There are so many new options when we have to choose a digital video camera. 1. Brands, 2. Technology and 3. Image quality 1. Brands: The major brands are Sony, JVC, Panasonic, Canon, Hitachi, Sanyo ... Brand loyalty is one issue, however, while going for a digital camcorder, it may be wise to go for the technology and image quality rather than gunning for a particluar brand, as most companies have advanced and have almost similar quality control and support systems. 2. Technology: MiniDV is the most trusted and tested technology. The uncompressed storage of the video data offers high quality videos which can be converted into any format. DVD and direct hard-disk recording are the new developments and are yet to be well tested. DVD has always been embroiled in controversies related to the DVD format and this will certainly score the DVD format down, in my opinion. Hard-disk recording as available in many Hitachi, JVC and SOny camcorders is absolutely new and we need to keep watching them. But remember, the data is stored in compressed format to save space, therefore it has its own disadvantages. 3. Image Quality: The higher the megapixel count, the better will be the video/ image quality. 3.1 megapixel is what is being offered with digital video cameras now. In addition to the above, one would also appreciate a combined VIDEO + STILL image shooting camera. I have seen some Sony cameras, like DCR HC90E and HC96 that can do this, but there may be many others out there. At the end of all this collection of information, I myself am not very sure which model of camcorder I should buy. Would appreciate your suggestions.
Depending on how much you're willing to pay, I know for a fact that the VX-2000 is one of the best video camera out there. It costs something like $3500, though. Semi-pro stuff, numeric and all. But, if you don't have that much to spend, avoid Canon. If you want to "upgrade" your camera later, like buying a wide angle or anything, you will HAVE to buy Canon stuff because they're not compatible with anything else. I'm no expert on video but I'd say Sony has the best quality / price. At least it's what I've heard in a forum of people who are video maniacs.
Thanks for the tips on Canon. Now I thnk they are sort of out-of-my-list. How foolish of me to forget about the "price" factor? Especially in Shawn's forum! My budget is somewhere around $1000 to $1200. So, a semi-pro or a pro camera is out.
I've used Sony camcorders and liked them quite well. I spent six weeks as a Sony rep a couple years ago at Fry's Electronics. Of course the camcorders have changed quite a bit, so I really can't say much about which is best right now. Mine is a MiniDV because that's what they gave me to learn the product. The features on the Sony camcorders were quite good. You can visit SonyStyle if you want to learn more about the camcorders they have right now. The thing I didn't like about the DVD camcorders had mostly to do with the price of the discs. I worked with Sony the year they came out, so there was only one style of them (3 models, different resolutions, but all the same exterior), and it really wasn't as comfortable to hold as the MiniDV camcorders. It's harder to make them comfortable because of the size of the disc. Maybe it has improved by now, but at the time I was not impressed by the photo quality of the camcorders that could take pictures as well as video. My camcorder can do that and I simply don't use that feature.