for under $500 it has to be digital and able to connect to a PC. I was thinking about this one.

http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=11099518&m=1&cat=33&scat=36

That looks pretty good! I recently got a Canon 20MC off of ebay for $500...

http://canondv.com/archive/elura10_20mc/index.html

I got the Panasonic MiniDV back in March for $530 they are now well under $500.

Click below and you can compare Panasonic, Sony, and Canon.

I really like my Panasonic for the price. Great quality. Very easy to use and transfer your movies to the PC or to email as mpeg, etc.

http://www.mysimon.com/guide/index.jhtml?cid=cmcrdrpanasonic

I'm a big fan of the Sony camcorders in that pricerange, they just work dandy!

I would suggest Sony all the way. I am very involved in Digital Video and have been using a number of Camcorders from low budget ones to highend models, and to be honest with you, Sony makes probly the best Digital Camcorders out there from thier low end models to their high end. The models that Wal-Mart currently carry's DCR TRV-140 and 240 are both under $500 and can almost compete with my $2000.00 Sony model DCR-TRV2000. They are even ready to be hooked up to a PC thru the means of a FireWire port built in.. " You need a firewire capture card in your PC"

Basicly what I'm trying to say here is, GET A SONY.. haha

Good luck with what ever you buy.. Any digital camcorder is nice, if you never had one before..

Thomas
a.k.a NooB

thanks guys i've found the sony DCR-TRV140 for $385 walmart wants $496 for it! The only thing it's missing is that it dosen't put the date and time on the video :(


NooBZz what do you mean "You need a firewire capture card in your PC"?

I thought all i would need to do is buy a firewire card and i would be good to go but you need a capture card?

not having a Built-in Date/Time Marker is a big draw back for me why wouldn't they have that built in :(

Looks like none of the Sonys have that.

Hiya Dave22

The Time/Date stamp is actually a very simple feature to add to a video camara, but when you step up to a Digital Camara, the thought behind it is that your buying digital because you want the absolute best video qaulity you can get, and the companys see the "Stamp" as a degrading option..

However, I personally don't see why they don't just make it a On/Off feature on all their camara's.. I have it as an ON/OFF on mine, but I paid a little more then $500. Still it shouldn't matter, should be an option on them all..

The FireWire Card is a capture card. Its not a video capture card, its a data capture card.. lol I know I just confused the crap outta ya huh? LOL Anyway, you are correct when you said "I thought all i would need to do is buy a firewire card and i would be good"

A good choice in low budget FireWire Cards is the Pyro. Heres a link to a nice mid PYRO 1394 Port card (http://www.adstech.com/products/API300/intro/API300intro.asp?pid=API300)

Also, heres a link to a Digital Video Forum (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/index.php?s=)

The people there are extremly friendly like here and can help you make a great desicion on buying your camara..

I hope I helped ya a little bit

Thomas

Thanks NooBZz for the info :)

The Time/Date stamp matters to me because what if you record your family and save it and find it 10 years from now and you have no idea what the year was.


Yeah like you said if that bothers people you can simply turn it off, i wouldn't use it all the time because sometimes i don't want any date etc. on the screen.

I'll check that forum out to!

I would suggest any Sony product. Their digital camcorders are one of the best in the industry. I have one, and it's been running since 1996. One of the older ones. I presume the newer ones are great anyway ;)

I recommend this one.

http://www.hsn.com/cnt/prod/default.aspx?pfid=307570&club_id=307570&sz=6&sf=EC&dept=EC005&cat=EC008

It is at Home Shopping Network, but what is great about this cam is you can divide the payments over 4 payments.

Retail Value: $599.95
Old HSN Price: $499.50
On Sale Now limited time: $445.85
You Save: $154.10

Flex pay of $111.46 per month for 4 months.

Here are the specs.

JVC 700x Zoom Mini DV Digital Camcorder w/ 2.5" Color LCD Screen
Item Number: 307-570

JVC understands what it takes to create the perfect memory - good footage and a little editing!

With this digital camcorder, you'll have the perfect way to record those special moments (and delete the not so special ones). This great electronics item features:
680,000 Pixel CCD and Super Hi-Band Processor, MINIDV Format - get combined resolution of 520 lines and 3.4x color purity of analog
2.5", 270 degree rotating LCD - great for journalistic shooting (hold the camera where you want and tilt the LCD for your best viewing)
16X Optical Zoom/700x Digital Zoom - get up close and personal to your subjects with spine interpolation that creates a smooth, useful digital zoom
Digital Picture Stabilizer - compensates for unstable images caused by camera shake
Snapshot Mode - lets you record still images that look like photographs onto a tape
Night Alive - makes dark subjects even brighter than normal lighting
Program AE with Special Effects - sports, spotlight, sepia, black and white monotone, classic, strobe and slow
Fade/wipe effects - gives pro-style scene transitions to spice up your filming with fader, corner, window, slide, door, scroll and shutter wipes
Playback sound
Black search - helps you find where you should start recording
Iris lock - keeps the iris locked when your subject is close, even when your subject moves away from you
Auto and manual focus, exposure and white balance - corrects the color reproduction under various lighting
VCR Dubbing - connect to VCR using included A/V cables to make copies of your home movies for friends and family
Digital Video Editing - using an optional DV cable
Software CD-ROM - for use when you connect the camera to your PC (cables not included)
Built-in Battery charger - just carry the small AC adapter. Saves space and weight
Measures approx. 3-5/16" x 3-3/4" x 8-13/16"
Comes with a 90-day labor/one-year parts limited manufacturer's warranty