Camcorder Reviews

This bag is compact, very light, and cheap. It can hold your compact or mid-size camcorder, it's charger, and a few extra tapes. It's a nice bag to have if you just bring your camcorder on family vacations. It is also very durable. If you have a larger camcorder or use your camcorder frequently I suggest a larger more expensive bag.

Nice light weight pod I use for Video and Still. Takes the wiggle out of your video and allows me to use the zoom more effectively on both. The Monopod is quick to set up and move. Only negatives are it would be nice to have a second shoe for the cameras. (I suspect they are available) and the release clips are a little tight - my 9 yr old has trouble with them.

I purchased the mc3 as a Christmas present for my 12 year old daughter. It didn't take her long to get the hang of taking pictures or video and she had a lot of fun doing so. Downloading them to our PC (uses Windows XP) was pretty easy. But I do have a few complaints so far. The first is that the mc3 is now shutting itself off even though it says the batteries are OK. A change of batteries may remedy this. The biggest complaint is that we cannot download mp3 files to the mc3. The users guide is really poor with regard to this. And the fact that it is on CD makes it hard to flip back & forth. Kodak's website says to look at the users guide (big help!) The guide says to use Real Jukebox(included) to download but Real Jukebox doesn't offer the mc3 as a storage device. Very frustrating!! Somebody more familiar with mp3's may know what to do but the mc3 is supposed to be a toy, not a job. My last complaint makes me wonder how much thought went into the design and did Kodak even try it out. You cannot close the flash card door - it causes the card to pop out of the connector!! 9/25/02 Just found out from a friend that you need to push the lever up to get it out of the way so you can close the door. He found out by accident. How hard would it have been for Kodak to let me know? BTW, anyone else notice how badly AMC has gone downhill lately?

The emphasis here is that the MC3 is a toy - it's a lot of fun to play with, but it's not the sort of tool to use if you're planning on doing any serious publishing (online or on paper) or video work.

That said, this camera is fine for taking lots of fair quality VGA-resolution photos for e-mailing or sticking on your webpage (for what it's worth, the photo quality is notably better than other bottom-of-the-line dedicated digital cameras). The quality of the videos is at least comparable (if not slightly better) than the first generation Sony Cybershot cameras, although the MC3 doesn't limit the length of the video clips to 15 seconds like the Sony (a definite plus). The MP3 player component seems to handle various CBR-encoded MP3 files (I've tried 64, 128, 160, and 192Kbps with success), although it doesn't seem to support WMA. Finally, the USB cable allows for surprisingly fast file transfer, slightly slower than a dedicated card reader.

For $200 (which is how much this camera costs if you supply your own CF card), the MC3 is a fine gadget. If you want a good digital camera, video camera, or digital music player, you'll probably have to resort to getting three separate devices.

I have had this for over 2 years now and I still love it. The camera part is great fun, though low resolution is noticable in prints, prints look good. I upgraded to a 128 mb card which holds about 1.5 hours of music or 900 photos or 45 minutes of video. The best thing about this is it's TOUGH. I have dropped it numerous times, it has gone flying off of my desk. Sometimes the card pops out and the batteries always scatter, but it is always fine. It works just like the day I got it. Although there is one thing that I did not like. When Realplayer updated Jukebox, they did not upgrade the drivers for MC3. I eventually was not able to transfer files to the unit, so I bought a CF card reader. It works amazingly fast and lets me transfer my files through Windows Media Player. It now works like a charm, I would recommend this for anyone who uses Windows XP. If you can get a card reader, don't install the included software!

don't waste your money on this! i haven't even heard of this company, but they really should consider improving this camera. the quality is bad, and dark. just looking at the lcd screen makes my eyes hurt. when hooked up to the computer, however bright your light is in your room, it's really dark and you have to toggle with the controls on a photoshop software in order to make the picture decent. i don't think that's worth it. and sometimes it doesn't even work, even if you do try to fix it in a photoshop program. and it has an annoying beeping sound when you turn it on and take pictures. you should seriously reconsider, if you're thinking of buying this item. unless you're extremely careful with it, and you don't mind the bad quality, then i guess it's okay if you buy it. but i wouldn't suggest taking professional pictures with it.

by the way, it broke by the second week that i had bought it. it must've gotten jostled in my purse or something, but it refused to turn on after a while, and when it did, it kept taking pictures by itself.

