5 comments about Panasonic VDR-D230 DVD Camcorder with 32x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black).

1. We bought this as a gift for our kids and so far it seems to do a great job. It is easy to use and the picture quality is fine.



2. The camera records great. The problem I had was I wanted to place the recording onto a standard DVD so that it could be viewed by others. I had to read the directions very carefully and then experiment. I bought some Sony DVD RW disk and those were formated in VR,"Video Recording" and then the software provided reconized them and was able to open it up with DVD Movie Album program. Once opened and the video was there I pushed the Export button to save it onto the computer. Once down loaded I closed that program and opened DVD fun studio program. Then I selected the tool button on top and then selected the collect tool from there. A box popped up with an untitled video in it. I clicked the video then selected the arrow at the bottom to move it to the other box. Then I pushed OK and the video down loaded. Then I selected the size of DVD I wanted to put the video on in the lower left hand corner, a standard DVD is "12cm DVD". Then I pushed the burning buttom. With the mini DVD removed and a blank standard size DVD in the player/burner you just watch it work. It takes about 10 minutes to down load to the computer and 10 minutes to burn the DVD. I have tested it and it plays in the DVD player hooked to the TV. There are alot of features to figure out and I'm still working on them a little at a time. It is quite the camera but for awhile I was not sure if I would ever get it to work the way I wanted to. In fact I gave up several times but finally got. I think it will do anything if you work at it long enough. Recording is the easy part, tranferring the video to another product can be difficult to say the least.



3. M boyfriend gave me this a my birthday gift. I was wanted a camcorder since i like making movies and videos and i use to use the long time ago video camera. I LOVE the fact that the camera is small and easier to handle, that its not heavy and does not act as excess baggage. The only thing i dont like about it is that the battery last for less than 4 hours. I enjoy recordering and catching the moments of simple nonsence but most times i cant because when we are in the middle of having fun or something exciting is happening thats when the battery goes died but apart from that i love this camcorder.



4. The Panasonic Vdr-D230 is my first official camcorder. After going through about 5 camcorders and finding something wrong about them, I bought this camera and it is now one of my best friends. What I was very impressed with was the picture quality of the video. I was stunned. For a camera in this price range, you're not going to find too many camcorders with good picture quality. This does. The quality is vivid and brings the colors out. You can adjust the color and brightness on the camcorder's options. Quality is grainy and a little fuzzy at night, but isn't most camcorders?
   What I wanted was a Camcorder that could work friendly with my computer and upload my homemade videos to Youtube. This camera is perfect for it. Connect the camcorder to the computer, export the files into mpeg, and covert into avi. for my video editing software and I'm done. And the real cool thing is, is that the quality to my picture doesn't downgrade. :D
   I really like the structure to this camcorder as well. Easy to hold. And that it has the black coat instead of the silver coat. It'll probably be less likely to scratch like the silver coating camcorders.
   This camcorder has some features along with it as well. Most Panasonics do. Like Soft Skin Mode, and MagicPix. With DVD's; I just put in some *Panasonic DVD-RW* disks and they work great with my camcorder :D
   
   Pros*
   Very Vivid Picture Quality
   Computer Friendly
   Nice Sound
   Structure of Camcorder
   Brand Name
   
   Cons*
   More Features would've been nicer
   
   I can't find too many *cons* for this camcorder because there really isn't anything wrong about it. Everything came with the package that I wanted with this camcorder. I'm very impressed with Panasonic, they're my favorite :]
   Can't not wait to make more videos with this in the summer.
   
   Recommended for a Youtuber, and the First User.
   Overall Grade* A-
   Jordan



5. I am a total novice to video cameras let alone DVD cams. This little camera works great! I love the 1000x zoom feature.
   
   One thing that people in the other reviews had problems with was mini-dvd's not working. Well - if they would have read the little book, they would have seen that the camera only works with DVD-R or DVD-RW discs. Not +R or +RW. Yes! There is a difference.
   
   Still picture feature was a selling point for me. It takes great digital stills.
   
