5 comments about Toshiba Gigashot GSC-R30 30GB 2MP Hard Disc Drive Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom.

1. This is my first camcorder. The price of this product was very reasonable. The only shortage I found so far is it is difficult to control focus when changing the room or during moving. Maybe this is because I am not experienced. The noise mentioned by many people does not trouble me and I think the bad image taken in night may happen in other camcorders not only this band. It's not touch panel so there's no worry about your fat fingers. Anyway it's a good product for beginners.



2. Great product! Now I don't have to carry tons of tape for recording my memories. Fast connection with your computer. Pictures come out great. Sometimes it may be blurry. You might have a problem location an extra battery. The extra SD drives are useful for back up. User friendly.



3. I bought this camera through Amazon and antonline. Its a really nice camera, but it is completely unable to function in any meaningful way through imovie and has no value if you own an Apple Computer. This is because the camera records in mpeg-2 and apparently is inherently non-editable. DO NOT BUY IT UNLESS YOU OWN A PC!!!



4. great amount of storage, lacks audio input, and the auto focus is noisy on it, and isn't fast enough when zooming in. not bad for the amount of recording you can do. the cam is really small as well.



5. The camera size is great, and it is easy to use. Battery life is fine and HD storage space is ample.
   
   The problem is that this camera does not function well at all in low light, and the autofocus is shaky unless you are filming outdoors in good light. Even in these ideal conditions, the cameras is sluggish to focus when shifting from close up to further away and zooming.
   
   Capturing important indoor activities (Christmas, Easter, school plays, kindergarten graduation) is not easily accomplished do to the low light performance and the issues with sluggish AF.
   
   I would not recommend this camera to others.

No comments about Sony DCRDVD808E DVD Handycam(R) Camcorder for PAL Use.

5 comments about Fisher FVDC1 3.2MP Digital Camercorder with 5.8x Optical Zoom (includes 512 MB SD Memory Card).

1. I was very tempted to buy the Fisher CameraCorder, but the price was alittle high for what I wanted-- a digital camcorder to post videos on the web. After doing some research, I found the Sanyo Xacti [...]. Remember, the Fisher was released Nov 13, 2003 and is just getting over here now. The Xacti was released Aug 23, 2004, and fixes some of the bugs in the Fisher, with a larger LCD screen, updated CCD sensor, and image stabilizing technology. [...] I posted more info here if you are interested.



2. I, in fact, have the Xacti C5 (the next generation Japanese model up from the one here), which, apart from the size and still image quality (5 Mega pixel vs. 4 Mega Pixel on the one here) is identical to the Fisher FVDC1.
   
   Though there is some quite noticeable grain on the still images if you zoom in on the pictures you have taken, it does all that is promised, HOWEVER, it has extremely poor low light video performance. Daytime filming has reasonable quality, but filming under low light conditions is the worst I have ever seen in any video camera. Indoors will be a disappointment, people usually appear as silhouettes and the background is hard to make out. Filming at night or in a darkened pub or bar will render your expensive acquisition a glorified audio recorder.
   [...]
   Another issue was that, compared to Canon still image digital cameras, the ability to take pictures quickly was lacking, there was an approximate lag time of three to four seconds between shots. (Though that might be the SD card I'm using - though I doubt it.)
   
   Having said that, I was very happy when filming out doors or under bright light. My old Sony DCR-HC30E would take great video, but then transferring it to iMovie on my computer and exporting it to a reasonably sized video file on my computer would be a time consuming exercise and a great deal of the quality would be lost in the process.
   
   This ease of use of this product cannot be beat easily, truly plug and play, furthermore the sized is exceptionally convenient, though it is slightly awkward having to remove and replace the lens cap each time (unfortunately no built in lens cap/cover exists). Another desirable feature would be for it to be able to stand up on its own. Trying to stand it on a table in order for you to be part of the shot would require the use of something to keep it propped up. Not an easy task considering the shape of the base.
   
   All up, it's a reasonable gadget that does as promised, excepting the other minor shortcomings, that I wish I could recommend. The only thing stopping me is its inability to film under low lighting conditions. Since it can't (no matter how much you adjust the ISO settings), I would strongly recommend that you hold off a few months (maximum a year) for the next generation.



3. This Fisher FVDC1 CameraCorder is one more gadget in a long line that I've aquired over the last 25 years and it's just as cool as that Tandy PC-6 two-language programmable pocket computer from the mid-1980's!
   