This camera is cute, tiny, and not too usefull. I got this camera as a christmas present and tried to use it on new years eve, bad idea. You can only take pictures in broad day light. If you're indoors and you dont have the very bright lighting then you get a black picture with a few shadows. It's wonderful for out side use, although the batteris do drain fast. Also, if you plan on buying this, please make sure you get a CF card as well, the camera it self hold few pictures. The CF card cost me an extra $40, just to find out the camera isnt even worth it. Think before you buy!

This camera is great for people who are looking for a digital camera with an LCD screen, but don't have the money to buy a high end one. There were initial problems, such as having too little light for the camera. But, we got a flash card, and it works great. GET A FLASH CARD, OR USE IN A WELL LIT AREA. Also, the LCD screen is able to be turned off and on, so when I turned it off and my wife went to use it, she thought the screen was broke, so make sure you let the other person know. The battery drain sux, but we got rechargeable batteries, and it only cost us 15.00 dollars. You may have to invest a little more than the initial price, but, for a camera that records live action, and is a web-cam to boot, its wonderful!

This is a great little camera (fits in your hand nicely) for the beginer as well as the more advanced video buff that does not want to carry a heavier equipment.
Very easy to use, it has a number of effects (usual fade-in and out, sepia, black and white and various fun digital effects) that will make your movies fun to watch.
Menus are easy to follow and make sense. Documentation is good.
The 22X optical zoom is realy nice and beats out the competion. Most camcorders optical zooms don't even get close to 20X.
The wide angle attachment is a very nice addition as it realy makes a difference when shooting indoors to get more of the room.
Mine came with a free Pinacle Studio 8 editing software which is a good entry level software.(You will need a serious PC, though, if you are going to do any large editing work as digital movies require a lot of space and memory).
The only serious con is the image quality in low light situations. The resulting image is grainy and cold and the camera's "spot" light is useless.
Some reviewers have complained about the motor noise that is picked-up by the built-in microphone, it is noticable when filming in a church (!) but for most applications,you will not notice it.

-- Best things: Fits hand, very easy to use, convenient size (smaller more expensive models are hard to control, even with stabilization), the optical zoom is wonderful, the sound is sensitive and surprisingly accurate (more on that below), image quality in bright light is awesome, AV passthrough lets you transcribe to/from video or S-video devices (e.g., TV, VCR) direct to FireWire (with or without going onto tape in between). It works wonderfully with iMovie software on Mac OS-X.
-- Worst things: Comes from Canon without a tape, comes with USB cable but not a FireWire cable, has bells and whistles (who actually needs to change colors of illuminated buttons?), takes still shots (I don't need/want a digital still photo feature with another set of media and cables). Built-in mic picks up wind noise. (I haven't tried the optional accessory microphone.)
-- Other comments: Perhaps pricey, but worth it for the Canon optics and ease of use. The ZR-70 comes with a wide-angle lens which is actually useful. So is the remote control. Battery life is longer than a tape's capacity, so plan to have a spare battery and a separate charger (not included) and change battery and tape together. I haven't done much with low light conditions, but it seems okay. Some ZR reviews have mentioned motor noise picked up in the sound recording - it isn't a problem for me. The camera adjusts the recording level to match the ambient sound level - this means that you get great sound in a wide range of situations. Only if there is no other sound will the camera turn up the sensitivity so high that it records its own motor's noise.
-- Punchline: I'm really happy with this DV camcorder, and recommend it. (5 stars if it came with a tape and FireWire cable in the box, and without still photo feature.)

