Best video camaera for under $500?

Question

this is what I need:

1. Atleast 7.0mp

2. be able to connect to computer for editing

3. be able to record in both PAL and NTSC ( I pakistan every 2 years and live in Canada)

4. be able to be charged in both countries ( 110v-220v)

5. be able to keep a long Charge

6. have a light or somthing better ( to record in dark areas)

7. can be DVD or TAPE or MEMORY CARD recordable

8. be able to take pictures

9. needs to have excellent zoom

10. needs to have large LCD and LOUD enough speakers to view video In Camaera

11. this problem I really hate is when you view what you recorded and then accidentally tape over It I need a camaera that has fewer the risk of recording over what you previously filmed.

12. and NOT a mini dv model I hate those alot

13. any other great features

if you think this question is familiar it is because my budget is now $500.

ps: I do have 2yrs camaera experience

Answer 1

1) REAL consumer camcorders do not measure their resolution in megapixels. They are either NTSC or PAL; rated on "low light effectiveness", size of imaging chips, effective pixel use and a host of other items. Cameras that use megapixel count as the most important rating are still-photo cameras that happen to take highly compressed video.

2) All REAL consumer camcorders can connect to a computer - with either firewire or USB.

3) Most cameras and camcorders built today have a charger that auto-switches when the voltage requires it. To get around this - and problems with other electronic devices - use a transformer or get a travel power adapter. No camera or camcorder comes with the power plugs (either 2-round for 220v or 2 blades for 110v).

4) Define "long charge". In my opinion, no camcorder comes with a good battery in the box. You need to get an optional rechargeable battery or two. The battery that cam in the box with my camcorder lasts twenty minutes. The two additional batteries I got last up to 5 hours each.

5) The built-in video lights on real camcorders that have them have a throw of about 3 feet. An external video light is better.

6) DVD based camcorders compress their video way more than other media. Consequently, they provide the worst possible video for editing. Certain hard drive and flash memory camcorders compress less... Best available quality continues to come from miniDV tape because it compresses least. If you MUST have a hard drive, then use a Firestore external connected to a miniDV tape based camcorder. The Firestore store DV and HDV video to its hard drive. But, this its outside your budget.

I have been shooting video for nearly ten years and have NEVER shot over existing footage I needed to keep. This issue is yours - not the camcorder's. Like it or not, miniDV continues to provide the best available video quality - whether DV or HDV - of the available consumer grade media because it compresses the data much less than the other media.

Your budget for all your requirements is not enough. Either reduce your requirements or increase your budget.

The closest I can get is:

Canon FS100, FS10, FS11 (too new to review so this is not a recommendation; but the FS100 and FS10 should look pretty promising to you.)

Sony HDR-CX7 (when capturing high definition video, this shoots in AVCHD compressed high definition - which I do not recommend; this camera also captures standard definition video).

Answer 2

Well u need to spend some more, but not a lot.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000M3G...

Answer 3

i suggest canon hg10