   Great, easy to use, light weight, and user friendly!

5 comments about Canon DC50 5MP DVD Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom.

1. I bought about 2 weeks ago... I am not happy with it... It does not work with other softwares such as Pinnacle or Ulead... You need to finished DVD before edit, but if you finished it you need to use the software that comes with camera. Software very basic and very limited. Pictures very very very low quality for a 5.0 MP... Almost useless... Not night vision fuction... Very expensive camera and very limited camera... Not a good buy



2. While this camcorder may be one of the more expensive DVD based Camcorders, its probably one of the best you'll find before moving on to High Definition. I had actually purchased the Sony SR42 30 GB before this and had to return it immediately because its performance was highly disappointing. This Canon camcorder however takes excellent footage. It also takes great still images too - a cool function in addition is that you can set it to take photos while in recording mode (at a little lower resolution). Doing this allows you to take advantage of the digital zoom to get in a little closer for still photos. This brings me to one of the draw backs of the camera, it only has 10x optical zoom. While while it is not bad, there are many cameras with a more powerful optical zoom. The plus side, is that the digital zoom (the 40x option, not the 2000x) is actually pretty good. Maybe not to the full 40x, but for the first little bit of additional zoom it still looks great. The only other draw back for me was getting used to the rewritable dvds and transferring them to my computer. It took me a little bit to figure out (just set up the disc in VR-mode) but after I did it was terrific. Now I just plug in the USB cord and put on the video into my editing program and edit away. You may here some reviews noting that the controls aren't all the intuitive, but just spend a minute or two with them (or read the manual) and the controls and functionality are good. Ultimately I would rate the camera a 4.5, but it wasn't a choice. If you're debating between this camera and others, just spend the few extra bucks and get this one. Also, if your far from moving up to high def, get this camera as well because I believe its towards the top of regular def (it does does have the option to shoot in either 16:9 or 4:3). Enjoy!



3. I give this product a 5 star rating because I believe it's great at what it does. I see this as a high end consumer product and I don't think Canon pretends that it's anything else. I bought the DC50 after reading just about everything I could find to compare the Canon with the Sony. I chose the Canon because I really dislilke the Sony marketing scheme wich to me is like the Microsoft of the consumer electronics indusrty. I also can not get my eyes to see a better picture from the Sony for more money or enough bells and whistles to make a difference. If you're looking for a Prosumer product with great editing features for making movies and have an audiophiles ear or if you expect to take award winning stills, I'm sure you will be dissapointed. If you want a digital DVD Camcorder with still photo function that delivers excellent pictures at a reasonable price point then this one is hard to beat. If you're like me,just about everything you shoot are Family and Friends, Sports events, School plays and Car Shows. I don't see anything better unless you just can't wait for the High Deffinition camcorders either HDD,DVD or Tape to get through the de-bugging process over the next couple of years and find a comparable price point to the DC50.



4. After researching on many similar camcorders from different manufacturers,
   I purchased DC50. What a great choice !!!
   This is my very first camcorder and nothing to complain about; easy to operate. I JUST LOVE IT !!!



5. If you're using Windows Vista, DON'T buy this camera. The camera is not compatible with Vista, meaning you can't plug the camera directly into your computer. Also, the software the camera comes with (Sonic MyDVD) isn't compatible either, so you won't be able to edit the video or even copy to your hard-drive.
   
   Maybe it's more fair to say don't buy Vista, but since Canon technical support was unapologetic and un-helpful, I'm not going to give them the benefit of the doubt.

5 comments about Panasonic SDR-H18 30GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 32x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom.

1. This camcorder was purchased as a Christmas gift for my 20 year-old son. He uses some very fancy, and very high priced cameras in his film classes at college and wanted a camera of his own for personal use. I couldn't afford $1000s for a high-end camera so decided on this one. After much research online, the price at Amazon couldn't be beat.
   The camera itself is an excellent buy for the price. Although the audio isn't the best, the other features work great and my son uses the camera almost daily. I waited this long before leaving feedback because I wanted to see how the camera held up over several months. It works as well after almost six months as the day it came out of the box.
   In hindsight, the one thing that has really paid off is the 30GB hard drive. No need for expensive discs. The hard drive holds plenty, and my son also uses a high capacity SD card for even more storage.



