Can you suggest a camcorder under $300.00?

CAMCORDER - What do you suggest?

• After reading the following requirements, which camcorder do think I should buy? Requirements: - should be handheld - should be HDD (at least 32GB), preferably with an extra memory card slot - should have infrared i.e. night vision to film in the dark - preferably, if it exists, capable to record in both standard and high definition - should cost no more than £500 approx. - should currently be available in the UK or in the very near future Another question: I have a Windows XP laptop and a standard definition television (I'm not planning to buy newer versions). I want to make decent quality home movies, but I doubt that HD camcorders would work on my computer and TV. Is it best for me to stick with an SD camcorder (and hybrid if it exists). I was told that the British quality of standard definition is generally so high that there isn't a strong contrast with high definition (unlike American standard definition) - so is HD worth my time and money?

• Answer:

  Most video format today require a reasonably fast modern machine. Plenty of ram 3GB + better if double that, and a minimum of a quad core cpu. Even if you only record in Std Def HDD cameras are expensive and are causing their owners problems, the hard drives have started to break. they are not a standard drive, and very expensive. I would suggest you went for either a Tape based camera Even HD will not make such high demands on your computer, (you have to have a firewire input on your laptop.) but you will have great video quality. Or flash drive, Slightly better in quality, than the HDD, less moving parts. But will still make your computer work hard, if it will edit the video at all you may have to convert it to a less compressed video format. Sony make the best "nightvision" although the range on them is not fantastic. Have a look here you will need to check out the specs for Infrared (night vision) It must have no more than 0LUX http://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Definition-Camcorders-Photography/b/ref=amb_link_64355965_18?ie=UTF8&node=355228011&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=left-1&pf_rd_r=1V6BR7M56VTHCPMZWMD2&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=216741247&pf_rd_i=560834#%2Fref%3Dsr_nr_p_4_1%3Frh%3Dn%253A560798%252Cn%253A%2521560800%252Cn%253A560834%252Cn%253A1104372%252Cn%253A355228011%252Cp_36%253A138897031%252Cp_4%253ASony%26bbn%3D355228011%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1288256035%26rnid%3D365489011&enc=1 Good luck You are paying for it, its totallly your choice but just consider if your laptop will be able to process the video, STD or HD. trust me its no fun trying to edit a video when it stops and starts ever few seconds. So you may need to invest in a up to date laptop/pc thats another 700+. There are places where you can Download some test video in various formats try AVCHD, and see if your computer will 1 play the video and 2 can actually edit it. I suspect like my old win XP laptop its just going to beg for mercy. I can still edit hd video from my tape based cameras even short lengths of HD. I am not trying to tell you what to buy, but simply explain the problems you may face one you try to edit the video. I sometimes have problems editing video (especially AVCHD) and my computer is setup for video, twin quad core, 24 Gb ram Nvidia video card, and SCSI disks. Another option would be to see if any of your friends have a HDD camcorder copy some of it to your HDD and try to edit it. WMM wont be any good you will need better editing software as the formats are very limited. Just a thought. Good luck RR