Hi Mamas,

I am thinking about buying a new camcorder, the one we are currently "using" is a bit bulky and I always seem to leave it at home when Brady is doing the little amazing things he does!  Our last camcorder was a gift and is about 7 years old.  I am looking for something lightweight and compact and easy on the wallet The choices are a bit overwhelming so I was wondering what you use...any suggestions on what to get...or NOT to get?  Any advice would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks!

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Angie

Mom to Brady (4.04) and another little bun in the oven EDD 9.14.06

Hey Angie...

What do you plan to use it for?

I won a digital camcorder at my office Christmas party 2 years ago. We have not used it once since Leo was born... because our digital camera takes video - and the quality is at least as good as the camcorder. The digital camera is so small and compact, it works great.

The downsides... you're limited by the memory card to a small amount of video - we have a512 MB card and that gets us 10 minutes of video. And you can't zoom.

If you want to film long events, or are going on a trip where you'd want to take a lot of video and wouldn't have the option to download it to a laptop, for example, then a camcorder is the way to go. I don't know much about them so I can't really give you any recommendations- just wanted to throw another idea out there  - most digital cameras these days also take video.  HTH

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Christy, Leo's Mom

We have a small Samsung Digital-cam Mini DV that we really really like. It also has a sutter feature with a memroy card to take still photos, but the stills are not as great. But the digital video is outstanding, and it was not super expensive from what I remember.

Its small too, Fits in your hand. I could actually throw it in the diaper bag if I wanted to.

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JoLynda

Mama to Jayna 7.10.05

Thanks for the replies!  I wanted to use the camcorder for everyday events and special occassions.  I feel bad that I only have a little bit of footage of Brady's first year.  I have a lot of pictures but very little film so if the camcorder also takes good pics, even better!  JoLynda, do you know the model of your camcorder?  I was looking at the Samsung DuoCam and it sounds like that's what you have! 

Jayna's mama wrote:

We have a small Samsung Digital-cam Mini DV that we really really like. It also has a sutter feature with a memroy card to take still photos, but the stills are not as great. But the digital video is outstanding, and it was not super expensive from what I remember. Its small too, Fits in your hand. I could actually throw it in the diaper bag if I wanted to.

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Angie

Mom to Brady (4.04) and another little bun in the oven EDD 9.14.06

David (stock boy) suggests not to get the DVD ones because DVDs will probably becoming obsolete. He likes the Canon line of mini-DV camcorders the best because for the money they are probably still the best. That's what we have and it's very small and easy to use. It's just that everytime I want to use it the battery dies, lol.

Having video in your regular digital camera is very convenient. I keep mine in my purse at all times so I have the ability to take pictures or video at any time. Easy to upload up to a website or email to family/friends. But we also suggest that for precious baby videos that you want to keep for all time, a regular camcorder is worth it if you will use it.

 

tribegirl3 wrote:

Thanks for the replies!  I wanted to use the camcorder for everyday events and special occassions.  I feel bad that I only have a little bit of footage of Brady's first year.  I have a lot of pictures but very little film so if the camcorder also takes good pics, even better!  JoLynda, do you know the model of your camcorder?  I was looking at the Samsung DuoCam and it sounds like that's what you have! 

Jayna's mama wrote:

We have a small Samsung Digital-cam Mini DV that we really really like. It also has a sutter feature with a memroy card to take still photos, but the stills are not as great. But the digital video is outstanding, and it was not super expensive from what I remember. Its small too, Fits in your hand. I could actually throw it in the diaper bag if I wanted to.

I think the model # is SD303, Is that what you are looking for? Or is it a name, lol?

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JoLynda

Mama to Jayna 7.10.05

I have heard the same thing about the DVD camcorders so I was thinking about a miniDV.  You are happy with your Canon (do you have a model number?  There are so many to choose from ZR, Elura, Optura!) but the battery doesn't last very long?  I have a Canon digital camera I have had maybe 4 or 5 years and it's great except for the battery life.  By the time you get a warning the battery is low, it dies!

JoLynda, thanks, I will do some research on your Samsung!

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Angie

Mom to Brady (4.04) and another little bun in the oven EDD 9.14.06

Compared to our Nikon D70 camera whose battery lasts forever (4 months, used every day for an hour) until we have to change the battery.. our Canon camcorder sure runs through batteries fast. I'm sure its because a camcorder takes much more juice than a digital camera, and also we run videos for such a long time that the battery dies faster than we expect. It is a Canon Mini DV Elura 40. We got it over a year ago though, but David researches these things every now and then and he's still convinced we made a great choice.

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Angela
Mama to Satori (11/04)

Jayna's mama wrote:

tribegirl3 wrote:

Thanks for the replies!  I wanted to use the camcorder for everyday events and special occassions.  I feel bad that I only have a little bit of footage of Brady's first year.  I have a lot of pictures but very little film so if the camcorder also takes good pics, even better!  JoLynda, do you know the model of your camcorder?  I was looking at the Samsung DuoCam and it sounds like that's what you have! 

Jayna's mama wrote:

We have a small Samsung Digital-cam Mini DV that we really really like. It also has a sutter feature with a memroy card to take still photos, but the stills are not as great. But the digital video is outstanding, and it was not super expensive from what I remember. Its small too, Fits in your hand. I could actually throw it in the diaper bag if I wanted to.

I think the model # is SD303, Is that what you are looking for? Or is it a name, lol?

Oh my goodness!  I think we might have the same camera!  I'll check the model as soon as I get home.

We were given this great samsung digi camcorder/ Mini DV as a gift (they did all the research and choosing - I don't know if it was really spendy  ).  I don't have it in front of me and I haven't used a whole lot it yet (I think it will get alot of use this weekend when family visits) - but it was easy to pic up and play with right away.  It takes vid and pics.  It can be used plugged in and the battery is rechargeable.  It can also attach to computer and/ or TV.  It's pretty darned cool and so far we're satisfied.

It turns out that our digi camera (fugifilm s5000? - can't remember) also takes vid - but I don't know if it's got a time limit (like a few minutes) or if it will run until you run out of space on the card.

Hmmm wish I were more helpful.  Let us know what you get!  I love hearing about new toys almost as much as fluffy!