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[Keyser Soze]

Going on holiday soon with new girlfrend and need a new camcorder to mess about with (no not in that way you sick freak!)

I have almost no idea about which ones are good quality but have spent a few days looking around. The only one I have found that I think is good yet is:

Sony DCR-HC42 Handycam MiniDV Camcorder (1Mp, 12x, 2.7" WLCD)

* Handycam Station
* 1.07 Megapixel Advanced HAD CCD
* 14 bit DXP
* True 16:9 widescreen mode
* Carl Zeiss Lens
* Super SteadyShot
* 12x Optical Zoom / 480x Digital Zoom
* 2.7" Wide Hybrid LCD
* Wide select button
* Touch screen
* Spot Metre, Spot Focus
* Super NightShot Plus
* 6 Picture effects and 6 digital picture effects
* 6 Programme AE
* Memory Stick Duo slot
* MPEG Movie EX
* Advanced USB Streaming (video CD burning)
* i.LINK (DV in/out)
* Video and S-video analogue input
* Battery Info
* STAMINA 6 hours (with optional battery)

...anyone around here got any other suggestions. I would really love something that I could just record with good quality (decent zoom and other features) then stick into iMovie and iDVD on my powerbook and throw out a disk in double quick time.

 

[DarienA]

Are Sony cameras still using that Movie Shaker software to transfer movies from the camera to your PC?

If so STAY THE FUCK AWAY. That software unless it's got a serious revision sucks ass we have an older Sony IP and man... crappy software.... crap crap crap.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Are Sony cameras still using that Movie Shaker software to transfer movies from the camera to your PC?

If so STAY THE FUCK AWAY. That software unless it's got a serious revision sucks ass we have an older Sony IP and man... crappy software.... crap crap crap.

Right, now I am scared of Sony's cams .....

I guess I better give a price range for those that want to help out. (around $600 would be good a bit higher would not break the bank)

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

I don't remember any Movie Shaker software with my Sony cam... it's my dad's camcorder but it seems to work perfectly when I use it.

 

[Manick Joe]

Sony's are definitely quality once you go above the cheapo low-end models. That particular one is nice in the fact it records true 16:9 unlike most others which either stretch the image or slap black bars on top of a 4:3 image. Also, Sony in general has the best image stabilization in the market plus a quality low-light mode. So if you're shooting indoors (dimly lit like restaurants, bars, etc.) your video won't look like the Best of Sam Fisher. The touch screen is very intuitive, but it turns you into a neat freak to get thumbprints off.

For other recomendations, the Panasonic 3CCD cameras are fantastic. I own this one \/

Not as good stabilization or low-light, but the color is remarkable. The video quality difference was why I went with that over the DCR-HC42. There are other cameras out there with better zoom, but once you pass 10-12x you'll probably need a tripod to keep it from being too jittery. Oh yeah and definitely get a longer life battery, especially if you're going on vacation.