camcorder advice needed? SONY DCR-SR42

[footprintsinconc]

i dont know anything about camcorders. i was looking at a sony dcr-sr42 since it was on sale for $300.

so what do you guys think about this model or what do you suggest instead?

what should i look in a camcorder in terms of features or anything else?

thanks

[mclear6]

here is a review:
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camc...-32306183.html

You plan to use a Mac to edit your movies, you might want to think twice. I have the sr82 and I have to jump through hoops in order to get the movies to play on the mac, they are in mpeg2 format which is not mac compatible.

[footprintsinconc]

pc world didnt rank them that great either. i am not going to be using it on a mac, just windows.

[poolhound]

Sorry Omar, when it comes to still cameras, lenses, photo processing I can easily go on and on and on.......... My last video camera was a sony 8mm so that shows you how old that is.

As with most things (tools included) it depends on what you want to do with it. Once you know that you can rule certain aspects or features in or out. I am sure there are lots of features on these beasts that I know nothing about but do consider at least the following.

Size & weight - how big is it and how hard to keep held to you eye for long periods. If you have big hands so units could be too small to be comfortable.

Ergonomics - make sure you go touch any of your top contenders before purchasing. get a demo and figure out wether the controls, functions and locations match your way of doing things. Its often not a question of good or bad just what is best for you.

Battery life - should go without saying that this is a major issue on all portable electronics.

I would also check out and compare quality of lenses and the ability for each camera to operate inside in low light.

Are we going to see movies of you woodworking on youtube?

[Alex Franke]

I did some exhaustive research about a year or so ago and came up with the Panasonic PV-GS320 as the right choice for me. I couldn't be happier. It's a remarkable camera with superb picture quality, and a DV tape format, which I like for a number of reasons.

Plus I think it's in the low $300's now.

Here's a review: http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content...ons-Review.htm

What I didn't like about the Sony handycams was the touch-screen and the picture quality compared to the 3CCD Panasonic.

[Alex Franke]

BTW, here's a thread here where we discussed my camcorder purchase... There's some great input on that thread, so you might want to take a look at it, too.

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=28581

[footprintsinconc]

jon, i am going to be using to indoors and outdoors. i am looking for somthing that i compact, they all are, at least in that price range. our kids are growing fast, my daughter asked the other day, so that got me thinking that still pictures are good, but it would be nice to have some video aswell. so hence the search now.

as for my camera, i bought a nikon D50 SLR, i have two set of lenses. i still havent learned how to use it properly and now i am getting a camcorder. maybe i will catch up with some place and we can go through the basics of the settings on my nikon.

alex, thanks for the link. i will read through it and check out the one you have.

[poolhound]

as for my camera, i bought a nikon D50 SLR, i have two set of lenses. i still havent learned how to use it properly and now i am getting a camcorder. maybe i will catch up with some place and we can go through the basics of the settings on my nikon.

Omar,

Would be happy to, just suggest a time. As I work for myslef I can be flexible midweek so maybe we could do lunch - do remember I am a bit of a Canon bigot

Seriously though the D50 is a nice entry level camera and at the end of the day its the person behind the camera that makes for a great photo.