Before buying this I did lot of research finally came down to canon zr70mc and sony dcr-hc30. (don't fall for other canon models like zr80-85. they lack features ) Both models are appealing for price. Sony has bigger lcd and better lowlight performance while Canon have better zoom (22x as compared to 10x of sony ) and lots and lots of features. Some people say canon is having better image stability So it can afford 22x zoom w/o problem.
in zr70mc you can download video from TV/VRC or other camcorder witout any additional accesories. So easily copy old analog tapes to this digital camcorder Or burn DVD's. Canon also provides wide angle lens (very useful ) Plus sony has only 3 months labor while canon gives 12 months labor warranty.

only tape loading in zr70 is little difficult if you use tripod.

Overall this is a good value. I tested indoor using 100w room light. Picture was little yellowish. But I got filter set from ebay for 17$ and all looks good now.
NOTE: protect lens and always use uv filters.

New Digital8 Video Recording Up to 500 lines of horizontal resolution Video8/Hi8 Playback New 20x Optical/360x Digital Zoom New NightShot with Slow Shutter 0 lux up to 10 feet away using the built-in infrared system LaserLinkTM Wireless Transmitter with TV Control Wireless connection between your camera and TV, up to 16 feet (requires optional IFT-R10 receiver.) TV Control will power your TV on, and set it to the proper video input (most Sony TVs with Remote Control capability) Steadyshot® Picture Stabilization i.LINKTM DV Interface (IEEE1394) Edit, Dub, Archive, or Playback between two digital components (bi-directional). Photo Mode: Store hundreds of individual still images on the tape. 7 Mode Program AE: Lesson Mode, Spotlight Mode, Beach and Ski Mode, Landscape Mode, Sunset and Moon Mode, and Low Lux. Advanced Color Viewfinder Intelligent Accessory Shoe Digital Effects: Still, Flash Motion, Luminance Key, Slow Shutter, Trail, Old Movie 8 Picture Effects Slim, Stretch, Mosiac, SSolarization, Monotone, Sepia, Neg. Art, Pastel Fader Effects: Black, Mosaic, Bounce, Monotone, Overlap New Analog Recording Capability Record from an analog source and converts to digital video through A/V inputs. Imaging Device 1/4" Color CCD 460k pixels Focusing Full Range Inner Focus-Auto/Manual Shutter Speed 1/60 - 1/4000 (In AE Mode) Viewfinder Color 113K pixels Accessory Shoe Yes-Intelligent Video/Audio Recording System Digital Component Helical Scan System Audio/Video Outputs Yes (Phono - Stereo) Audio/Video INputs Yes (Phono - Stereo) S-VIDEO IN/OUT: Yes External MIC Input Yes (Stereo Plug-in Power) Headphone Jack Yes (Stereo) Control L (LANC) Yes White Balance Auto Exposure Auto/Manual (Dial)

I bought this camera after reading lot of reviews. This is the first video camera that I have bought. Few things which PV-DV910 lacks is that it does not come with any software so as to edit the Digital Video in the PC, no firewire cables - even though it has IEEE1394 port for transfer. Eventhough it says 300x digital zoom, the system does not go beyond 36x. The performance is very poor in low lighting. Out door in normal sunlight, it is great. Overall not too happy for the money that I paid for it.

this camcorder has some wonderful features and the 300X digital zoom is great! also, the included light is very convenient for low-light filming and nightshooting. there are many special effects which i have yet to use, but its nice to know that they are there if i need them. the still-shot camera is great too. its nice to be able to email pictures to family and friends. this camcorder is very light and compact, and the resolution is great.

Honestly, if you are buying this item get the extended warranty if available...you could very well need it. I had it for barely a year and it worked great no complaints at all till it just quit working all together. Now it makes a great paperweight. The unit will not power up at all. Bear in mind that my unit has never been mishandled or mistreated. I have also done research on the web and have found similar reviews elsewhere. I am still trying to get Sharp to help me replace or repair it. I'd love to be able to write a retraction in the coming days that Sharp has stepped up and done the right thing. Till then...Stay tuned and best of luck.

I give this camera 5 stars!
The Price can't be beat, especially with the rebate.
The features can't be beat for the price.

