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General discussion

Web Design chick needs a good recommendation / unbiased

May 18, 2006 8:11PM PDT

Hi

I'm halfway through a degree in multimedia, obviously researching good camcorders

-I've looked at a good lot of the 7,000 odd forum posts.
-I've also read most of the reviews extensively, and have noted that sony and canon are also sponsors of c-net (gasp) and I don't know how much I can trust the reviews as they do seem to favour canon and sony.
-I can only spend about $200-500 U.S
-I need a camcorder that takes reasonable stills and doesn't lose a lot of video quality after it has been transferred to PC and then opened in macromedia or adobe for editing and I have read the article already on dvd v. mini dv which is kind of confusing on this issue.
-it needs to have average or above average low light performance
-good video picture quality
-a memory stick or something similiar is good although I don't know if I need one or why but it seems convenient
-15x to 20x zoom
-I don't care if its bottom loading, or dvd or mini whathaveyou as long as it fits above criteria
-I might use it as a web cam but again not fussy
-don't care if its easy to use at all
-medium range battery life, not fussy
-i'd like a choice of brands

so for this sort of money, if you can recommend something, please reply, also if you have actually used it for this type of thing this would be good.

Discussion is locked

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Just sharing.
May 18, 2006 10:06PM PDT

1. About loss.

Many attempt to transfer video with USB and post here about loss. I don't unpack the USB cable but head straight to firewire. I don't think I need to write more about that.

2. About still pictures.

Even today I find no camcorder that rivals my still digital camera. Why would I want to compromise?

Maybe this is about 2 things. One that loss can be minimal or same as everyone else (use firewire) and two, that the camera in a camcorder's feature is subject to the owner's view if it's good enough.

Bob

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firewire firewire
May 18, 2006 11:00PM PDT

yes about firewire you must get sick of saying that huh...
I wasn't trying to get out of my homework but more trying to avoid buying a lemon and seeing the good one later

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Sharing what we own...
May 18, 2006 11:22PM PDT

My son and I both have the JVC gvr-50 or something similar. The only camcorder I was not happy with was not a mini-DV unit. None have delivered on stills when I compare with my digital camera (currently I carry my Kodak dx7490.)

Hope this helps.

Bob

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digital cameras v. digital camcorders, pic quality
May 18, 2006 11:43PM PDT

Yes, thankyou it does help.

it's true, none of the camcorders in this price range compare with a digital camera for stills, according to the reviews, so I guess I'll have to swap my camcorder with someone's camera while I'm out...

Canon Optura 500 is the one I have my eye on this minute. But that could change.

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I would say a miniDV for your criteria
May 19, 2006 5:39AM PDT

I found one camcorder that fits all of your needs except the zoom unfortunately. It is the Panasonic PV-GS65. It performs very well in low light and is good in quality overall. The zoom is only 10X but depending on your leniency, this would be fine. The price is a little above the 500 dollar limit you set but not much if you can add an extra couple dollars to your budget. It is VERY worth the money. Performs well. MiniDV is very easy to edit on the computer on Adobe or Macromedia. I would say this would be a good choice. Post back to give your comment if possible.

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Panasonic PV-GS65
May 19, 2006 6:09PM PDT

Yes that's what I was looking for, thankyou. The zoom is ok....I'll look it up and get back to you tomorrow. It looks like one of the older panasonic models right?

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Yes its sort of old but....
May 20, 2006 4:30AM PDT

Yeah, its a few months old but it still is one of the best. I'll wait to hear from you.

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australian / american specs
May 20, 2006 7:41PM PDT

I looked into that camera..and it does come with most of the things I need. It's even available with one or two sellers on ebay, although panasonic doesn't make them anymore. But here's the problem: I should have mentioned, I'm in Australia, and using a PAL system. Means I can't plug it straight into my tv because its NSTC. There are ways of overcoming this, for example dumping it on my pc and burning a dvd...what do you think...all too hard? I'd have to buy a power adaptor too....I should have checked all this first...

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Actually Might Be Better
May 20, 2006 11:14PM PDT

I didn't know that you are in Australia. Sorry. But since the camcorder can connect to the PC easily, it should not be a problem to capture it, edit, and burn to a DVD.If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

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Going to get that awesome camera
May 26, 2006 6:40PM PDT

whizkid I think I am going to buy that camera from the states when I go back. The australian c-net doesn't do any reviews for camera's in that price range, and I dont want to risk buying something crappy. And to be honest there isn't that many cameras available in Australia in that price range either.

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NTSC
May 27, 2006 7:12AM PDT

Are you going to be using it in the States or Australia??
Panasonic makes PAL models of their camcorders.
Usually they are NV instead of PV for the model #.

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Can't find NV-GS65 !
May 27, 2006 7:33PM PDT

That was very helpful actually. I'm dying to get this camera as it definitely has good reviews and fits everything I need. But I can't find the NV pal version anywhere! not even on ebay. I guess what I need is a video camera that fits these specs and is still on the market, so I can find the NV version of it elsewhere. Thanks though, I learned somethin' very helpful

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Panasonic
May 28, 2006 2:10AM PDT

It may be the GS75 is the PAL model. I think I read that somewhere.

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Look for one that is/was fairly popular. Then look for
May 19, 2006 8:21AM PDT

it on eBay, but be sure you know what a good price is. eBay auctions can exceed the price of a new item, so you need to know what a good value is. I got my first camcorder on eBay (Sony TRV17), and it's still in my bag although I also now have a Canon XL1S (also from eBay). The Canon is telling me that the Sony's color saturation is off so I'm getting itchy.

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buying camcorders on ebay
May 19, 2006 6:13PM PDT

Yes its amazing the amount of times ebay has things that exceed the rrp. Like I just saw an ipod shuffle for $149, and the manufacturer has it on their site for the same! with a warrantee!