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sworthy · Mar 10, 2005, 05:03 PM

I'm looking for a low to mid range mini-DV camera ideally in the $300 to $550 range. I'm not a demanding user at all, my only real feature request is "real" 16:9 and not just letterbox. The entry level canons look good, but I seem to see a lot of negative reviews regarding video quality. Can anyone report on this or offer some good alternatives?

I don't care about s-video/microphones/headphones, etc. I just want high quality video, a decent zoom and 16:9 in the right price range.

sworthy · Mar 12, 2005, 11:48 AM

Anyone? Do you have one you like?

im_noahselby · Mar 12, 2005, 03:04 PM

I've always trusted Sony's mini-DV cameras. There are some excellent mini-DV camera review sites on the net. If you do a search you may just find what you're looking for.

Good Luck,
Noah

macaddict0001 · Mar 12, 2005, 08:00 PM

The canon z80 and z85 models will do what you want, as well as the panasonic pv-gs9 and pv-gs12. personally I would recommend the pv-gs12. If you get one report back because I am also considering a very similar purchase. the only thing about the panasonics is the fact that they have a black and white viewfinder. but they still have a colour lcd screen.

kellybelly · Mar 14, 2005, 06:01 PM

I recently purchased a Panasonic PV-GS150, and I love it. It's a 3CCD camera and has a 2.3 megapixel resolution. It has firewire and USB connections, two remotes (wired and wireless), and has a slot for an SD card (that's where the still shots are saved). Plus tons of settings to mess with.

It's a tad more expensive that what you stated that you wanted though. The online price is $699 but I got it for $599 at Circuit City.

Also, contrary to what macaddict0001 said, mine has a color viewfinder.

slugslugslug · Mar 15, 2005, 12:47 PM

I don't have a DV camcorder, but when I was contemplating getting one I visited http://www.dvspot.com quite often. It's got a very comprehensive searchable database of what's out there if you want to narrow your choices. They review cams as well, and though they don't have lots and lots of reviews up there, the ones they've written are thorough and readable.. definitely a good first stop when you're checking out what's available.

Good luck and report back, 'kay?

Crusoe · Mar 15, 2005, 03:48 PM

The new Sony HC42 has a 16:9 touchscreen display and of course records in 16:9 or 4:3. ~$529. Has a smidge better CCD than most cams at that price.

The only thing I don't like about it is the docking station. Sony brilliantly moved most the ports to it including the fw port making it awkward to use as a webcam or if I'm on the go and want to start editing the video, I have to lug around another thing to import it to my powerbook.

I'd stay away from the Panasonic 120 or 150. With 3 CCDs they left out image stabilization? Shrug.

macaddict0001 · Mar 15, 2005, 09:19 PM

Originally posted by kellybelly:
I recently purchased a Panasonic PV-GS150, and I love it. It's a 3CCD camera and has a 2.3 megapixel resolution. It has firewire and USB connections, two remotes (wired and wireless), and has a slot for an SD card (that's where the still shots are saved). Plus tons of settings to mess with.

It's a tad more expensive that what you stated that you wanted though. The online price is $699 but I got it for $599 at Circuit City.

Also, contrary to what macaddict0001 said, mine has a color viewfinder.

but that is a higher model. i meant that the pv-gs9 does.

sworthy · Mar 17, 2005, 12:53 PM

After reading quite a few reviews, and my slight allegiance towards Cannon (I have had a few digital cameras from them), I think I might go with their Elura line. I'm currently looking at the 80 and 85 (which are both newer models). The major difference is the 85 has "super night mode" and retails for about $50 more. Probably just go with the 80, unless someone has a better idea.