What HD camcorder is best for a noob like me?

[JonoP]

Hello all, I've been searching through all the camcorder reviews and am more confused than when I started, lol.

Basically I want a camcorder with a large hard drive, full HD, has really good picture quality (especially in lowlight and indoors) and starts up quickly (i.e. turn it on and start shooting right away)... oh and also solid still images would be nice.

My price range is up to about $2000.

Please can anyone link some of my best options?

Thanks

[Lazymonkey44]

Hi.

After a quick look through the CNET camcorder reviews I have found 3 that might interest you.

• JVC Everio GZ-HD40 - http://www.cnet.com.au/jvc-everio-gz-hd40-339295372.htm
• Sony Handycam HDR-XR200V - http://www.cnet.com.au/sony-handycam-hd ... 294803.htm
• Canon HG21 - http://www.cnet.com.au/canon-hg21-339291173.htm (Preview, not Review)

Of course you will need to do more research than I have - consider this a starting block

Good Luck!

[DerekF]

Hi JonoP,

For you I'd recommend the Sony Handycam HDR-XR200. Low light performance is quite good, a bit soft but not too grainy. It's got a plentiful amount of space, still images are okay but don't believe the megapixel rating (and you'll have to shrink your photos to be sharp), starts up quite quickly and has recording priority (you can press record whilst you're surfing the menus or pfaffing about).

Best of all, though, it's the cheapest camera in Sony's range to feature the company active image stabilisation, which makes hand-held footage genuinely watchable. The manual settings are a bit limited, but for point and shoot video with great handholdability, this one's the one to get.

You should be able to get one for around $1400-$1500 if my memory serves me right (it often doesn't). So any spare money can be spent on a spare battery.

As always, try one out in a store before you buy

And, yes, do try out the others in LazyMonkey's list -- the Canon has the sharpest videos but lacks the Sony's active IS.

Hope this helps.

[JonoP]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm still so undecided though.

I read the reviews for each camera and there's always good points and bad points and a lot of them I don't understand (I am a noob remember).

For instance, the first camera I considered was the JVC HD40. It sounded good but the last line was "the lack of optical image stabilisation is regrettable for a camcorder of this calibre". Does this really matter to an amateur like myself?

And some other cameras sound great but the reviewer might say that the image or low light quality is not so great for its price or compared to others. My only camcorder experience is with a Canon MD225, so compared to this a $2000 HD camera with "not so good image quality" is probably really AMAZING image quality compared to what I've used?

Can any CNET people help explain that to me?

Thanks

[JonoP]

Ok I think I've decided to get the JVC Everio GZ HD40. I liked the look of it from the start and plus I found this great deal: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/JVC-EVERIO-GZ-HD40-w-MONSTER-KIT-BRAND-NEW-USA-GZHD40_W0QQitemZ390072593276QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCamcorders_Professional_Video_Cameras?hash=item5ad2236b7c&_trksid=p3286.m63.l1177. Free wide angle lens, carry case, tripods, etc... sounds good to me

The only question I have now is does it matter that the format is NTSC? How will this affect me not being PAL and can I change the format on my computer if necessary?

Thanks heaps

[Camcorder Enthusiest]

I am a proud owner of the GZ-HD40. May I suggest buying it in Australia and keep it to a PAL version .

In NTSC countries they use 60fps and PAL use 50fps.Therefore if you are going to buy a NTSC model and you decide to create AVCHD discs then burn it as a NTSC AVCHD disc. Otherwise you will notice noise when you convert 60fps to 50 fps PAL.

Also if you choose a NTSC model make sure the power supply can handle 240V as most of them are 110V.

In a nutshell you are better off getting a PAL version.