Remster

As we are expecting our 1st child in November, I want to buy a video camera for all those precious development moments. Ahhhhhhhhh

I believe that the 8" RW DVD type camera is the best format at the moment and i've identified the Sony Handycam range as pretty good allrounders.

Can anyone advise on what features I should be looking for and what other manufacturers to consider. Also, will the 8" discs play in std. home DVD players and PC's?

This is all very new teritory for me so any advice is most appreciated.

Many thanks
Chris

OllyK

When I asked about Camcorders a few months ago I was steered away from the DVD re-writable types. I went with a mini DV in the end with an SD card for photos. Seems to work well.

To give a brief comparision when I download from Mini DV, each minute of video takes about 150 Mb of space, so for a 90 min tape that's 13,500 Mb or about 13.5 Gb or almost 3 single layer DVDs. So either you won't capture much per DVD or the quality may be less good.

A mini DV camera is also smaller as a tape may be wider but it isn't as large in the other dimensions

Remster

Thanks for your views Ollyk.

You have a point re. the DVD's which I believe record 1hr of footage per disc. Any suggestions on models to consider of the Mini DV type?

OllyK

Your budget may be a factor here. I went for a Panasonic, but Canon also do very good camcorders. Have a look at the main players in your budget range and see which suits you best in terms of quality vs features.

Allan

iTrader: (1)

Direct record to disk cameras have not had good press up until recently, I believe the latest offerings are however much improved.

I would consider mini DV at the moment, possibly one of the three chip range from Panasonic if your budget reaches. You should be able to pick one up for around the £600 mark with accessories. If at all possible try to get a demonstration before you buy, things like auto focus accuracy vary considerably from model to model, if you pick one that's lazy you will be disappointed.

Another good source of info is one of the specialist mags, look at the best buys and recommendations.

Allan

SideShowBob

I was researching getting one for an upcoming holiday, and for features and spec, the best one I found was the Sony HC22 http://audiovisual.kelkoo.co.uk/b/a/...00/123501.html

Best optical zoom for the money, and a very complete camcorder. I spoke to a few general camera shops, and they recommended not going for straight to DVD recorders at this stage, as the quality couldnt match DV.