2. 
   I just got this camcorder so I'm still learning about it but so far it is light and compact and easy to handle. THe instructions are clear and simple and easy to follow. The lighting seems to be good and the pictures clear. So far I haven't transfered the picture to a DVD so can't comment on that.



3. I got it to upgrade from a tape-based camera that had a difficult user interface. This camcorder has an excellent interface and is easy to shoot good videos with. What's not to like?
   
   I can't get the videos out to download to a useable computer.
   
   1. It is really hard to transfer usable files to a computer. I can transfer to an XP computer, but my computers with video editing software are a Macintosh and a Vista system.
   
   The Macintosh cannot read the files at all, even though they are imported by Panasonic's software to the Mac successfully. Quicktime and iMovie both give error messages that the file is not a video file.
   
   The Vista computer can display the video from the SDR-H18, but there is no audio. Back to silent movies.
   
   By the way, it can make a DVD on the XP computer, but the DVD is just a bunch of unedited clips transferred to DVD.
   
   2. Even on overcast days outdoor shots get "solar flare" diamond-shaped internal reflections into the picture. So it is not a decent outdoor camera.
   
   So for the purpose I had planned to use the camera, it is pretty much useless. I don't enjoy only being able to watch the video on the viewfinder.



4. I really enjoy this little gadget. It's small enough to fit in the same bag as my digital camera and the quality of the pictures is excellent. Easy to use.



5. I love the camera. It does everything it was marketed to do. I wouldn't buy again from Amazon though. The seller charged me over $30.00 for a 3 day delivery and it took 10. Amazon wouldn't help and the seller never responded to any emails.

5 comments about Aiptek IS-DV 5 MP Digital Camcorder and MP3 Player.

1. This camcorder is amazing!!! It's so small and the quality is decent too! I would DEFINITELY recommend this to anyone! (just don't fall in the pool with it in your pocket, because then it starts acting weird and spazzing out...



2. This product is nice but for some reason the lens kept moving on its' own. unless you check it out carefully, i would not invest in it.



3. Only worked about 3 minutes first time we tried it but we are trying some other things???????



4. This little hand-held portable camera was good at first, I thought that the picture and video quality was fine, but then, 2 weeks after I bought it, the screen broke, and I can't even use it as a webcam. So now, I have to manually try to delete pictures and it is very difficult to maneuver. Also, with a very small memory chip, you can take maybe 12 pictures before the memory is full. I would recommend spending that extra $20-$30 for a better camera as this is possibly one of the worst digital camcorders that I have ever seen.



5. Pros: Price is right (cheap); Easy to use; clever tiny design; interesting features that you can personalize to your liking; sufficient storage (with addon 1GB card...spend extra and get it); battery life seems pretty good so far; no worry about power when connected to usb port on pc.
   
   Cons: Video is not outstanding but ok; still photos come out pretty decent; for best results you need to use camera in good lighting conditions.

5 comments about Sony HDR-UX5 4MP AVCHD DVD High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom.

1. Sony dit it again. What can I say one of the best camcorders. The only bad thing is you need a bluray dvd but you can use the camcorder.



