What is the best brand of camcorder?

Question

thanks for your time

Answer 1

The Flip

Answer 2

nikon

Answer 3

sony handycams are good, but if yuo want a semi professional/amateur camera, go with the Canon xh-1. It shoots in 1080i and has amazing resolution, as well as tons of nifty features.

Answer 4

the best brand of camcorder would technically speaking be "RED".

it is a 4k resultion cam capable of doing 35mm standard shooting. however, it would be very expensive and out of reach for most people.

however, cams come in many different varieties. there is SD and HD which is standard and high definition.

some have a single chip whereas onthers have three. others are widescreen and some are full screen.

many different factors make up what is best in the market. sony tend to make something that stands out in all market segments wether it be a simple point and shoot right up to the cam they used for star wars (the cinealta). of course the prices are hugely variable starting from around $200 going up to $200000 + depending on features.

if i was to suggest purchasing a camera i would say that people should start to steer clear of SD cams as HD is on the march and will be the standard in a few short years. many people have HD TV's with HDMI built in. many sony's can plug in via this port for perfect image quailty. it does look stunning.

the problem with these big expensive cameras is that many people are clueless how to use them. you may have a $10000 HD cam in the hands of a beginner and a pro cinematographer will wipe the floor with you using a bottom of the linepoint and shoot. they have many confusing dials and buttons designed to bring out the cameras best but it will take a while to learn how to use them effectively.

you can buy HD cams for around US$800 (give or take) which will produce great pictures and even do stills while you shoot. they are easy to use and can dramatically increase the quality of your movies.

many people ask 'what should i get? mini dvd, mini dv or Hard drive?'

i would say that the mini dv (although the oldest format of the bunch) is still the best. it offers excellent resolution (even in hd or HDV as it's known). it has great archiving value and is cheap to run.

dvd and hdd are useful in some ways but quite bad in others. sure, they may seem convienient but DVD has the WORST resolution and the discs are more expensive. HDD is better but what happens  when you run out of drive space on a great trip away? and if it stuffs up - a new tape is far cheaper thana new hard drive.

so, to bring this long rambling point to a close, there are many ins and outs with cams so it s 'how long is a piece of string' question. have a look at what feels good to you and what looks good. think about what you are needing it for and consider the practicalities of each type.

i hope this advice helps.