canon and now that Ive seen the results, Im glad and think I should just go with my gut.

dyslexia...its a great toy...we all should have one

Sorry I have been so long in responding....I couldnt access the site.
Thanks for all your great advice.I wish I had asked this question 2 weeks ago. Iattended my son's graduation with a 15 year old video recorder...big mistake! I almost bought the DVD camcorder at Future Shop (snap decision in 20 mins) but the extra costs $30.00 per dvd put me off at the counter....then there was talk of dvd burners......

My video results were poor and out of focus. The battery wasnt reliable so I plugged into an electrical outlet way at the back! I got the flavour of the occasion, but I am sad it wasnt an excellent recording.

I am interested in the Canon since I have an excellent 35mm EOS.
Maybe I'll wait till the dvd's have been out for a while and the price
comes down.......

shepaints...yeah, sounds like a bad time with that whole plugging in and all that...well, at least you have something though.
It probably wouldnt be a bad idea to wait for the prices to come down if you're really interested in one that goes straight to dvd.
good luck!

quinn....I suspect "operator error" occurred in my video recording since I havent used it at such a range
for years....My ongoing preference is for a digital camcorder that will use dvd's that can go right into
the dvd player....

shepaints-wish I could give you some advice however, not as up to date on those. Give it a year and we'll probably all be lookin at them though. Hopefully you can get some pointers from others.

I think that is going to be pretty expensive

Yeah, Im thinking itll be just in the range of 1500 for the camera itself from what I can recall. After that all the doodads you have to get to go along with it all...Im doubtful at the time being. As I said though, wait a year, maybe that will help.

Looking at a Sony DCR-DVD200
expensive but it works on DVD not tape.....
anyone tried it?

I decided against the DVD camcorder and went
with a Canon which records on Digital tape and
also has a built in digital camera. It is excellent....
but still has a problem..I had to buy a cable to connect it to my computer to download. Now, I have to install a firecard, or something like that , to
make my computer compatible. to accepting the
download.......this is a
never ending spending and learning curve!

what model - I'm waiting

Husker...I bought the Canon ZR90
It is very small and compact and easy to operate.
It also takes digital photos but this was not a selling
point for me since I already have a digital camera which
is easy to use and very light.
This camcorder has a zoom, records well in low
light conditions ( both features I wanted) and the
sound playback and picture quality is excellent.

I was told by someone that DVD's haven't been
around long enough for us to be sure about how
well they will store the images over time, whereas
video has pretty well proved itself.

I am looking forward to learning how to edit
on the computer and it looks fairly simple.

What video editing programs did they give you? I really like showbiz by arcsoft.

Husker, you are a step ahead of me.....I think I
have a video editing program on my windows xp,
but I am not sure! I'll let you know when I
take the next leap!