What is the best and cheapest video camera for recording at night?

Question

Lately we have been having some very vicious thunderstorms. Within the last 10 days I have seen a mesocyclone and a tornado (not in the same day!). There is an amazing lightning show going on north of here, and my Panasonic mini DV won't pick up the lightning in the clouds. Neither will the crappy camera on my cell phone. =(

Answer 1

Any 3CCD camcorder is atleast decent in low light, overall SONY's are the best, for their Mini DV price range especially, not just in low light, but extra features and the lot.

Although, if you pay an extra £50 or so there are alternatives, I have a Panasonic NV-GS500 mini DV (or PV, depending on where you live) and it's awesome at night, it has no nightshot though, unlike most SONY's, but it's one of the best Mini DV cam's in low light, atleast at the time.

Either way if your buying a camcorder i'd go for a SONY overall, 3ccd mini dv and HD, depending on the price.

Also, some camera's can be awesome in low-light when kept steady, but if your filming something fast paced with alot of movement some lose their focus, that's why it's worth looking into cams with manual focus and options, etc.

Answer 2

I have a Canon FS11. Try the Canon FS100 ($400) and then buy a 2GB SD card for like $30. You can't really go lower than that price because cameras around and below this range don't usually have the best capabilities at night. If you want, check out a Sony Handycam. Sonys have this "nightshot" feature that uses infrared technology to see in the dark. Hope this helps!

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/contro...

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stor...