   If you take care of your electronics they'll last forever and you will need to care for this gem too. The battery & memory card covers are rather fragile but just use patients working them and you'll avoid any use of duct tape.
   
   It took a bit of reading and some trial usage to find the right settings and now I am getting crystal clear photos .. the first photos were quite blurred from camera movment. ISO 400 seemed to do the trick for clarity -- faster shutter speed.
   
   The video, on the other hand, well same hand but .. you know what i mean .. the video was clear with the default settings and creates quite an image in ample lighting. Otherwise the picture is a bit grainy but still looks good.
   
   I would definitely recomend this product for those who can accept it for what it is .. a $450+ (at this date) palm sized video (1st) and digital camera (2nd) device that's really Cool most of all. I would not recommend it as a 1st experience in digital recording devices to folks.
   
   You can't cry at the 512 MB card that comes with the camera and additional cards are quite afforable. The usual cradle worked fine right off on my system (Win2k Server) and the adapter for USB & power to use without the cradle works well also!
   
   So .. gadget people - buy a FVDC1 today!



4. If you want a movie camera with all the different features such as fading and a big zoom range then this probably isn't your option. But if you want a compact option that you can carry in your pocket and that does a pretty good job for family videos then this is a fine choice.
   
   We have found that occassionally the autofocus takes some time to refocus when you switch to viewing something else, and if the battery fully discharges it can be ttricky to get the camera to start up again the next time it is charged. There is also some grainyness to the images in low light settings, but for normal usage this has not been too frequent. These problems aside we are more than happy with our purchase.
   
   The camera also takes digital stills (note that if you take a photo while videoing the video image will freeze for about half a second.) While not up to the same standards as many dedicated digital cameras, we have found the image quality satisfactory and use this camera for most of our still photography as well.
   
   You can edit video clips (merging clips or splitting them) on the camera itself, but this is timeconsuming (it takes about the length of a clip to re-encode it - so joining two 60 second clips will take 120 seconds.) For this reason we edit clips on the desktop (various 3rd party software programs are available to simplify this.)
   
   All in all, an adequate solution for general family videos.



5. I've been using this camera for the last few months, and I absolutely love it. But part of the reason that I love it is because i'm such a huge electronics nut, and i've never seen anything like this before. It's really tiny and a blast to shoot video with! (I didn't buy it for the digital camera aspect of it, and I rarely take snapshots with it)
   
   There are, of course, a few things that you should be aware of before you buy it:
   
   - This is not going to replace your higher-end digital camcorder. This thing would never replace my Canon DV camera. That's just not what it's for. But what it does do well is makes it so that I don't have to take my expensive Canon around with me everywhere.
   
   -The quality really is pretty good. For it's size, I think it's really good. I was actually really suprised by the quality of audio that it picks up also. But be aware that you WILL hear the zoom in and out on the recording when you use it. (I think if you read a review of something saying the quality is poor, I think that person bought it to be their one and only DV camera)
   
   -I use this thing for everyday, fun shooting. This would never be the only camera that I took on a trip to Hawaii. It would never be the only camera that I took to film my childrens first steps. But it is an absolutely great camera for fun shooting. When you want video of something that you just don't want to use a nice expensive digital camcorder for. For example: driving around with your friends, shooting silly video at work, taking to a party, etc. It couldn't be better for that.
   
   I use mine with an iMac running Mac OS X, and it works perfectly. I plug it in, iPhoto opens, I import the video, then drag them into iMovie for editing. It's that simple on a Mac.
   
   The Bottom Line: It's every single thing that I wanted it to be. It works so well for fun, everyday shooting that I find myself filming totally useless things, like walking into my friends' office to talk to him during the day. Stuff like that. LIke I said, it won't replace your high-end camcorder, but it is miles and miles ahead of any video recording mode on a digital camera. Just know what you want to use it for.
   
   I really couldn't be any happier with it. I completely love it.

No comments about Sony Handycam DCR-HC48E - Camcorder - widescreen - 1.0 Mpix - optical zoom: 25 x - supported memory: MS Duo - Mini DV.

5 comments about Canon ZR65MC MiniDV Digital Camcorder.

1. As stated many times before by many people this camera does not do well in low light.

   Knowing that the camera does very well in well lighted situations. Even turning on extra indoor light will produce acceptable results. I have had no problems with motor noise or audio/video problems.