It's everything I wanted in a video camera. And the added digital still camera... part makes it even better! The resolution may only be 740x640 or something close ....but Hey you can still print nice 3x5's at least! If not 4x6's.
I love how compact and light it is. It is smaller and lighter then my Sony FD Mavica digital still camera.
I thought I would have to settle for a cheap 8mm video camera...but then I found Amazon.com!

I also love how easy it is to upload pics to the computer using the supplied usb cable.

I don't have a fire wire yet so I just hooked it up through my intel pro pc web camera and uploaded my video's to my computer. It turned out ok....but probably not in digital format. So I will probably end up getting the firewire soon. But it will work.

I love having the ability to playback the video on the camera with sound. And being able to add more to the tape using the dubbing feature.

It is very easy to switch from recording videos to recording still pics. Just a flip of one switch. Plus you can grab images off of your videos on your camera very easily too.

I have nothing bad to say about this camera. I just wish it came with a carrying case. Made for it so everything would fit perfectly. And I wish 2 day shipping didn't take 2 days! But that's life! hahahaha

I'll say it again - this is a great camera, considering the price. The video quality far surpasses VHS-C, for a VHS-C price. I've owned this camera for about a month and it has worked as expected right out of the box.

In my opinion, the digital still camera feature is just an extra selling point for Sharp. The quality of the still photos is about the quality of an image capture from a video tape. It's not even as good as my 3 year old 1.3 megapixel camera I bought used for 50 bucks. So don't buy it thinking you're getting a quality digital still camera.

The camcorder is easy to operate and comfortable to hold (you almost have to use both hands, though.) I like not having to hold it up to my eye, and the large LCD display looks great indoors or out.

The "quick return" feature is nice - it fast-forwards the tape to the end of the last recording, so you don't accidentally tape over something.

I was initially concerned about the short warranty period (90 days), so I purchased it using my American Express card, which extends my warranty one year.

UPDATE: I've had the camera 5 months now and still no problems. I bought a Firewire cable and card for my computer and it works flawlessly transferring video to my computer, which is then recorded onto DVD. I've heard Sharp won't offer tech support for transferring video to computer, but it works great with my Dell computer running Windows XP Home.

The quality of the 26x zoom is incredible, and even the lower powers of digital zoom that this camera has are incredible. Imagine being able to clearly read 3pt type from 15 feet away on the viewfinder. And that's just the beginning.

Unpacking the box, I found out that I was glad that I'd purchased a USB smartmedia reader. The only cables supplied were the standard dubbing cables and a serial transfer cable. Standard serial transfer being slow as it is was not an option. That cable is now stashed collecting dust.

The camera was easy to set up and get running right away. I popped the 8mb smartmedia card in its slot, the battery in it's little hideout, and a new blank tape in the tape compartment. The single hardest thing was figuring out how to attach the lens cap to the hand strap. Velcro is your friend (the hand strap pad velcroes shut over the strap adjustment, by undoing the strap pad, you slip the cap cord onto the strap. A very neat, if unintuitive, design)

Still pictures: 640x480 is limiting, but I mostly use this for web work and don't like to publish anything much larger than this. I would like to have some extra area though to make sure I get everything and crop down. Quality is superb in good direct lighting, decent in low light or indirect light.

Video Capture: Surprisingly clear. The camera, as with all such devices, makes a good webcam if you have the right interface hardware. I use a WinTV card for vid capture and discovered that the 450 will 'follow' action around if you leave it still on the tripod. Good for those people with a cam setup that move around a lot. It will automatically pan within its scan area just a few degrees to each side, but enough, usually, if set up correctly.

VCR Mode: A neat feature that I was totally unaware that the machine had until I got it home. If you plug the 'output' ports in so that they're receiving information instead of sending it, you can record on the camera like a VCR.

All in all: I'd recommend this little cam. My only complaint was being limited to 640x480 on still pictures. Cabling was standard and not unexpected. Optics and zoom are exceptional, 26x optical zoom is a big plus. IR and zero-light features are great. Still pictures, though limited in size, can fit 500-1500 depending on quality on a 64mb SM card.