2. I upgraded from a Sony DCR-HC30E that was 3 years old to this new HD camera and these are the pros and cons that I have found:
   
   Pros:
   * High definition. Pretty amazing quality on good light conditions even when conected to a 32" Samsung LCD TV that is only HD Ready (not full 1080i)
   * 16x9 rather than 4x3 format
   * Power adaptor is smaller (important when travelling)although the power cable could also be shorter and smaller.
   * Faster transfer to PC (not at viewing speed like old tape camera)
   * More efficient for archiving the original videos in external HD (about 1/3 of disk space).
   * Direct one-cable connection to TV with Standard HDMI connector
   * Simple PC Software provided to view AVCHD files and to convert into regular Video DVDs (although it can take the whole night to genereate a DVD of 15 min)
   
   Cons:
   * Much bigger and heavier than my old camera. Now I need to think twice before taking it for my next trip.
   * Being realistic can only record 15 min instead of 1 hour of video, before changing the DVD.
   * Editing AVCHD files require a lot of processing power. Now I need to upgrade both my PC and my video editing software.
   * Not possible to record both high def and standard def in the same DVD
   * All disks have to be finalized before being able to read on a PC, and this is a slow operation that can take up to 5 minutes. So better to transfer videos through USB if you haven't had to remove the DVD from the camera because you ran out of disk space.
   * Battery duration. Battery supplied is NP-FH60 rather than NP-FH70 and sometimes won't last for 2 DVDs of 15 minutes each.
   * Only as emergency photo camera since quality of photos is way below my old Canon Ixus 2 Mpixel camera.
   * Photos taken during video recording are even worse
   * Memstick is not provided, so unless you buy one, you cannot even try it as a photo camera.
   * I bought a Mem stick of 1GB. This is the same capacity than the DVDs, but you cannot recrd video to the memory stick!
   * Camera is slow to start recording since you press the record button, so you may loose the first two seconds. In addition it is slow powering up.
   * No multi TV System. I bough in the US and therefore is NTSC only, but I want to use it in Asia Pacific and in Europe. Fortunately I have a multisystem TV.



3. The price of this SONY HDR-UX5 camcorder is a bit high. Also, you cannot just purchase this camcorder without also getting a Sony blu-ray disc player because you need a Sony blu-ray disc player to play the disc on your tv set if you are shooting with high def. Sony uses a video compression scheme called AVCHD to encode the high def video, so your disc with AVCHD video cannot be playback with regular dvd player. You can use the software that comes with the camcorder to playback the AVCHD video on your pc but I would rather watch my high def video on the big screen. On the pc, image size for AVC HD is 1440x1080 and MPEG2 SD is 720x480 which is about 4 in by 2 in. The quality of the video and audio is good and the 4M still photo is acceptable. In-door video is good if you have proper lighting. You can shoot at the screen of your tv set and get comparable result when you show the recording later on the tv set. Auto flash has three settings (high/normal/low) to give you sufficient lighting for still photo. I do not have problem shooting photo indoor.
   
   The camcorder ($700) is expensive. On top of that, you need money for the accessories.
   
   1. You have two choices of video format- HD OR SD. With HD, you should get the sony blu-ray disc player because the High def is AVCHD 1080i and can be playback on your tv with sony blu-ray disc player. Without a sony blu-ray disc player, you can playback the high def video by connecting the video camera to your tv set with the supplied component video cable. You will not be able to play "the disc" by itself using a regular dvd player if it is recorded with HD video. With SD, it is MPEG2 video. So, for SD, you can play your 8cm disc without the blu-ray disc player. For high def, you should get a Sony blu-ray disc player. I think of the Sony blu-ray disc player as an important accessory to the UX5.
   
   2. Using the supplied battery(FH60), the recording time for SD (on SP mode) is about 75 min. I upgraded the battery to FH70 and I expect to get about 150 min. So I do not need to run back to my hotel to charge the battery when I was only halfway through shooting at the Great Wall. The mini dvd+rw disc records 30 min (single-sided, 1.4GB). If you want to record continuously on a single disc, consider using dvd+r DL. In SD (on SP mode), it is about 55 min.
   
   3. If you record with dvd-rw disc, you can split or trim the video and that is all the editing function you got from sony. Or, you can use Nero 8 Ultra Edition to edit High Definition content in AVCHD format. Roxio easy media creator 10 and Ulead VideoStudio 11 Plus will edit AVDHD. I don't know whether EMC 10 down-converted your footage. Certainly, it is much less expensive than doing it on the mac with Final Cut Studio 2. On the mac, you need Intel Core 2 Duo, Quartz Extreme graphics card, Mac OS X v10.4.9 or later, at least 2GB of RAM, Final Cut Pro 6 which is included in FCS 2. If instead, you use imovie '08, which is included with iLife '08; it will downgrade the high def to 480i. To me, it means it is not high def anymore.
   
