Thanks to all of you who have provided your input to Bob and myself for our upcoming Safari in Aug.....I want to take a camcorder with us and have never had one before so would appreciate any comments you might have concerning the Panasonic VDR-D230 mini DVD. It does have a 32X optical zoom and image stabilization. I can purchase it for approx. $400.00 Has anyone used this camera? or know anything about it? Thanks again for all your help...Ruth.

Ruth, I am not a fan of DVD based camcorders, mainly because of the delay to start recording once you click on the record button. The camera needs to spin up the DVD and start the burning process, which isn't fast enough for safari or wildlife needs. I much prefer good old fashioned tapes, even over the newer hard drive based models. Tapes are your perfect backup, as you can archive your tapes on a shelf and only pick them back up when you need to.

Andy, Thanks for your recommendation. I hope I make some sense here but I now also understand that I cannot edit my pictures once they are "finalized?" on the DVD. While with the tape I can use a software program to do so. This to me, if correct, is a major limitation. Does anyone have any recommendations for a MiniDV camcorder? I do want to get something with at least a 30X optical zoom and would hope some kind of a stablization system. Hope this is not asking for too much. Ruth

I do not know much about camcorders as this will be my first purchase. I have been looking at this one, Canon HV10

http://www.bestpricecameras.com/prod...?prodid=681751

I will put in another vote for good old fashioned DV tapes.

I have had the Sony DCR PC110 for over 5 years and it has gone with me from the cold Glaciers of Alaska, to the dusty air of Agra & the Taj Mahal to the damp Volcano Mountains of Rwanda. Not to mentions several dozen weddings and other events.

It has never chewed a tape. I did managed to bang the daylights out of it in Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda and I thought it was done, but mystically it started working again.

OK, enough of that... I am not necessarily trying to sell that brand

Just do tapes not DVD. I edit my video all the time. Tapes are cheap at Ebay, Costco or other places.


Plain and simple it is one of my favorite purchases ever

I bought a Canon Elura 100 in Dec. 2006 so I'm still playing with it. It only has a 20x zoom so it doesn't quite meet your needs. But I wanted to chime in about tape vs DVD as the media.
I know almost nothing about camcorders--but my DS is a "computer geek" and he suggested staying away from the mini DVD's.
For software I'm using Windows Movie Maker--which I believe came with the computer. Movie Maker is easy to use and seems to have a nice selection of options.
I have used other video conversion programs for converting and editing VHS family movies to DVD, so easy to use software is something I do know about!

I also want to recommend mini DV over DVD. We investigated about 10 different camcorders before deciding on a Sony mini DV model, and I sacrificed a little in the zoom capability because the picture was actually much better looking with the mini DV (plus the ability to edit). It's easy enough to make DVD copies later with a computer or else a DVD recorder (like the Sony DVDirect, which hooks up to your camcorder). As an archivist, I'm always a fan of saving everything important in several different formats, anyway!

Can anyone help me please. My husband bought a Sony DCR-DVD205 last year for my birhtday. I research to death but he does not so I am not that familiar with this although I have read the specs. I have had other camcorders and what I like to do is take the pictures and then after the trip pop them into the computer, edit and then merge the video with my stills, or at least edit out the bad footage from the videos.

I do not understand the comments about finalizing the disc and being unable to edit. Can someone explain please.

As an avid videographer I agree with all here who say to go with Mini DV. DVD is a very limiting format. However the link here to a camera store is to one the brooklyn scammers. They are known for bait and switch. Remember "if it sounds togood to be true, it probably is". http://www.resellerratings.com/store...rice_Cameras_6
Check out B&H for true prices.

To Speigelcjs, Basically you cannot use the DVD out of the camera, until it has been finalised. (think developed !). Then it is already in a compressed format that loses quality when edited. Mini DV tapes are in uncompressed AVI format that you edit in whatever program you prefer, then "render" (convert) to the final DVD compressed format.

Thanks for the information on the store, I am the one that posted the link. I was surprised at the price but the in stock, unopened box, and full warranty made me more comfortable than I should have been. Thanks before I made a big mistake. I am still researching the camera and am appreciative of the information provided here.

I Don't want to hijack this thread, but here is a link to a very good website for research. Here I have pointed to the page with the lists of Authorized and unauthorized stores.
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/f1

Shmulb:
Does this mean that if I delete sections that are just bad footage it will be a problem.All I will really want to do is cut so that the video is down to a reasonable length. Do I then need to delete before taking it out of the camera. That is really a pain to do.

It really depends what you want to do with your footage. The best would be to delete it in the camera before finalizing. If you import finalized footage into a PC, cut out parts, then you have to re-convert it to DVD format (once you cut out the bad parts it will no longer be readable to a DVD player) and write back to a new DVD. This conversion process will be compressing already compressed footage. DVD cameras are really not designed to be edited outside the camera.

Thanks to all of you for the great input. Based upon what you have said I have definitely decided to go with the MiniDV and am currently looking at the Panasonic PV-GS85. It does have a 32x optical zoom, optical image stabilization, built in SD card slot and 2 Lux (Magic Pix). Specs. indicate it has a Stero Zoom mic. Has anyone used or is familiar with this camcorder? And if so I would appreciate any comnments you might have.Thanks again to all of you. Ruth

I too have been looking for a camcorder for months now. Has anyone on this board played with the Cannon HV10? I would really appreciate some user info.

Thanks,
Juliet

Very detailed review is availabe at http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content...der-Review.htm.

Make sure you look at it's younger brother HV20 at http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content...der-Review.htm

After reading this thread and realizing I have a DVD205 Sony camcorder that DH bought I have made a science project out of this research.

First of all you can edit. In the camera you can only edit the last segment. Once you finalize the disc it is done. You can keep reusing until then. After you get home you can transfer the movies into your computer. Depending on the editing program you are using, you may have to change the recording mode in order to work in the program. I am using Studio 9.4.

I spent literally hours on the phone with Dell, Sony and Pinnacle. This is not the easist method and if I had had a choice I would have stayed with tape. However the picture and sound quality on this camera are amazing and it is so easy to you. The newer models come with a USB connector which I assume makes this task easier.

I am still having some trouble with the whole thing but will figure it out. Again if I was buying a new camera I would stick with tape.