4 1/2 stars

If you are looking for a camera/digital camcorder that is in the ... range, this may very well be the camera for you ...In deciding which camera to buy, I initially shopped the Sony and Canon offerings but was dismayed by how quickly the price goes up when you start to tack on the features. That's when I saw the Sharp VL-WD450U. What a great price for the features that you get:

Its 26X optical zoom is much more powerful than that of most MiniDV camcorders, and its low-light performance is terrific! The LCD panel flips around so that your subjects can see how they look on camera, and the color LCD eyepiece viewfinder automatically switches on so that you can catch the action, too. The Gamma/Brighter adjustment button, which can fine-tune the exposure to brighten skin tones when they appear dark without changing the overall exposure level, is really a cool feature.
Plus the detachable microphone (it slides into a little slot on top; but you don't always need to use it because the camcorder also has a standard built-in microphone under the lens) has a highly directional pickup pattern and is less affected by the motor noise generated within the camcorder. And you can zoom in on points and the mic will only pick up sounds from that point and filter out other sounds, which is really neat!

Like Sony's popular Nightshot feature, this camcorder sports Super Cat's Eye, which lets you shoot video in complete darkness. But the normal shooting mode has excellent low-light performance too. Of course the camera allows you to take stills onto an 8mb memory card and download in to your computer. It also comes with the IEEE Link for downloads of video at over 400mbs! The camera comes with RCA-type jacks for video and audio, an SVideo Input/Output.

But what really makes the camera is its Canon Lens (which in my opinion makes or breaks a Camcorder). The Image quality is as good as the ... Sony and Canon Camcorders (don't let the 460,000 resolution fool you, it looks MUCH sharper than that).

So if you are not a professional and are just looking for a great deal on a Camcorder to take production quality home movies then this is probably as good as they come.

I was looking for a recorder specifically for doing two things:

1. Easily convert old VHS tapes to Digital format. If you have ever tried capturing analog video direct to a computer, you know it's not that easy. I wanted to let the camcorder do the hard work of converting and then just copy the video down digitally over a firewire cable.

2. Capture higher quality video for the new home movies I was making on DVD playable CD-Rs.

This unit did it all for me and I didn't have to break the bank. In particular I was happy that the unit had:
- RCA style Video In/Out so I can play from it to another source, or record to it from sometime like a VHS player.
- widescreen recording option
- remote control
- Digital still option. Though it's only 640X480, it's a nice option for when I don't have my regular digital camera with me.

Now I've converted a good portion of my old VHS home movies to Digital and to DVD (you need additional software and a CD Burner to create the DVD playable CD-Rs) and the new video I capture is of higher quality than the 8mm I had used for the last 10 years. It didn't even take me long to get use to the unit because much of the layout (recording button, zoom) are in the same spot as my old 8mm Sony. I spent about an hour hooking everything up, reading the manual and setting all the menus. After that it was smooth sailing.

How do you get pictures and movies on your email? I have windows XP and can't get things loaded onto the computer without it playing on just the camera.

I've owned this camcorder for a month...Although please avoid them if possible, they open the box from JVC and change the standard battery for a NiCa battery which lasts only 20mins! Then they charge you extra for the normal battery. Unless you're really on the ball you'll be caught out like me. I cannot believe the nerve of these people! Check out Camcorder & Computer Video mag for other retailers with prices just as good, some better.

The GRDVM50 is identical to the grdvm70 except it doesen't have the memory card & built in flash. Firstly, the video quality is superb. For my personal use of creating PC picture albums I find the digital stills perfectly adaquate, one real advantage with the software is even if the still you take is not in great focus you can frame by frame advance and you'll always find in 1 or 2 frames a clear image, just press the capture button on the software and this is the still thats transferred. If you're looking for high quality stills then buy a dedicated digital camera of high cost camcorder like the sony pc100 approx.$1500 street!

In a nutshell, this unit is so easy to use and carry around, it's also pretty rugged compared to the plasticcy models from other manufacturers.

