Info on Camcorder

[canon450D]

Greetings. I want to buy my first camcorder. I would appreciate your valuable advice.
I need at least 12x optical zoom. Optical image stabiliser is preferred although I am happy to do without it. What are the best value for money models that you would recommend in (a)$500-$1000 and (b)$1001-2000 categories? I don't mind either flash/dvd/hard disk based. Either SD or HD will do. I don't mind old/clearance models. Thank you very much.

 

[Flashbulb]

Greetings. I want to buy my first camcorder. I would appreciate your valuable advice.
I need at least 12x optical zoom. Optical image stabiliser is preferred although I am happy to do without it. What are the best value for money models that you would recommend in (a)$500-$1000 and (b)$1001-2000 categories? I don't mind either flash/dvd/hard disk based. Either SD or HD will do. I don't mind old/clearance models. Thank you very much.

you want to use for what? for example my Canon HF100 is just about right for all situations other then night time.

 

[canon450D]

Thank you for your reply. Intend to use for travel. Some night time use might be needed.

 

[Flashbulb]

for night, almost impossible to get very good quality. Thats why a lot of nightlife documentaries either use infra red, night vision or bring their own lighting to reduce the noise.

if you are on the move more or less you be getting a camcorder that uses flash drive which is easy to keep and helps to extend battery life by removing all moving parts.

depending on your budget, comfort level or if you need changeable lens, filters or extended battery and so on.....

can be from this

to this

to this

and even

my suggestion would be to rent one first and check out its features. Only if use then you know what features you need and from there can start looking for your camcorder.

 

[canon450D]

Thanks for your reply. Is there any equivalent of dpreview for camcorders?

 

[SwaKu]

Yes there is.

www.camcorderinfo.com

I'm a newbie too and recently bought the canon HF100 from amazon based on their review. It's more than good enough for my usage, that is to film my baby girl and the occasional holidays.