No comments about Canon XL1 S - Camcorder - 320 Kpix - optical zoom: 16 x - Mini DV - black, silver.

No comments about Isonic Snapbox DV51RD Camcorder with 5 Megapixel CMOS and 2 GIG SD CARD (Red).

No comments about Sony DCR-SR65E "Pal" 40GB HDD Handycam Camcorder, Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens, 25x Optical/2000x Digital Zoom Lens, 2.7" Touch Panel SwivelScreen LCD.

No comments about Tekxon V5300 Digital Camcorder.

1 comments about Sony Handycam DCR-TRV22 - Camcorder - optical zoom: 10 x - Mini DV.

1. I've shot with this same camera for 5 years and have never had any problems with it. I'm a film/video producer and I mostly use it to shoot stuff on the run and on the cheap. If you set up your camera properly you can get a nice picture and the touch screen menus are easy to use...

No comments about SONY DCR-HC21E PAL Digital MiniDV Handycam(R) Camcorder.

5 comments about Sony HDR-HC1 2.8MP High Definition MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom.

1. First of all, let me say that I am a 16 year old aspiring filmmaker. I used to use a little cheapo 1CCD camcorder that I got way back in 2002. The picture quality sucked, and last July it finally went caput and died on me. So, I went camera shopping for about 3 or 4 months.
   
   Finally, late last November, I settled on the HDR-HC1. Considering my price range, and the fact that it shot in HD (and TRUE widescreen, for that matter), it seemed like the perfect camera for me at this stage in my career. So far, it has delivered for me even better than I expected.
   
   Pros:
   1. Finally! A camera with true widescreen!
   
   2. Excellent picture quality. Sometimes I have to convert the HD video so it will fit on a DVD, but even then it looks absolutely stunning. It almost looks like film. I was extremely impressed.
   
   3. It's small and lightweight. Easy transportation.
   
   4. Manual focus ring works great. This is another thing that I was somewhat peeved on with my old camera. I like to make a lot of short films. Because of the zoom ring, I am able to put focus on certain aspects of the frame (an old movie technique that still works great). The only way that the ring could be better is if they labeled it with some markings.
   
   Cons:
   
   1. The battery life is pretty bad. 40 minutes doesn't do justice for a camera like this. For compensation, I bought the Sony NP-QM91D. It delivers me about 4 hours of battery life. Granted, it takes a while to charge, but it's worth 4 hours. The only drawback is that this battery will cost you an extra $100 dollars.
   
   2. Yes, the camera is a little front heavy, but the extra extended battery will fix this.
   
   3. The viewfinder. This is something that really ticks me off about this camera. I was really disappointed with Sony over this. With the big battery that you will need to purchase, your viewfinder will basically be rendered useless. The battery sticks out so much that, if you want to use the viewfinder, your nose and the battery will be spending a lot of time together. The least Sony could have done would have been to allow the viewfinder to extend out, but, sadly, this is not the case.
   
   4. This camera doesn't perform the best in low light conditions. When you shoot in low light, the image becomes very grainy. This kind of disappoints me as I shoot a lot in very unpredictable lighting conditions.
   
   5. The tape deck is located at the bottom of the camera which means that you have to turn the camera upside down to load and unload the tapes. In other words, you can't change tapes if the camera is on a tripod or connected to anything else while filming. This normally isn't a problem, but if you're shooting live on a tripod and your tape starts to run out, the only way to change it is to disconnect the camera from the tripod, change the tapes, and then reconnect it. This is a fairly time consuming process that will make you lose a substantial amount of footage, so be careful on how much tape your camera has left while filming.
   
   Overall, I would definitely give this camera some consideration. For the price range, it works great.



2. Save your money. I've owned this camera for a little over a year and, quite frankly, I can't wait to put it on ebay and try something else.
   
   The biggest challenge with the camera are it's little quirks that, over time, get in the way of filming. For example, Sony for some reason has chosen to put the button that switches between video, still photos (which are awful) and video playback right next the the record on/off switch. It is *so* easy to toggle it when preparing to shoot. And the next thing you know you're scrambling to get it back into video mode. And you've lost your shot.
   
   The video camera has a an exceeedingly long start up time and a seemingly random length transition from standby to record. It could take a second or it could take ten seconds. And since this thing chews through battery life, I've always been reluctant to leave it on, for fear I'll end up with the dreaded "blinking battery" and no spares. So I struggle to capture the events (mostly high school games) that I bought it for. It pains me to think of how many times I've pressed record and then missed the great catch or kick- watching the word "Standby" flash in the viewfinder as the camera struggles to enter record mode.
   
   Finally, the colors, even in bright light, look washed out to my eye. My old 3 CCD panasonic G4 looked *so much* better. I've tried adjusting the white balance, color balance... you name it, with limited success. But why does it have to be so hard just to get decent color? And the low light performance is even worse.
   
   I could go on... I was sucked in by the idea of cheap HD and a leading edge product. Yes, the picture detail is better than standard DV, but that only matters if you can actually get the shot.



3. After reading that this was the "best of it's class" camcorder at camcorderinfo.com, as well as reading all the reviews I could find, I bought it. Now that I've had it for many months, some comments: It's a great camera, HD is awesome, and it has alot of features. Nothing to complain about other than 1) auto focus is problematic, especially in low-light, and 2) low-light quality isn't even as good as my 1999 Digital8 Sony was. Taping in Night Vision is almost useless as it goes out of focus so easily.
   
