Ok..strange question?

[nikki u.k]

Hi there

i have a strange question for you


I want to buy a small digital camcorder...should i buy it in the uk or USA? on the net or from a shop?

Also do you have a small camcorder and is it any good? would you recomend it and if yes why?
I am looking at the sonyPC9, sonyIP5 or IP7....or the JVC GR-DVP3

Oh it is so confusing

Please help me if you can
Thanks
Nikki

 

[MickeyMcMouse]

Was in the same predicament but bought one yesterday.

Had looked at sony as well to match up to my sony laptop but was scared away by the £1300 price.

Stumbled into Comets yesterday and seen an end of line sony pc110. Has all the cadgets DV in and out etc etc . Its about 6 months out of date with the latest technology but ...... price new £1600 on sale at £629. Just had to buy it

What a deal

Will tell you how good it is when we come back in 5 weeks time.

David

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

A good place to start would be to buy one of the camcorder magazines available in newsagents (Camcorder User or Camcorder ). Both will have reviews of a range of camcorders and adverts from mail order dealers who are normally cheaper than High Street dealers.

I don't think that buying a camcorder in the USA has many advantages. First, you must make sure that you buy a camcorder which is compatible with the UK tv system (PAL) as the system used in the USA (NTSC) is largely incompatible. This means that you will be buying a camcorder which is specifically aimed at the 'tourist' market, and as a result will not be very cheap. My brother-in-law bought a JVC P3 in Orlando last year, and although it is a fine camera I don't think he got a great price for it (I saw it advertised £80 cheaper in Jessops shortly after we returned). If you do buy in the USA make sure to find out what the warranty situation is before you spend $$$s.

The new Sony IP range are incredibly small, and therefore very easy to carry around and use unobtrusively. The disadvantages are slightly inferior piture quality compared to similarly priced miniDV camcorders and currently the price of the MicroDV tapes for the IP range are about 3 times more expensive than miniDV. Unless you are committed to going for the smallest possible camera, I would avoid the IP range for the time being. The Sony PC9 is a fine camera (I have the PC100), and the JCV P3 is also very good (and is currently the smallest miniDV camcorder available). Either of these would be ideal. I have many hours of footage from holidays in WDW and elsewhere, and get a great deal of pleasure from watching in the dark winter months!

Regards

Rob

 

[Goofyish]

As an alternative to buying a camcorder we hired one for our trip in October last year. It was a Sony PC100. We found it ideal because it fitted into a bumbag

I think it was about £139 to hire the camera for 4 weeks (a week to get used to it before we went and a week after our trip to copy the DV onto VHS etc.) plus £250 deposit.

The picture quality is very good.

Here's where we hired ours from:

http://www.camhire.com/

I keep waiting for the price of these small DV camcorders to come down but all the manufacturers seem to do is bring out newer models at the same high prices!

 

[WDWfan uk]

...... I would be worried that I couldn't get it back to the store where I bought it easily should something go wrong - I guess I'm just reiterating Rob's point about the warranty, but it would be more complicated.

 

[nikki u.k]

thanks for your help guys ....I will bear what you said (Rob) in mind I did not know about this so it is most helpful
thanks for the info
Nikki