I'm interested in the Sony Handycam DCR-DVD 109E model. Does anyone know if it's good or not?

Question

I'm interested in the Sony Handycam DCR-DVD 109E model. Does anyone know if it's good or not?

Answer 1

DVD based camcorders sound great in theory, but most people are disappointed.  Not good!!

Answer 2

If I were you I would go for a hard drive cam, they are far superior and the JVC 30Gb HDD Everio is about the best of the bunch. I've been using mine for a few years now & it has never let me down. It's far better than my other one, (A Sony) and I use it for both stills and video, the stills are stored on a seperate SD card, & it comes complete with cables & software though the software is not up to much. For serious video editing I use Ulead videostudio 11 which is the best you can get.

Ps, forget about firewire slots etc, you don't need them. USB is just as good & you probably have plenty of spare USB ports already.

Answer 3

NOT GOOD.

DO NOT GET A DVD based camcorder.

DO NOT GET A DVD based camcorder.

Did I mention... DO NOT GET A DVD based camcorder.

Get a hard drive based camcorder if you want. Some of the higher-end flash memory camcorders are good. Best quality video continues to come from miniDV tape based camcorder, so you can get one of those.

DO NOT GET A DVD based camcorder. Poor video quality, difficulties transferring to computer for editing, unstable optical discs... Do yourself and your husband a HUGE favor and please don't do it.

If you tell us your budgets, we can make actual recommendations. Canon, Sony and Panasonic are the usual manufacturer suspects.

Digital formats are best for editing: MiniDV tape, hard drive, flash memory (also known as "tapeless").

The analog formats are just going away slowly. This included Hi8, VHS-c.

My recommendation: Canon ZR800 or Sony DCR-HC28 (or HC96). You may need to add a firewire port to your computer. Easy to do if there is an available PCI slot inside - or PCMCIA slot if a laptop. Don't spend all your money on the camcorder - you will also want a tripod and an extra high capacity rechargeable battery... and a sturdy case.