   I'm still blown away by how great the day video looks when imported into my iMac. HDV is a pain on older computers (my 1.8 Ghz iMac G5 took 2-4x to import, but my Core 2 Duo imports realtime). Note, importing in iMovie involves reading in the HDV and converting it to an intermediate format -- higher end apps can import real-time and edit that (converting on the fly).
   
   I do like the camera -- few complaints -- but I'm still irked that Sony uses a non-standard hotshoe. All my old Sony add-ons (IR lights, etc.) could not be used on this. But, the active hot show has great benefits (like the bluetooth mic that plugs up and gets power and audio from the hotshoe -- nice).



4. First let me just say, this is NOT a pro camcorder!!!
   
   WIth that said, this is one of the best investments I made for making memories. I had HDR-HC1 for about a year and used it moderately, and have been very happy with the results.
   
   Pros: 1. Great picture.
   2. Very light. Your arm will not get tired.
   3. Easy to use. Just put tape in and you are ready.
   4. Easy to connect to MacBook. Plug and play.
   
   Cons. 1. Needs more zoom.
   2. Build in mic not too great.
   3. Short battery life.
   4. Small view angle.
   
   There are some drop outs on the video, but i think that is because I use "the" cheapest tapes I can find. Even so, I only noticed one drop in 12-14 tapes.
   Good luck.



5. This model has been succeeded by newer ones; however, I found the quality of both movies and still photos to be superb. Transferring the video into the high definition software on my Mac was easy (the camera is one of relatively few with Firewire, IEEE 1394, or iLink - all the same - output that the high definition software requires), and the results are superb. Although I don't have a high definition DVD recorder, the quality of the standard DVDs I burned from the HD source were absolutely great.
   
   Even the built in microphones were good. I recorded a brief concert by my brother, a Cathedral organist, using only the camera - the sound was marvelous. Yes, a studio could have done it better - but I had all I needed in the palm of my hand.

2 comments about Panasonic PV-GS32 MiniDV Digital Camcorder 2.5" LCD, 28x Optical & 1000x Digital Zoom.

1. I needed a camcorder and waited until the last minute to buy one. But this camcorder came highly recommended (at least by the Costco salesman) so I bought it over the JVC. It worked wonderfully on my trip to the Disney parks as well as the Disney cruise that followed.
   I am very pleased with my choice of camcorders. Also the feature that allows you to switch to still photos saved me a lot of time switching to a separate camera. I was able to film, take photos and then immediately after I was able to view both.
   And the distance this camera can zoom is incredible. We seemed to be miles from docking at the Bahamas and I was able to zoom in and see people walking along the beachfront.



2. The title says it all: Light, Small, Incredible Zoom, Easy Menus describes this camera.
   I don't know why there is only one review so far in 2008 when I am writing this to make two reviews on it.
   
   I bought this camera and was able to set it up and take pictures without even reading the manual. It takes good videos. The still mode requires adequate light. The digital zoom requires a tripod.
   
   I might give it 5 stars if it came with a firewire cable or if the still shots were better or if I had experience with other camcorders so as to have a basis for comparison. I haven't found any negatives yet at this price level.
   
   I also like the easy to use mode dial on the back of the camera. I can use the neck strap, put my right hand in the hand strap and rest it that way, control the on/off switch with my index finger, the mode dial and the start/stop button with my thumb all without even looking at the camera; it's very intuitiveand comfortable.

No comments about RCA EZ201 Small Wonder 60 Minute Point-and-Shoot Camcorder + Accessory Kit.

5 comments about Panasonic PV-GS250 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom.

1. This is a great camcorder. The picture is excellent. It has well thought out features. I like the fact that you can also take high resolution still pictures. It is very small and compact. The only thing that could be better is the flash for the still pictures. I often get the glare from the flash in the picture.



2. I love my new camera!!! This is my first video camera and there is definitely no buyers remorse here. It is soooo user friendly!I researched many cameras and found this one to be most suitable for my needs. My company was subcontracted to work with another production company and my camera (PV-GS250) was used as a secondary camera for b-roll and it was fabulous. The footage was almost seamless between the two cameras when it was being edited. I'm very happy with my purchase and look forward to using it more and more.



3. I did a lot of research before buying the PV-GS250. Now that I have the camera in my hands I know I made a great choice. Great image quality. Great build quality. The low light problems you read about are not really a big deal. In a noramlly lit room everything is fine.



4. I was looking forward to using this highly rated camera for taking video of our new son. Unfortunately, the camera tape mechanism went out after the first 4 months and I had to send the camera to Illinois to be repaired, and also to get the tape out of the camera. The camera was out for 6 weeks. The refurbished camera lasted approx. 6 more months, sent it back again and this time it cost me $168 to have it refurbished. Now after a couple of months the camera is showing a white LCD screen and will not function at all.
   Time to give up on Panasonic. Their customer service is non-existant and getting the camera repaired again seems like a waste of time.



5. This camcorder has many features to desire and can be used for everyday use in many conditions. This is the second camcorder I've had in this range and am really pleased with it. The only negative thing about it is the low resolution still camera functionality it has at 3.1 MP. Otherwise a great buy with good clarity, saturation, optical zoom and features.