Does anyone have any information/suggestions for

[Midlodemocrat]

a digital camcorder?

I am interested in getting one, but don't know much about them.

Thanks.

[Zuni]

1. no

but I can give you advice about investing in a new waffle iron

:hi:

[Midlodemocrat]

2. You, sir, are a cad.

but a nice one.

Thanks anyway. I'll PM you when I need a new waffle iron.

[MostlyLurks]

3. Panasonic has a nice 3CCD one.

Most consumer level cam have one chip (CCD) for processing all colors. As a result, there's a slight reduction in color crispness and clarity because that one chip is doing all the color seperation and mixing.

Pro level cams, like those used by wedding videographers and TV field crews, have 3 CCDs for greater clarity.

Canon has had 3CCD "prosumer" cams on the market for a while now, but they're pricey and sort of comically large. About two years ago, Panasonic released a 3CCD model for around $1000. It's nice and small, like a digicam should be.

I bought it and have been VERY happy with it - outstanding picture clarity, good sound. The controls are pretty easy to use, etc.

There might be other competing 3CCD models out too.

One thing NOT to be taken in by is the ridiculous "digital zoom" claims, where they tell you the digital zoom is something like 120X. That's pointless - digital zoom tends to be unbelievably fuzzy AND once you zoom in to a certain point, it becomes impossible to hold the camera steady enough to keep it on whatever it is that you're zoomed in on. Pay no attention to digizoom, IMO (my Pana has digizoom, but I have deactivated it). Instead, look for the highest optical zoom you can get (optical being zoom that is achieved through the use of long lenses, etc). Optical zoom is not subject to blurring like digital.

That's the only fault I can give to the Pana - it's optical is only 10X or 12X I think. That said, I've rarely found myself wishing I had a higher zoom.

My 2 cents.

Mostly

[Midlodemocrat]

4. Thanks so much for the information!

I just don't have a whole lot of time to do research on this and want one just to take videos of the kids, etc.,

Appreciate your reply.

[MostlyLurks]

5. No problem. An amendment...

I use my cam almost exclusively for landscape shots when I go on vacation (you'd be hard pressed to find pictures of me or Mrs. Mostly anywhere in our video collection). That being the case, I wanted the best picture I could possibly get to show as much detail as possible. That's helped tremendously - I once got a shot of a bald eagle, paralleling our car while driving and the picture was absolutely crystal clear - you could make out individual feathers. I know it would have been muddy if I had used my old 1CCD cam.

If you're not concerned about that sort of detail, 3CCD isn't necessarily a big deal, especially if your video footage is mostly shot within 10 feet of target. The cam I mentioned would probably not give you any significant benefit over the more typical 1CCD models for shooting around-the-house-with-the-kids movies.

Mostly

[Midlodemocrat]

6. I just PM'd you with the web page from an online

retailer that has the camera for $500. I wanted to be sure that is the same one you are talking about.