Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a camcorder. The one we have is about 20 years old, and I don't know how to use it, or how to get the movies off the tapes, so I'm going to buy a new one.

Are the mini DV format ones easy to get the movies off of and onto the computer? I don't want to reinvent the wheel each time I want to save or use what I've recorded. I know there are also hard drive formats and memory stick ones. It seems that the ones with the memory stick are going to be hard to use if you want to save a lot of movies on them at one time? Also, the 8gb chips are around $80 each.

I have a computer with the IEEE 1394 (firewire?) port. If the mini-DV is easy to use with the firewire would that be a good choice? The ones with the hard drive are quite a bit more money. I think I know which features I need except for the format.

I also take it that Sony has about the easiest to use.

(Reposting this from the tech forum, hoping you all have some advice?)

LOL, dippy, I just posted War & Peace Revisited on your other thread! Deja Vu!!!

If you get a DVD camcorder that you can actually hook up to a computer and transfer video over to, or burn the video to the DVD while it's still in the camera, that would probably be a good one.

We screwed up last year when we got our camcorder. It's a Sony brand dvd HandiCam. The sales person told me that I could hook it up to my computer with a USB cord.

The jerk either lied or knew nothing at all about the actual camera.

I got it home, recorded some video, and realized there was no USB cord with it. It had an audio/video cord, that I cant get to work with my computer. It wont transfer to the computer, and the camera uses totally different formats that my computer wouldnt support even if I could get it onto the computer (no idea what format) It cannot be transferred onto a computer from the dvd either. So, I have no way of uploading video to the internet, so that my sister's kids can see their grandparents here.


I hate that video camera now. If I ever have a chance to get another video camera, I want one that saves it on a hard drive, because then I should be able to transfer it to any computer.

I use my little digital camera that has a video function on it instead. Much smaller, and the video uploads so easily. Strangely enough, it's also a Sony camera. It's a Sony DSC-100...uses Memory Stick Duo. I only have a 1gb card right now, but that holds a lot of video and still pictures. (took over 500 photographs when I went to SD last year, and about an hours worth of video)

The video on my digital camera is just as good as the Handicam's video.

I want to get at least a 4gb card (or two) so that I can do more. I love playing with that camera. Especially since we've been having a lot of bad storms. I've actually had a chance to get some cool shots of a few funnel or wall clouds, and I got great video of the 100+ mph straightline windstorm we had a month ago. (my mom was kvetching about having to go downstairs because of the storm, which the camera picked up very clearly, and is the only reason I havent uploaded it to my photo page. If I could only take the audio out...)

Hi Erin,

I shy away from the DVD ones. There are so many DVD formats that are incompatible with each other as you know.

My old camera is a Sony DSCS-85 with 4 mp. It has an awesome Carl Zeiss lens. I've had it about 8 years now and never had a problem with it until the driver became obsolete with modern Windows updates. It takes mini movies too, but I want something that does a bit more now, my youngest son is a drummer in a band so I want to get some videos of him. I know I'll use it for lots of other occasions as well.