I am with AMN when it comes to Sony (for now)

they have gone down hill cause I think they got cocky. But I think once they are down in the dumps, they'll go back up again. It happens in cycles especially when it comes to electronics.

Of course, since I was told that I go on and on and on and on and on...LMAO...

I was just going to say that firewires are safe, fast, transfers bits more accurately. But USB 2.0 compatible are just as good (although folks on both side will argue)

mac prefers fire ports anyways...but this isn't about Mac...LOL

what software you choose to edit after you've download the vids will probably matter more and that's what happens to most people. So do spare youself those "extras" up sales whenever you go buy them

I would go to a brick and motar store, hold one in your hand play with it. Try to play with it without the sales person being there to give you pressure. But then come back on the internet and do a search on line. If they have it at amazon or buy.com I am almost willing to bet that it will be cheaper for the same exact model...

anyways, just my 4000.00 bucks thoughts. LOL

great thread.

before lil'monkey's next performance i need a dependable camcorder. i have a sharp, which is worthless. her last 2 performances it messed up. i got no recordings.

i still have a big ole rca camcorder that uses full size vhs tapes. works like a charm, just weighs like 40lbs. hehehe..i've had it since the 80's.

Hi Curious,

That sounds like our dinosaur. Although it wasn't advanced enough to record on vhs, they had to be transfered over somehow.

I'll post here when I choose a model.

AMN,

I plan to get a tripod and carrying case. I'm going to be prepared.

i have a tape of our wedding. a friend took it. i have never seen it. we could never find a way to convert it. our sharp uses a different size. those i just plug the camcorder into the tv and play them.

now i just need to figure out a way for our busienss to pay most or part. i know i will be using it to add a virtual tour of the club. plus new members have asked for dvd's of our new member oriantation...hmmmm

I can convert it for you...LOL I do a lot of useless junk...

there are ways to do the hook ups and I still have them. But just whenever you are ready

~~~~~~~~~~~

ewizabeth, good luck! Just try them all out, you might be surprised!

Ok, what a looongg afternoon!

I went to Wally World, they were sold out of most models. Nobody knew anything.

Best Buy was right next door. There were swarms of little techy salespeople. A little gal helped me. Basically, I told her what I wanted and confirmed tht my camcorder would work with Vista, etc... She tried to talk me into some of the others but I told her about the disadvantages of each for my situation.

They had two display models of the one I wanted. One of them was up high, not plugged in, and on close inspection, there were no fingerprints on the touchscreen. I bought that one with an additional 10% discount.

The girl had to round up all the accessories while I played Mahjong on a souped up laptop.

I got the Sony DCR-HC52 for $210.00, that's $40 less than any of the online prices I saw advertised. It's the mini-DV format.

I had to buy the tapes and the firewire cable as well. This has 40x optical zoom, night mode, etc... I was out the door for under $300.

We went to our son's bands performance tonight, and I recorded it all. Right now it's transferring to the computer. I need to work with it tomorrow and see how to format it for emailing out, etc...

So...... SUCCESS!!! DS was thrilled that we were able to be there and that Mom had a nice little camcorder to record them! They had a pretty big crowd watching and got some good applause as well! I was as proud as could be!

the most important thing is that YOU are happy with it. The feel, the handle, and if the rest goes well, then you should pat yourself on the back!

everyone will like something that others won't...LOLOL

I still won't get a Sony because of my experiences. Don't get me wrong. I have a sony dsc camera that I simply love, but I have fixed so many vaio laptops that I have a big headache whenever someone brings me a vaio laptop...and then I've seen their problems with the PS3 in the beginning, which btw, I would actually get a PS3 now. Which is where I think the problem is: they are concentrating too much on their PS3 and have let other techs suffered.

On top of that, they are trying to stay too ahead of the technologies. Their emerald technology is awesome. They new true hi-def tv's are awesome, but they are all out of price for below average joe like me and they are neglecting their everyday consumers...

oh well...but I think that'll change...tech is a unique thing...LOL no company is on top forever...

uh oh, I went off topic again...LMAO...

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!

Thanks WM,

I'm going over to Wally World to try the models I'm considering. I don't want a lot of bells and whistles cause I know I won't use it constantly. Also, they have a 30 day return policy for any reason without a restocking fee.

I really want one for tonight. Our son's band is performing and I want to be there with a working camcorder, lol.

I'm leaning toward the Sony model though. I really like the Carl Zeiss lens, and this one comes standard with it.

I'm going to try out the Canons in the same price range too and compare the picture quality of what I record.