aiight, i have read a ton of reviews on each DV camera i am interested in (Sony and Canon mostly), however, each has some real negative points that turn me off--whether it be crappy video quality, short battery life, poor mic, camera's internal moving parts can be heard on tape, etc.
basically, i am looking for a DV cam that has the following features:
-small form factor
-good in low light (nightshot desired, but not necessary)
-16x9--one that actually does some sort of WS, not just chops the top/bottom
-digital stills are not a necessity either, however, i already have a 128mb MS and would prefer a DV cam that uses sticks--which, obviously, would limit me to a Sony
-spend between $500-600--online price, not retail; retail price would be in the $650-$850 range then
-analog to DV passthrough (w/ S-Video capabilities)
all-in-all, i really just want the best bang for my buck and i know most of u round here have the best experience in the game today.
the models i was looking at were:
Canon Elura 50
Canon Optura 10
Sony DCR-TRV33
Sony DCR-TRV38
Sony DCR-PC105
Sharp VL-Z7U
JVC GR-DV500
JVC GR-D200
any other suggestions and/or comments on the models above?
thanks...sturmie
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"Why is The Flash in a hot tub?"
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I would recommend going with sony. I have the trv22 model and it works good. not sure if it has widescreen feature, I havent got to mess with all the extras it has. it has everything else you want though. I prefer sony b/c they have always been good to me ( i own a sony digital camera also).
lots of minidv camcorders have average to poor lowlight performance but I belive the sony's are one of the better lowlight dv camcorders, my model has the nightshot. -
I have the elura-40mc and think it's excellent...form factor is really good if that's a factor (very portable) ... would not suggest it for pro or semi-pro work but for personal stuff I really like it...haven't used the 16x9 format yet so can't comment on that...low light modes are ok ... stills are ok but not great just b/c of their nature...not sure if the 50mc has more pixels than the 40mc, but the switching between card / tape is easy. menus are good & the big battery works well...
"As you ramble on through life, brother, whatever be your goal - keep your eye upon the doughnut and not upon the hole." -
The sonys like all minidv are poor in low indoor lighting. They have 1/4.7 in ccd. The Cannons are worse with only 1/6 in ccd. Go with the sony.
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I have the Sony DCR-PC101 which is the precurser to PC105. I love the size and have no complaints.
I have played with the widscreen just a little and not sure if it's true or just crops the top and bottom.
The Carl Zies lens on the Sonys are suppose to help with the picture quality, but don't really have any other camcorder to compare it to, so who knows.
I can't give feedback on other camcorders, just tell you that I am more than happy with my Sony. -
thanks for all the suggestions/help. i think i've decided on the Sony DCR-TRV33.
after looking at it at BBY today, i really like the form factor and the size. plus, from all the reviews i've read, it's almost identical to the TRV38 as far as video and still quality.
now the only question is--who's got the best price? i'm talking about a place that won't try to sell ya a bunch of other overpriced junk and then tell u it's out of stock if u don't buy...apparently, that's the new scam a lot of places are running now.
sturmie"Why is The Flash in a hot tub?" -
here is a list for prices of online merchants
each one has customer reviews also. -
WellsDigital.com was the one that i was going to go with. i called em to make sure that i could get a hold of a living, breathing person and to get a little feel as to what kind of shop they run--seemed nice.
also, the TRV33 from them comes with a one year US warranty, which is apparently yet another scam at other places--some selling cams for ultra-cheap are actually selling "gray market" products with no US warranties at all.
good to see some people have taken such an innovative idea (selling online) and have turned it into their own personal playground to scam people...sheesh.
sturmie
btw, don't mind me...i just get bitter when i think about crap like that b/c my wife and i were taken in a moving scam (like the ones featured on Dateline) about 2 yrs ago and it still stings."Why is The Flash in a hot tub?" -
I bought my Sony PC101 from onecall.com. They are an authorized Sony Dealer. I paid no tax, and received free shipping(also got a 10% off from a special they were running). Those things add up with items this expensive. Plus they do not hassel you to buy extras.
They are probalby not the cheapest, but I can highly recommend them.
Either way, good luck with your Sony Purchase, you will not be disappointed. -
the models i was looking at were:
Canon Elura 50
Canon Optura 10
Sony DCR-TRV33
Sony DCR-TRV38
Sony DCR-PC105
Sharp VL-Z7U
JVC GR-DV500
JVC GR-D200
any other suggestions and/or comments on the models above?_jelir_ -
Originally Posted by jelir
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I have the TRV-25 and am quite happy with it, but like others notice the poor performance under low light conditions.
I am considering purchasing the HVL-FDH4 3 Watt light attachment.
Does anyone have any experience with this? I'm looking for opinions on how it has improved performance.
Thanks,
Icarus -
Originally Posted by Icarus3000
3W sounds low, but it was more than enough. -
Question for you Sony TRV22 and TRV33 owners out there:
Does this camcorder have the ability to do input recording?
In other words can i plug in my old Hi8 cam and record the contents to MiniDV tapes with these models?
Thanks,
gpwake -
@gpwake
yes. the TRV33 has the pass-through option.
sturmie
btw, i just ordered from OneCall.com (thanks BSR) for $650 + $15 shipping. i was looking at WellsDigital.com for about $595 (after shipping), but it seemed like it was a scammer type place b/c i could order the "starter kit" for $725, but not the camera by itself for $595. i figured it best to go w/ an authorized Sony dealer instead."Why is The Flash in a hot tub?" -
I have the TRV-33 with the light and a wide angle lense. I have not been disaapointed with the quality of it. It also accepts the memory stick for 1 megapixel pictures or you can shoot video on the memory stick or transfer video you have on the DV tape to the memory stick. It records onto the memory stick in mpeg1. The still camera option is good for outdoors or bright light, but indoors with low light is not very good.
hootie29
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