Looking for a Camcorder (read more instide)...?

Question

Okay so I'm looking for a camcorder under $300 or round that price.

I'm looking to use it for uploading stuff onto youtube.

So being easy to upload onto the computer and I want the picture and the SOUND (big one for me) to be great or as good as you can get for $300.

Answer 1

First of all, I would not purchase a web cam. They will give you much worse picture and sound, and are not useful for much else.

   Looking at consumer camcorders at your price range, I would say that they all have about similar picture quality, but if audio is important to you, then you probably want a camcorder with a microphone input (a mini stereo input is your best bet). Several camcorders I know of with the microphone input are the Panasonic VDR-D310 (a mini DVD camcorder at $500, so you may not want to consider this one), and in the miniDV camcorders (recommended), there is the Sony DCR-HC96 ($500), and the Canon ZR-800 ($230). The Canon ZR-800, being the cheapest, seems to be the obvious choice, but I do not think the picture is as good as the Sony DCR-HC96.

The reason I recommend a camcorder with the ministereo mic input is that no camcorder, even professional models, have great audio. If you have the mini-stereo input, you could buy a directional microphone that doesn't pick up as much background noise, thus producing a more focused, clearer sound. You could easily upgrade the sound from the built in mic by purchasing a shotgun microphone (the Rode VideoMic is the best, but I also like the Azden SGM-X. Both are around $100). You can also purchase a lavalier microphone.  In general, camcorders with the mic input are more expensive, so if you really don't care, I really like the Panasonic PV-GS320 miniDV camcorder for about $400. The reason that I recommended the miniDV camcorders over the mini DVD or flash media camcorders is that they are much easier to edit; every editing program will be miniDV compatible.

Another great option would be to buy an older model. If you can find them, the Canon Optura 10 or Sony TRV900 would be great! Both have all the manual controls you would need along with a mini stereo mic input- they also produce good picture quality. If you could find them, my guess is that they would be very cheap. (I really like the Sony TRV900; it is a semi-pro camcorder, and would be a steal if you could get a fully funtioning one for about $400 or $500).