On the downside, yes you can hear motor whine on the tape when using zoom but to be honest I really don't find it a problem. Wind noise-there is an electronic feature to reduce windnoise. I used this on Millenium Force rollercoaster at Cedar Pt.(Ohio) and it worked fine. The battery doesen't last long, you can buy 1.5hrs (actual) from camera shops. JVC Service & literature don't give me a warm feeling in terms of PC connectivity & what I've heard. Oh yeah, I had a problem with connecting to PC, check under on your PC under'Start,settings,control panel,ports, that the baud rate is 9600' JVC connectivity literature is pathetic considering how easy it actually is to connect. Don't waste time reading the software manuals, just install & use.

So..as far as rating goes, I'm not biased, and I'm basically blown away by this little machine considering the price I paid and the overall performance.

If you are looking for an ultracompact, feature-filled camcorder, the JVC GR-DVM70U digital cybercam will take you to new levels of vacation and home video making. The GR-DVM70U features a digital still picture output that allows this camcorder to act as a digital still camera. The still images are stored on a removable 4 MB multimedia card and can be downloaded onto your PC via the provided serial cable. A short editing process makes your images Web-ready or e- mail compliant with the software included.

This JVC digital cybercam offers a high level of picture and sound quality. A 680,000-pixel CCD delivers outstanding resolution, and with the 180,000-pixel color LCD monitor, the camcorder can be operated from any angle. For important close-up shots, the 200x digital zoom provides fast zooming at variable speeds by finger pressure.

This cybercam is full of digital effects and scene transitions for the budding filmmaker. Let your creativity run free with effects such as classic film, strobe, slow shutter, black and white, and many more. A time-lapse capability allows you to record at preset intervals to catch slow motion action such as plant growth or cloud movement. You can also record in a special animation mode that creates the illusion of movement for an otherwise stationary scene when you shoot a series of slightly different poses. Random assemble editing provides an eight-scene memory for favorite scenes as well as the ability to add special effects.

The JVC GR-DVM70U is fully compatible with your PC computer. It includes a serial cable, 4 MB multimedia card and digital output link. Other accessories include a handgrip strap, audio-video output cable, editing cable, DC adapter, cleaning cloth, AC adapter/battery charger, and docking station.

First off, as already said, the size is amazing - It really is about the size of a credit card. This is part of my reason for buying this particular unit, so that I could easily store it on my motorcycle for trips. The Camcorder looks nice, but feels cheaply made. The features are nice (especially when compared to the competition) and over all it performs satisfactory. The video and the still shot mode works well, but the quality seems to lack at times. The biggest downfall I have found is it could greatly benifit from a flash / light as if there is not sufficient light indoors, the video's and pics are very dark. The camera functions are pretty simple to use, well laid out, and offer many options that are only found on higher priced multi-function digital cameras.

The software included is not very user friendly, I had to load it twice to even get it to work right, however, the extra bonus accesories included in the package are nice, and you do not need to instantly go and buy anything else to start using it. I would reccomend upgrading to a bigger memory card for greater storage of pics and video.

Overall for my day to day use it is fine, but if you want to take serious video or digital pics you will need to move into a higher price range.

i bought this camera around the end of july 2004,it shipped 6 days before they said it would, and it was delivered in time for me to take it on vacation with me. i made videos and took pictures with it they turn out great,one of my favorite things about it is that when you are in a moving car and take a picture it comes out clear as crystle, and you can't tell that you were moving.i have a few problems with it though,there isn't a light on it so you can't take pix or videos when it's dark or too light out.i also don't like the 32mb SD memory card it comes with. i need to purchase one with more space on it.another thing is it doesn't really tell you the size of it when u look at it online. it is 3 and 8/16 inches long and 2 and 6/16 wide.the lense is almost a 1/2 an inch across.the playback screen is 14/16 of an inch long. ANOTHER THING U MIGHT WANT TO KNOW IS thhis video camera fells like a childs toy right out of the box,so when u get it use it for about 3 days and then u will see hoew amazing this piece of equiptment is, I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To save you a bunch of time trying to find this item in the store, this item is available online only.