   So, as I've said before, AVCHD means get a Sony blu-ray disc player, shoot in high def and show your footage on the big screen like it is meant to be.
   
   [...].



4. For the product and technical illiterate, this is a great camera. For those who know a little bit more, it is an excellent camera. Easy to set up, use and edit. Placing the dvd directly into the camera is the best! Finalise it, and walk right over to the DVD player...Awesome!



5. I think that the HD is in progress, because when I record in HD HQ, I can't edit the recorded material in the cam before finished the DVD.
   I don't have been used all the facilities of the cam recorder.
   
   Thanks.

5 comments about Sony DCR-DVD405 3MP DVD Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom.

1. I could not use the software that came with the handicam and I tried five other programs and none of them could access the cams video or controls - It may be possible to link PC and handicam but I don't have a degree in science fiction. If you're going to edit and make movies on your PC keep looking. This one is only for propeller heads.



2. This is the best camcorder I have ever had, i did a tremendous amount of research on this one and it paid off....buy this do not hesitate.



3. This is our first camcorder. We bought this for our twins who were born recentely. The long story short, this is a good deal. I spent about a week researching and decided to buy this for its user friendliness, DVD, price and qulaty. I made a good choice. HOWEVER, if you don't like the touch screen, which I like, do not buy this.



4. But the customer support was very good. My money was returned as promised, but it did cost me a week of my time.



5. I bought this for myself. But my son has four kids and I ended up giving the camera to him. I have no little kids no more but when I did I was always taking video. I used this cam a bit and it was great.

No comments about Canon DC320 1.07MP DVD Camcorder with 48x Optical Zoom.

5 comments about Sony DCR-DVD408 4MP DVD Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom.

1. I think the camera itselfes is a good one, but unfortunately my model had a malefunction after 2 minutes of operation. During recording it shot off completely and could not be restated at all. So I had to sent the camcorder in to SONY service center. UPS shipping was $ 31,-!!!



2. After a lot of research, I decided to purchase the sony dcr-dvd 408. night vision works great, a bit grainey with telephoto, but the instructions tells me this. Telephoto is very good, everything works as expected, no surprises.
   Great color, easy to operate, great price and free super shipping. This is a
   sure buy, Shoot the disk, finalize, throw it in a player and there it is.The
   manual is a pain tho, you read about a function in the front and then either the middle or back of manual to finish reading about areas of the same function. Has a disk that comes with it, a little editing, haven`t worked with that much. Usually software that comes with a product is only bits and pieces of a real program anyway. I am going to purchase a program anyway.



3. This is a very nice camcorder at a very decent price. I would definitely recommend this product.



4. I recently purchased this as a gift for my cousin on the arrival of a new born. We took some videos of the baby and they came out really well. The sound quality is excellent and the auto focus works very well. The camera design is very intuitive and easy to use. This is overall a great buy!



5. I got the handycam to film my son at the national beta club coonvention. It was exactly what I needed. The microphone picked up his voice well and the zoom picked up the picture. I got the camera for a song too.(385) Well below the price charged by other dealers. Very happy with this dealer. I would buy from him again.

5 comments about JVC Everio GZMG555 5MP 30GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom (Includes Docking Station).

1. I looked at a lot of cameras before settling on this one. Then I read the customer reviews here, and got very concerned by the Mac Users warning. After doing a bit of research, however, I discovered that it's very easy to export files from the Everio format to both iMovie and Final Cut. Conversion software is free from squared5.com, and converts to every format I could possibly need.
   
   After working with this camera for afew days, I am SO GLAD I bought this one! The features are seemingly limitless. I can do everything I had hoped to do (or needed to do for my web design business) and more, more, more.
   
