hello
i'm looking for a cheapish camcorder around $300-500 over the counter cos i'm going OS in a few days and need something to video my folks. bad planning, no time to research (that's the fun part for me ) but hoping this forum could offer a few suggestions for a shortlist??

if possible a SD card +/- hard drive based camcorder would be best (is it possible for this price?).

thanks in advance
wilbs

Have a look at the SDR-S7 from Panasonic. Its small and compact, and it takes an SD card.. for $500 you're not gunna find one thats HDD as well I'm afraid.

Linky..

Ted's website has it for $479 but I think some other retailers might have it a little cheaper, so shop around if you've got time I guess.

I agree - I bought a Panasonic SDR S7 for going O/S.
Great little toy - so small it will fit in your coat pocket.
SD card seems to hold plenty. Also takes still shots. Quality is standard definition, but it looks OK on my 40"TV
Cost was $399 at Clive Peeters Belrose.

thanks guys
ended up buying a sony DCR-DVD610E $418, testing it on my plasma picture seems pretty good via ps3.

Howdy, I am sure you will be happy with the Sony 610, if I saw this thread sooner I would have told you about it.
I've had one for a few months now, has great features, great picture and the mic picks up sound really well.

I recommend you get a genuine Sony spare battery overseas, they are way overpriced here. I am getting one from Amazon.com, the np-fh70 which sells from around $55US. The largest battery NP-FH100 has a long charge, but from research some people find it a bit bulky/weighty for the camcorder. For most people the combination of the np-fh50 that comes with camcorder and the np-fh70 is more than enough. If you want a additonal charger, which you can also use in the car, Dealsdirect.com.au have one for around $15.

cheers, Rebel.

QUOTE (wilbs01 @ Jul 28 2008, 08:43 AM)
hello
i'm looking for a cheapish camcorder around $300-500 over the counter cos i'm going OS in a few days and need something to video my folks. bad planning, no time to research (that's the fun part for me ) but hoping this forum could offer a few suggestions for a shortlist??

if possible a SD card +/- hard drive based camcorder would be best (is it possible for this price?).

thanks in advance
wilbs



I Just bought last week a camcorder/camera that is full hd and has 16gb memory sdhc.. it was from Millennius. i got it for $420 on auction, they just released but it now and offer them a price... also...

its http://stores.ebay.com.au/Millennius-Online
and its pretty good value for money, great quality camcorder/camera also... i saved myself $1000 so im wrapped now i can spend a little more on my son for xmas. which is good

hello

can someone please tell me, if i buy a High Def Camcorder will i be able to record the video to computer and a normal standard DVD disk, if i chose the standard recording option in the High Def camcorder?

or shall i just stick to a normal standard camcorder, i dont want to upgrade my dvd recorder and tv at the moment to HD, thats the reason for my question

thanks.

Yes, you can choose to reduce the recording quality, but you'll still be recording in AVCHD format. If you will be recording heaps and wanting it all in SD, then maybe a SD Camcorder is a better choice.
If you are comfortable with doing some editing, then most of them provide software to allow easy transfer to Mpeg2 for SD DVD editing and viewing, but whatever way you do it, AVCHD takes a bit of processor grunt from your PC.

It can be done and pretty easily if you are comfortable with editing footage, but if this is your first go into home movies/editing it can be daunting if you need to convert everything so your players can handle it.

thanks i think i will just stick to my SD camcorder looking at this one, http://www.cnet.com.au/camcorders/camcorde...39286582,00.htm