Camcorder Reviews

Are you looking for a new camcorder?  They have really improved in performance.  Maybe rather than upgrading, you are buying your first camcorder.

Either way you need to do some research first.  We have a great selection of camcorders along with customer reviews.  And we have the sources for the best priced camcorder.

Do consider for a first camcorder a good used one on eBay.  Save money and still enjoy a great camcorder. But we have many new as well as used camcorders to choose from.

Now for our first camcorder review on a good first camcorder that is easy to use and just plain fun! After the review you can watch a short video on that camcorder.  Enjoy!

5.0 out of 5 stars Entry Level Handy cam,  Amazon customer Review:
By Matthew Hellstern “TXMatt” (Dallas, TX)

First let’s correct the Amazon description, this is a 40X optical zoom camera, not 25X as seen on the product itself.

This is a great camera to start out with, the simplicity of Mini DV tapes makes this a good value choice. DVD camcorders in this price range suffer from bad battery life, and disk errors that can render your disks useless. The Mini DV tapes are tried and true.

I use an Apple computer at home and the camera connects to iMovie with no problems using the iLink port on the camera. All you need in most cases is a Firewire 6pin to 4pin cable, and you are good to go.

Sony DCR-HC52 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: $249.99

Amazon Price: $349.99

The video and audio quality are good, and the night vision is fun too. This is not a upper level camera so don’t expect several bells and whistles, but it performs great, and has the basic features most people will ever need. The battery life is fair, but that is expected, all camcorder companies want you to buy an extra battery, but at least Sony gives you several options.

With a full charge and a new tape, expect about an hour of record time.

And now a video about this camcorder…