   What makes this camera attractive is the features it has for the price. The digital effects, the chroma keying with the SD card pictures and best of all the digital to analog and analog to digital converter.

   The price of this camera puts it in the range of dedicated digital to analog and analog to digital converter. This allows you to transfer old VHS or VHS-C tapes to DV. Cable boxes or TiVos with RCA outputs can also be used. Once on DV they can be transferred to the computer for editing and then burned to CD or DVD. Since it has the onboard converter it can also be used to edit video on a TV screen if your video editor supports it.

   The camera also acts as a digital camera but even on the best camcorders the output is not on par with stand-alone digital cameras and is added as an after thought.

   If you can live with the cameras low light problems then this camera will do well. If not save your pennies and get a better camera. If your need to get old footage in to your computer to put on DVD then consider this camera. With a Mac it will also work as a web camera without any addition software. If you are shooting a lot of low light footage this is not the camera for you.




2. I used this camera to take close-up pictures easily at the US Grand Prix Pit Walkabout today and I found it outstanding. Even from distances as far as 100 feet, you can zoom in far enough to see very detailed parts of the cars, like small wires used for telemetry. I highly recommend it, although the battery life is incredibly short and there is next to no space (8MB) on the card I got with it. But this is to be expected.



3. I shot a feature film on this little baby. Works best under low light. For those who had problems with the camera, maybe you're just too dumb to make it work. Maybe you should go to film school like I did. No problemo. Great camera for the price. Only, i paid full price for it and now see Amazon.com had a much better deal! Ahhhh!



4. (correction: i just noticed 12/3 i actually have a zr50mc..duhh...) guess i bought it around 3/2002 since my first tape is dated 3/18/02. (online for $580 or something like that...cant remember.) i've shot 12 90minute tapes since that time (60mins set at SP for 90min recording). like i said, i thought it was a great camera for video until recently. my main reason for getting it was to record my new kids, one now 4yo and one 2.5yo, becaue my vhsc panasonic camcorder began recording very warbly audio (video was/is still good) and i wanted to capture their early talking, etc. the zr65mc problems started recently while i've been converting those tapes to dvd to share selected clips with the grandparents, aunts, friends, etc. (i found ulead's products very good for this, by the way, after first using windows movie maker to import to dv-avi format. had to buy a new 120g hardisk though to add to my 60g since each imported tape took up to 19gigs each. i always wondered why people needed such big harddisks - now i know.) anyway on importing about the 7th tape, while rewinding, it jammed. i was able to eject the tape and used a pencil to wiggle and extricate the caught tape inside but it was chewed up pretty good and about 6inches was hanging out. after some scary tinkering with the cassette since i didnt want to loose the rest of the tape i was able to figure out that you you can manually rewind the tape. if the window side is up, operate the latch to open the tape cover on the right bottom. by using a hairpin or something small to depress the little latch on the bottom back middle and use the eraser of a lead pensil to either rewind or forward past the chewed up tape. sometimes i had to rewind or forward a bit more if it wouldn't work again after the first reloading. but i was able to convert all the tapes with only a few seconds of lost video. the problem is i thought it was only with the rewind, but yesterday (11/27/04) on a bart outing to the metreon with 12 of my family, after working at home, at the bart station i pulled it out to continue shooting on the same tape and it gave me the dreaded red eject tape message on the lcd blue screen of death. i put it back in the car and used my old reliable casio qv2300 digital camera the rest of the day. let me just say, i am a video, digital camera, computer and internet sorta guy...the rest of the family luvs it but the wife often hates it.
   
   now, i'm researching the problem and found many postings for the zr10 of this problem. i suspect all these zr models are the same camera and canon just changes the model number each year...they're up to what zr95 or something and its still probably the zr10 inside. if i figure out a non expensive solution, i'll post it. at least it can be used still as a analog-digital av converte, since that doesn't require a tape...and i did use it with my panasonic to convert 18 vhsc tapes to dvd. all very time consuming tho.
   
   by the way, i had another problem with a canon product before - a digital camera a70, that i bought for my workgroup in cupertino, early 2003 i think. out of the box new, one week later it stopped functioning completely! i sent it back east somewhere and two months later it came back working. but i didn't like that that camera didn't have the ability to choose whether you wanted to have the date stamp on the picture. when i called canon they said to use exifer for that. how lame i thought (after being used to the casio)! also the battery life indicator didn't work right. [thats why i like my casio (plus the swivel lens) and the casio software].
   
   i'm thinking i shudda bought this tiny sony (forgot model) like i wanted to at the time, but i didn't like the $1k+ price then and the mic wasn't in a good spot. this one beat out the jvc's too for some reason i cant remember now. but its a whole new ballgame now with all the different stuff out there. maybe have to start the headache of trying to choose a replacement if i cant fix this one, and i doubt it worth paying to fix so....
   
   anyway bottom line is i'm kinda thinking i'm not gonna buy cannon anymore or recommend it to people who ask me, and recently prior to this, i did recommend cannons to at least 4 of my friends.