   I'm looking forward to getting creative with this....very affordable, and very easy to use camera.



2. I can not say I haven't had anything other than a pleasurable experience with this camera.
   
   It takes not only great videos, but also great pictures. It picks up color so well. My digital camera has a higher resolution than this video camera, yet this video camera takes much better pictures.
   
   The only pit is learning on all the functions, and figuring them out. A little complicated, and I'm a tech nut. Thats why I gave it 4.
   
   Buy an extra battery (as goes with every camera).
   
   I give this product an A.



3. Video is not particularly bright when using indoors. Software is ridiculously confusing. Will not let you download and use your own burning software, must use theirs.
   Light weight and fairly easy to use. Handle/button placement does not allow easy use with right hand.



4. I bought is camcorder about about two months ago. I used it at eight events day and night time shooting and the videos came out great. I also shoot photos at a wedding, I loaded the photos on my computer. The prints were like a pro.



5. I recently just got this camera and boy is it frusterating! Now don't get me wrong the video quality is just pure excellence compared to the last camera I used. Another pro is the night alive feature which allows you to turn on a light built in the camera if necessary. Now with the cons. The camera files are saved as MOV files which are basically basically mpeg files, but none of my computer editing software can recognize it, including Windows Movie Maker and Sony Vegas Pro. I have wasted nothing, but precious time to solve this, but none of the solutions I've found appeal to me. I don't want to lose any quality and only want to edit the files directly through the programs I have (without converting)and not use the poor editing software it came with. Shame! with it's price tag it should be able to do the basic function what my previous $80 camera was capable of doing.

5 comments about Sony HDR-FX1 3-CCD HDV High Definition Camcorder w/12x Optical Zoom.

1. truly a dream come true. even received a phone call to tell me when they would be delivering it since it is a higher dollar item. very professional.



2. Got my hands on one of these babies this weekend for a no-budget short film. Loved it. So easy to use, and the picture is great. It's true, the finished look is not "cinematic", which is a fair criticism, but for the price it is great if you're looking to upgrade to a high-def digital picture. Watched the playback on a 16:9 widescreen TV before editing and it was beautiful. However, you can't rely on the auto-functions. Tried using auto-focus and auto-iris at the start, but ended up doing both manually for the most part. A small complaint considering a real filmmaker shouldn't be using them anyway. Otherwise, a great camera.



3. I have been using the DCRVX 1000 for over 10 years and it has done well. However, the FX1 is so far superior in every way. The only feature I miss is the "overlap". So far, the color, the detail, the feel (a bit heavier than the VX1000) are even better than I expected. HD is as close to reality as possible. I have 2 weddings that I will soon record, and I feel confident that the FX1 will perform without fail. I recommend this camcorder for the very serious videographer. It is priced $2 thousand less than the VX1000 sold for in "96 at $5 thousand. Technology has improved while costs have fallen. A good buy at 3 grand.



4. Sony HDR-FX1 3-CCD HDV High Definition Camcorder w/12x Optical Zoom
   
   Just one word of warning, the camera can get heavy, especially if you use the standard battery it makes the camera very front heavy, but oh well.
   
   This camera is totally customizable in which it is either all auto, manual or some of both. It has 5 presets that are customizable. The cool features about these presets are that you can get a 24p, 30i (cineframe and cinetone), and 60i modes. The 30i refers to the "film" setting. You can record in true 16:9 widescreen or standard 4:3 letterbox. The high def mode will only do 16:9. I wouldn't listen to anyone who says the widescreen is a stretched 4:3, because its not. You can also hook in headphones, and an XLR adapter. This comes with a 2-hr battery.
   
   I'm a video production major and I love this camera. It not really just a consumer camera, but a professional consumer camera. I highly recommend it, its well worth your money.



5. My wedding cinematography studio purchased this camera just about a year ago. We love it! The quality is outstanding - the 16:9 is so beautiful.
   Easy to learn. Good weight and feel. The LCD is HUGH!!!! We are planning to purchase two more early next year!