Good entry level miniDV camcorder?

rocketguy2

rocketguy2

Well-known member
My daughter is just getting involved in shooting video and has asked to borrow my DVX 100A. For the love of God, can anyone recommend a good, reasonably priced, entry-level miniDV camcorder she can learn with?:crybaby:

Please, if there's an understanding soul out there...
 
any cheap mini-dv came will be pretty much the same as far as quality goes... the next jump up is prosumer which would be the dvx or xl2 series camcorders. you can shoot for a mini-dv 3ccd consumer camcorder...
 
I bought a Panasonic gs300 a while ago. Manual control, 3 ccd's, OIS, super-compact, and all for about $500. And the colors match my DVX. Sorry, I sound like a bloody salesman! A damn fine beginner cam, though.
 
My GS150 has electronic image stabilization but no OIS. If I were buying again I'd get the GS300 if only for the OIS.
 
aside from my dvx, i have a gs200. quite similar to the aforementioned gs150 and 300; great camera to learn on. in addition, you can make the video look like some pretty cool super 8 with the help of some gfilm or magic bullet. i know that a while back people were really talking up the gs400. im not sure if it has since been updated or anything. however, i do believe it was a bit higher in price than the other cameras.

i think its awesome your daughter is getting into the world of videography! what kind of things is she shooting?
 
I also have the Panasonic PV GS150. It's a great little 3 chip camera. Mine also doubles as a deck.

You can find the GS150 on ebay anywhere from $300 (used) to $700 (new with extras). I bought mine off of ebay last year for about $500 and got a tripod, filters, and cleaning kit.
 
Figure out how much you want to spend first. Then look first for a 3 CCD camcorder and then try to get the biggest CCDs in your price range. I tend to be pro Panasonic but, in all honesty, they all are about the same in the consumer area. A while back I stopped using JVCs because they broke down easily but that was a few years ago and don't know if that's still the case.

All that said, the best way to teach her would be to show her some stuff on your DVC. It has more professional controls with things like XLR inputs and ND filters.
 
Just so happens I'm going to Europe next week and am thinking about upgrading my 'vacation' camcorder. The Sony HC3 shoots in HD (1080i) on Mini-DV cassettes and retails for about $1250. It's pretty tempting. I wish there were a Panasonic consumer HD cam, but they've offered nothing yet.
 
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