Thread: Camcorders?

Hi, I'm looking to buy a new camcorder, nothing special just around the GB£300 (US$600) mark. I use Adobe Prem Elements 3.0 and much prefer it to other editing packages so I want to make sure I get something that works with it. I guess most do but have heard the odd problem with compatibility of some camcorders, or perhaps the format.

My problem is that while I happily play with the software and some special effects etc I have never understood the jargon for the formats etc. MiniDV is about the most technical I get, avi mpeg1 mpeg2 etc means nothing to me .

Any advice on any camera types i should go for or even avoid. Have always used MiniDV tapes but i see all these DVD and hard drive camcorders around...do there formats work fine with APE3.0?

Thanks.

Out of all the formats you mention go for a Mini DV camcorder as they are the best in terms of picture quality and hook up a lot easier to your computer. They are also easier to use when it comes to transferring footage off the tape and onto the hard disk, whereas Mini DVD and HDD camcorders cause a lot of problems. You will also have access to Firewire on the Mini DV cam's and if you have old analogue tapes as most users of this forum have then try and get a model with an AV in socket. That setup will be explained later on. As I've said in previous posts, you can't go wrong with Canon, JVC or my own favourite Panasonic, where are you anyway, the UK or America? And yes, stick with Adobe Premiere Elements 3, it's a one stop shop for capture, editing and burning to DVD rather than chopping and changing from one piece of software to another.

Thanks very much for reply, funnily enough i'd decided to get a Panasonic NV-GS320EB-S Mini DV Digital Camcorder and was shopping around for best price. Seems it ticks everything you suggested. Thanks again.

You can't go wrong with the Panasonic and the Mini DV format is the safest bet at this particular time. As long as it ticks all the boxes you want then that's half the battle, getting to grips with it is the next step. Also purchase a tape head cleaner and depending on how much you use the camcorder, use it to keep the heads clean. You'll know when to do this as you will notice little coloured squares appearing, some users call them glitches, on the tape during playback. So if you are going to record an important event and you haven't put the head cleaner in the camcorder for a while then do it before you start recording.