First-Time Camcorder Buyer

[Ownaholic]

So this is my first time buying a camcorder; however I've handled many of them.

I'll be using this for small projects, which involve some green screens and editing. Basically, I'll be taking footage from the "real-world", and using characters from the famous "World of Warcraft" game (I have a program to let me freely make/move them around with a color-based background), and then editing those characters in to the video to make it look as though they are interacting with people.
(I've tested this method already, and it works, so don't worry. I just need a good quality camcorder for video capture, as opposed to a laptop webcam.)

I'll also be using this for anything else that tickles my fancy in the future, so I just want something newer, with good quality all-around, and a good price tag to match my jobless-college-student-status.

I don't require anything heavy-duty, only something, "to get the job done", however I DO want something reliable, with both good video and audio quality; mainly in regards to maintaining good quality even after uploaded to places like Youtube, WeGame, Vimeo, etc.

I've read that Mini-DV is the best way to go, despite the fact that it's slightly outdated. However, I've also read counter-arguments that say a DVD camcorder provides the same results, even with SD cards and the likes.
Which is "better", in your opinion?

List of priorities:
1) Good audio/video quality; for smaller projects. (I don't want anything with mono audio, or grainy videos)
2) Ease of video transfer from camcorder to computer.
3) Ease of editing.
4) Reliability
5) Extremely cheap price tag. ($100-$150 would be very nice)
6) Image Stabilizers, Noise-Reduction, and 3 CCDs are some things I'd enjoy to have as well.

Long story short, I'm looking to find the best possible deal on a budget as small as $100-$200.
The camera doesn't have to be amazing, I just want the aforementioned videos to look believable, in terms of quality matching up between the footage from the real world, to the video quality of the characters which I will be using Fraps to record.

I was looking into those new SVP™ HDDV-2300, and they seem pretty nifty, and the video quality is amazing according to a few Youtube videos I've seen where the person actually used the camera to capture the video, BUT the audio was god-awful. It was completely muffled and sounded so grungy. I don't want to have to voice-over every single scene.
I want the audio to be as reliable as the video.

I'm more than open to buying used/refurbished items. I've been looking around, but most of the things on eBay I've seen are either those SVP models, those stupid Flip Mini things, or extremely old models which I'm questioning the quality of.

Can anybody help me out?

[zoobie]

Welcome aboard....Your budget is $150? I'd look on craig's list for a DV deal

[redwudz]

DV may be a bit outdated, but if you want good video and audio, they're hard to beat. You might look into a refurbished DV camcorder with a factory warranty. Check with the manufacturers and see what they might have available. E-bay, or preferably Craigslist, are other options, but you may not know what you're getting and end up inheriting someone else's problems.

DV also has the advantage of the easiest to edit format, though the downside is you have to re-encode it for a DVD. The DVD camcorders seem to get mixed reviews, some like them and other's hate them. Editing is a pain as you need to rip the DVD to your HDD, then do your editing with a MPEG editor, then burn back to DVD.

The newer pocket H.264 format cameras are nice and compact and in your price range. Editing is a bit difficult, but you will have that with most highly compressed formats. On-camera microphones sometimes do have problems, most often wind noise or audio overload. And sometimes the audio is just messed up by whoever post processed it.

And Ownaholic, in the future, please use a better topic title so others don't have to dig through your post to determine what you are asking. I'll change yours now.

Moderator redwudz

And welcome to our forums.

[edDV]

$100-150?

MiniDV and shop Craigslist for great deals. That way you can meet the seller and see what you are buying.

Avoid DVD cams if you want to edit or process.

[pepegot1]

DVD is the easiest editing with less problems.

[edDV]

DVD is the easiest editing with less problems.

Compared to what?

[Ownaholic]

Hmm...I suppose I can be a bit more realistic and spend up to $250.

I've already looked on Craigslist, and eBay, and that's the problem; I'm not sure what to look for.

And sorry Redwudz, I thought the topic title was specific enough in relation to the forum.

Everything I've been able to find on Craigslist and eBay are either those flip mino things or really outdated JVC camcorders.

[edDV]

What city are you in? We can help you look.

For smaller towns you may need to wait. You can negotiate prices.

For MiniDV, usage hours and condition are more important than age unless you want to shoot stills.

Local examples here from this week

~$150 max
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/ele/1241930793.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/ele/1241062577.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/ele/1238946075.html <<<- nice
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ele/1239839084.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/ele/1236542038.html

~$200 max
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/pho/1242896333.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/ele/1241066019.html <<<-nice+

[Ownaholic]

I'm currently in the "Lehigh Valley" area of Pennsylvania; I'm actually in Bethlehem city, however it's classified under lehigh valley, and allentown is our next-door neighbor.

So yeah, I'd love it if you could help give me some suggestions.

And I thought with all cameras/camcorders, that the newer they were, the more you were getting for your money, since technology advances for it. Guess I'm wrong. =P

But yeah, again, I'm basically looking for something that won't produce grainy video, even after uploaded to places like youtube/vimeo/wegame, and also don't want any muffled audio or the likes.
75% of the scenes will most likely be shot on a tripod, so audio-range pickup/focusing is important. I don't want to have to shout every time I do a scene.

[edDV]

Can you deal with Philly or NJ?

I need to drive 45 miles to find a Walmart.

[edDV]

Research this one
http://southjersey.craigslist.org/ele/1242767577.html

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/canon-zr950/4505-6500_7-32786405.html
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-ZR950-1-07MP-Camcorder-Optical/dp/B00114LG8E
http://www.consumersearch.com/digital-camcorders/canon-zr950

[edDV]

Or this one
http://lancaster.craigslist.org/pho/1233202534.html

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Canon-ZR200-Camcorder-Review-.htm#

[edDV]

Or this one
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pho/1230890130.html

[Ownaholic]

Well to be honest, I absolutely hate long drives, and wouldn't really be interested in having to drive that far out in my old car; it's not very reliable.

HOWEVER, I might be able to contact these people asking them to send it via-mail after I give them a paypal or cashier's check / normal check in the mail or something of that sort.
I could just arrange a phone conversation and record it as proof of the oral agreement to prevent any fraud.

Then again, after looking over those reviews and pages you listed, the first one is a great deal, and South Jersey isn't THAT far from me...

[edDV]

You be the judge.

[Ownaholic]

I hate to bug you more, but is there anything good on eBay right now that you could find?
What specifications should I look for when I do my own searches? Mini-DV, CCD, Image Stabilization, and what else? Are there like...specific models or brands--anything you can think of to keep an eye out for?

I emailed the person about the camera in south jersey, hopefully they'll be okay with that kind of transfer.

[edDV]

Best to check reviews at camcorderinfo.com or similar.