My husband and I are finally planning on buying a camcorder. Our son was born about 21 months ago, so we thought we better get on it soon. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on reasonably priced camcorders that still provide good quality videos. Thanks!
We felt like we had to get a camcorder when my son was 1 and did all the research, blah, blah. Long story short we spent a fabulous sum of money and never use the thing. Our didgital snapshot camera has a video function which we use all the time. I would suggest that you consider that route also.
We did the research right before son was born. There IS a lot to think about. We got a low end Sony and LOVE it. It's true, we do not use it a ton, but to really capture the beauty of his development, I suggest you use a camcorder versus a video clip on your camera. We do both, but the true keepers are on the camcorder. I know the Sony has an excellent lens, which is probably why I prefer it over the camera videos. I think some of the other larger name brands do pretty well too, and maybe is a compromise. Good luck!
I have a JVC camcorder few years old, under 200 dollars at Target. It takes a small tape and records onto that. Then if you want you can record that onto a vhs tape or if you have a dvd recorder thing you could probaly make dvds. Or you can take the small tape out of the camera and use a adapter with your vcr and watch the tapes. It's not the latest greatest technology out there but it's easy, cheap and works. I'm not interested in putting video's on my computer or anything so this works great if your not into hightech stuff. It's just a basic camcorder. Walmart,Target,Circuit City etc...carried them.
Eeww. I don't envy that journey. We started that a few years ago and I found many hurdles to have to investigate, from the digital cameras, and storing the videos on my computer or burning them to disks, different software to do the burning/copying and electronic files, etc. There were converter files and computer software upgrades needed, etc...all at a huge expense. We opted NOT do do the traditional camcorder.
We bought this:
http://www.puredigitalinc.com/
It's handheld, under $100., records up to 30 minutes of video with audio, stores them onto your computer using it's own software and converter for your t.v and computer, you can burn them to a disk for storage, view them on the computer or send them via e-mail, and it's really easy to use. My 4 year old can run it. It's not the greatest quality, the screen is small, and it doesn't soom very far, but it's great to capture those little moments without taking up the cost, space, etc. I LOVE mine. For the money...it's a GREAT product. Infact, when I got mine a year ago, my entire family fell in love with it and they all went and bought one too. It can fit in your pocket and it's super affordable. You can get them at most stores, even Target has one. It might not be this newest version, but it's basically the samething. Good luck.