5. My canon zr65 suddenly went black (No image detected). From what I found on the web (a lot of people have the same problem), the CCD may be the cause. It looks like there is a quality issue about this part. To replace a CCD is very costly. Take your chance.

No comments about Sony DCR-DVD608E DVD Camcorder.

2 comments about Samsung SCD5000 DuoCam MiniDV Camcorder/4MP Digital Still Camera.

1. The video quality indoors is absolutely horrible, even with the night shot features, and every possible combination of settings, etc. I tried really hard to find reasons to keep this camera. But in the end, the video quality was too horrible to justify it as a $... digital still camera.

   Outdoors, the video was OK producing ever so slightly washed out colors, but here is the real problem. Moving between light and moderately dark areas of a small room produced horrible video. During playback you either got something that looked like pure night or the sun all in one room. The video recorder does not gracefully adjust between light and moderately light areas of a room. Occasionally when using the zoom, a pure white line would be recorded vertically as part of the video!!!!!

   Now for the camera. One thing that annoyed me after a few minutes was the constant manual flipping of half of the device between still and video. I did a comparison between the Samsung still digital camera and my Sony 3.34 MP camera that I already owned. Disappointment again. Horrible color from Samsung (washed out colors). I was not impressed with the quality after comparing about 10 different pictures of varying light, indoors, outdoors, etc. Hands down the Sony 3.34 MB won.

   I returned the Samsung camera and bought instead the Sony TRV70 for about the same price (I would like to have tried the TRV80 but $... more was just not in the cards for an 1" more LCD). What a difference. When it comes to color and light (indoors especially), Sony seems to have those two figured out. Awesome video recording indoors with the Sony. All around the video was so much better with the Sony. The still are not as good as my Sony 3.34 but if you can live with reduced picture size, the quality is pretty good (plus no manual flipping of half the device). I'll still probably take both the video and the camera on the next trip (pending cooperation from the wife). Really, if you ignore such frills as Bluetooth and Internet connectivity from within your camcorder (!!!), you can probably buy something much cheaper than the TRV70.

   One day, we'll all carry one device that produces high quality video and stills. But for now, that day is not here yet.




2. This camcorder is a piece of junk. The low light is really horrible. The picture is grainy and the autofocus is slower than my grandma. Spend a little extra a get a quality camera...not this one!

2 comments about Samsung SC-DC575 1MP DVD Camcorder with 26x Optical Zoom.

1. Bought this for the Christmas holidays through Amazon.Com
   The price was moderate and the quality so far has been nothing less then great.
   The one thing I would advise to anyone is to read the instructions. By pass the quick start and take that extra time to read the instructions. In doing so you will understand the formatting and the balancing of white light and all the other things needed to be done to make Quality Videos and not get frustrated in seeing grainy or off balance color videos if you do not follow the simple task before you start playing with your new toy. The only thing I can advise is get that extra battery. The one supplied will run out fast and leave you without a back up if your out somewhere , where you have no hook up to do a AC hook up . I ordered a 7 hr battery thru ebay and it has worked wonders, More power then what I need to burn 6 or 7 disks with out looking back .. The other thing I found a bit hard was to down load the software that comes with this product . I did find with my laptop, it did kick in but my desk computer had some issues. I use another program I have to convert DVDs called DVDFab HD Decrypter. If you do get this program you will need DVD Shrink which is free on line . Just place that on subject line and down load it . I have found these programs to work very well down loading the video I have done and make DVD's for sharing .. The fine quality I have expected has been very pleasant . Outside in snow the "AE" mode has balance the whole area with out whiteouts, and still recording going inside the "AE" quickly picked up and balance to the inside lights and window natural light to record pleasant shots both with video and using the camera to shoot high quality prints up to 8x10 when printed with out grain. All in all for the price not bad .. A bunch of things to do and create with what is offered to make your video personalized with fade out and special effects that can make you play with other ideas of creating and just having fun. But as I stressed in the beginning "READ THE BOOK"
   It just might help you get your money worth on this item and leave you with a feeling that you bought something worth every penny of your hard earn money and not feel left out.
   
