Tell me about yr camcorder/video camera pretty please...

[kookiegoddess]

I'm getting one for my dh, we're due with our 1st bub on 6th Oct. Assume that we'll want to make movies of our PFB every progression in life... and that a baby will bring lots of comic moments worth capturing/attempting to capture.

So, any recommendations? He is useless with technology so needs something simple to operate. I'm a bit more clued up but not much, perhaps I'm just more willing to read the instructions...

Would like to get something small and sturdy, a reputable brand, and with a good battery life. Would £200 budget be enough? Have been looking on Amazon but obviously choice is vast so hope you MN ladies can give me some advice

TIA

We bought a sd card model which is the size of a camera (you can put it on your beltloop without looking like a pratt). I think it was a samsung sport model, its only about 4 inches by 2.5 inces by 3/4 inch.

Very good sound quality and pictures, no problems but can be a bit shakey when you zoom in sometimes.

We only really wanted it for memories, i'm not a camera person so this is ideal as it is so small. Had all the same features as the dvd ones and was only £180.00ish i think.

We got a Sony HDD handcam, twas about £400 quid. TBH as I am the photographer etc in our family, I tried in the beginning to take loads of video, but now at 13mo it's a hassle. So if you're not REALLY keen photo/videographers, I suggest just getting a good compact camera with a video function. We have a small exilim casio 10mb (which will be a bit less than £200).

As I take it out and about with me, I tend to use this more and just take 1min short videos' for posterity. It is much handier than having a separate videocam that you need to lug around as well. Plus the file size on the Sony is huge, so much so I couldn't save them all to laptop and have to download direct to external hard drive, where they are sitting, waiting for editing. The compact camera file size are smaller, and if you keep to 1min vid's then easily emailable to friends and family.

You've got time to think about it, so ask around friend who have vid's, and look at all options before committing.

I just bought a jvc one from argos on offer for 200.
I had a old camcorder which I used quite a lot when DD was a baby to take loads of footage etc but now shes older as soon as she sees the camera coming out she wants to look at it.

I would go for the camcorder. It is a pain transfering it to computer but if you dont edit it then it doesnt take too long and if you buy a tape version the tapes are cheap enough to keep a backup on the tape encase your hard drive ever goes down.
Dont by a dvd camcorder though as DVD's dont last for ever and can be scratched, corrupted etc which means if that was your only copy of any footage youve lost everything.

Argh not sure whether to get one now. I have a good camera which does videos but I assumed that I'd want to video for longer and with better quality once bub comes along. Will ask around as you suggest brown suga - we do have lots of friends with kids, I just didn't think of asking them before now!
Will admit that we're RUBBISH at remembering to use our camera so maybe we ought to pause and reflect before splashing cash...

a tape camcorder?
how does that transfer to omputer????????

Have a canon mini dv tape camcorder at the moment - my 3rd one. Toyed with the idea of a hard disk one but editing and storing the recordings at the time -(6 months ago) crap. You needed either a supercomputer or a computer whizz. tapes are much easier to work with. Hopefully by the time my next camcorder is needed (when this one dies) the Hard drive camcorders will have caught up.

have a look at the which reports on camcorders. There must be something in that price range that is ok

The guy I was speaking to in Jessops at Christmas said to get a Mini DV one, which I wanted anyway, lol. After spending £800 on one when I was 18 (13 years ago) I knew i'd not actually use it as much as I imagined! So, we only spent just under £200 this time.

Mines this one.

Similar one here.

oh i see, a dv tape camcorder...