What "budget" cam for a family?

M

Mavoz

Well-known member
Hi,

Just had a question from a cousin as to what camera to buy with a budget of up to around $1500 AUD max ($1400 US)...strictly for family use...maybe a bit of editing by one of the children...but more just to preserve family memories etc.

Having a look through the latest models one is bombarded with a range of choices:

Mini DV
DVD
Memory Stick etc.
Hard Drive based

Any clues as to what to recommend in that more budget class?

Thanks!
 
An old Hi8 is extremely versatile with NightShot, and 8mm digital isn't bad looking either. They can be had dirt cheap for under $100 USD, or even a GL1 or 2 can be had in your price range.
 
i vote hv20/hv30. great bang for your buck, plus it's so small you'll take it with you everywhere. for what you're looking for, i'd think that would be the thing to seal the deal. i picked up a reconditioned hv20 from b&h for $599 a few months back.

good luck.
 
Thanks for the responses...the Canon HV20/HV30 looks like they could be a good option...is priced probably slighlty more than they'd hoped...but may well be one of those things that gets them into a whole different quality of cam compared to the real cheap and nasties....

...so people still think Mini DV is the way to go....compared to the other tech that is emerging out there such as solid state and HDD? (in this family/novice user context?)
 
Last edited:
P2 is too expensive. First you have to pony up the bucks to buy the card, then a laptop you drag around to dump to... Tape is cheaper and easier in this case.
 
Mini DV is not the way to go, for this purpose.
That's why I suggested the HG10 and the HF100.
The HF100 is really cheap on Amazon.com right now.
Tape is slow and inflexible;
HDD and flash are much better for nonprofessional use.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top