   Rudy P.



2. fast shipping and product arrived in good condition. this is a great cam corder! it is easy to use and works great! dvds can go from the camera to the dvd player. very easy to use!

2 comments about JVC GR-X5US 5MP 3-CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom.

1. This camcorder has taken on the big boys of the video market. Once you get used to the design, you can make anything you can create in your mind, with almost as vivid color as real life! Okay, I could be blowing things out of proportion, but for the money, it is truely an amazing mechanism. The still picture is definitely impressive in comparison to other video cameras testing the hybridism of multi-use cameras. The only thing that was not amazing, like all other prosumer camcorders, was the sound quality from the built in mic. It is placed on top of the camera, picking up more of the gear sounds from the tape, than the subject in front of the lens. Definitely the best camera for a person breaking into videography on a budget.



2. this is a very compact camcorder. However, the 5MP 3-CCD is useless if the lense is inferior. That's what happens to this JVC miniDV. The lense is not from any lense specialist, it's made by JVC itself. You have to look at the camcorder lense carefully to see "JVC video lense". The vidoe quality therefore is limited. There are tiny dots when you play it back on TV. I compared this with Sony DCR-HC96 and Panasonic PV-GS500 and decided that PV-GS500 is the best for the money.

5 comments about Sony DCRTRV80 MiniDV 2Megapixel Camcorder with 3.5" LCD, Memory Stick, Bluetooth Wireless Connectivity, and Networking Capability.

1. Well it started out good... It was nice having high-quality Mini DV recordings, the wireless connectivity, firewire to my computer, and all the other bells and whistles. BUT... after having this Sony for a couple years, and the warranty is out, I am stuck with a dog! It worked fine until right before the warranty ran out. While it was still under warranty, it went in for repairs due to audio cutting out, and all they did was clean it. After a few weeks, it started happening again. TWICE they were unable to fix it! I gave up and just bought a Canon. If Sony can't even fix their own products, I don't think I want to buy them!



2. Buy another camcorder! This one will be a waste of your time and money. On paper this camcorder is great. However, not only is it overpriced and full of extraneous features. It is also difficult to use, has a poorly written manual and horrible support. I tried the SONY product support line at 888-449-7669 twice, but got little help.

   Additionally, writing to the memory stick produces poor quality images, and there is no built in video light. Finally, the PC software that comes with the camera leaves much to be desired.

   My excitement about buying this camera and all its accesories has been replaced with utter contempt for SONY. I now understand why the company has been having so many problems.




3. I am technically competent, but a novice at video photography. Therefore, I spent weeks reviewing a a number of various cameras. I ultimately decided on the TRV 80 because of: the HAD technology, the 3 1/2 touch screen, the digital still, the still pop-up flash, along with the features rich capabilities of this camera. I have used it for about a week and have found it to be very easy to use. The controls are intuitive and the manual has been very easy to navigate. You should also consider the need for various accessoriies. I purchased it with a bundled package which included: tripod, 2 additional batteries, wide and telephoto lenses, case, tapes, cleaning kit, USB card reader, and a four year MAC parts and labor warranty. Add on package was less about two hundred seventy dollars and well worth it. Also spent a long time looking for editing software with good reviews. Settled on PYRO Digital Video, which indluded a 1394 PCI card and software compatable with the Sony camera. They have beginner, intermediate and Pro versions available. So far I am extremely pleased with the camera, and accessory packages. I am able to take great videos now and when I master the advanced features I'm sure the quality of the movies produced will improve. Highly recommend this product and suggest you consider the add on packages, especially the 4 year warranty.



4. What a camera indeed. I just got it three days ago and after reading the manual I see there will be a lot of learning ahead for me. There are so many features this camera has I know I will not use most of them. The video is sharp and the photos are better then expected (acceptable but I will still use my digital camera when needed or preferred). The supplied 8 MB memory stick is only worth a tease, you will have to get at least a 128 MB or greater! Being in the Air Force and stationed in Germany this will be one treat to carry along on up coming trips!



5. The Best Camcorder i have ever had by far. Bluetooth is the coolest thing, and the picture quality is supurb. I would reccomend this to anybody who wants a high quality camera. Yes, you spend a few extra dollars, but in the long run it is worth it.