My personal take on the entire direct to DVD camcorder business is to steer clear. Unless you never want to edit your footage, these camcorders are more hassle than they are worth. The data output isn't supported by most of the major video editors, which means you have to rip your DVD before you can edit. Canon's DC10 is no different than the many DVD offerings Sony is shoving down our throats. Still, you shouldn't take my word for it. Camcorderinfo.com offers an indepth look at Canon's first foray into DVD camcorders.
Recently in MiniDV Camera Category
When Samsung first announced their dual cameras with a lens for video and a lens for still images it seemed like a dream come true. We all know just how lousy the still photos on a DV cam can be. Still cameras generally take decent videos, but the file size limitation of SD and CompactFlash makes them slightly prohibitive. Samsung aimed to solve this problem by mounting two separate lenses on a DV cam body, with tape for video and SD for still images. Like many things Samsung does in the early rounds, this is a good idea with really poor execution. According to Camcorderinfo.com, the white balance on the SC-D6550 is absolutely lousy. Be sure to check out their review for all the gory details.
From the Camcorderinfo.com review: "If anything about the SC-D6550 Duocam seemed like a good idea, I’d be the first to admit it."
Finally we're seeing more competition in the sub-$1000 space for 3CCD DV cams. JVC comes after the Panasonic line with a camcorder aimed sqarely at the PV-GS400. Three 1/4.5-inch CCDs make this a solid contender. CamcorderInfo.com has the scoop with an indepth review of the JVC GR-X5. It's not available yet and online prices are currently hovering just above $1000, but expect the launch to result in prices of $999 or less.
From the review, "Old adages hold true for a reason. Take, for example, the axiom of “don’t judge a book by its cover.” We’ve come to expect that camcorders making a sharp turn away from convention tend to be all show and no substance. This could not have been less true for JVC’s GR-X5U. Test after test proved it to hold up to the stiffest competition, with an exceptional showing in video performance, still performance and low light. Prepare to be impressed; the GR-DX5 is going to be one of the best camcorders of the year."
I'm not sure how Canon and Sony keep getting away with selling single CCD cams at the same price point as the 3CCD models from Panasonic. Apparently somebody is buying or the manufacturing would shift to better quality imaging. Granted the Optura line offers a slightly bigger lens than what's found on Canon's ZS series, which helps make up for the lack of two additional CCDs, but image quality still suffers. The Optura 50 is a slight downgrade from the Optura 60, which sports an active hotshoe and better zoom, but is that enough to justify a mere $100 price drop? CamcorderInfo.com has the scoop, with an indepth look at the Optura 60.
From the CamcorderInfo.com review: "The Optura 50 would make a strong contender for best camcorder in its price class (retail $799, street prices around $600), were it not for the absence of a few really useful features found on its big sister model, the Optura 60. Missing the the active accessory shoe, and the better zoom (10x down from 14x), the Optura 50 seems like a questionable better value at a hundred bucks less. While the Optura 50 is a downgrade from the 60, it’s a still solid piece of work, so let’s take a closer look."
Read the full Canon Optura 50 review
Compare prices on the Canon Optura 50
Search for more info on the Canon optura 50
I love the idea of hard disk recording. I hate the idea of recording direct to a compressed format. JVC takes what could be a great DV cam and makes it less than perfect by combining 3-chip imaging with a microdrive and MPEG-2 recording. 4GB isn't enough for uncompressed video, but for god sake they could have used something better than MPEG-2; especially for $1500. DVSpot reviews the cam and gives it something less than high marks.
From the review: "The JVC Everio GZ-MC500 is unlike any camcorder we've reviewed yet. It doesn't record to tape or even to a DVD. The MC500 instead records to a 4GB Microdrive, which is a mini hard disk drive originally designed by IBM (now Hitachi). Movies are saved in MPEG-2 format and you can store a full hour of high quality video on the disk. When you want to delete video you can do it right on the camcorder, without needing to buy another tape or DVD."
If your name isn't Sony, Canon, JVC or Panasonic, you better come out of the gate with a serious contender in the DV cam department. Hitachi didn't get the memo and it clearly shows in the latest review of their DZ-MV730A at CamcorderInfo.com.
From the review: "The DZ-MV730 is Hitachi’s entry-level DVD camcorder this year. It is armed with a mediocre imager, standard among lower-end DVD machines, and performs accordingly. While it also lacks a USB port, a big detriment to convenience-hungry consumers, the camcorder might be a nice, cheaper option to the DZ-MV780 or Sony's DCR-DVD7."
I'm still convinced everyone should spend the extra dollars for one of the consumer level 3CCD cams from Panasonic, like the PV-GS150, but if you're on a tight budget, CamcorderInfo.com loves the PV-GS19.
From their review: "Fast, cheap, and in you're control – the Panasonic PV-GS19 is the best under-$300 (street price) camcorder we’ve seen this year. With an amazing manual control set and video performance nearly identical to its older sibling, the PV-GS35, this is a big winner for the budget-minded consumer."
I'm highly skeptical of the whole recording direct to DVD concept. It's a hassle to extract video from a DVD no matter what the source is. DVSpot concurs, but goes on to point out several attractive features of the Panasonic VDR-M53. I remain skeptical, especially in light of the highly affordable 3CCD camcorders in Panasonics product line.
From the DVSpot review: " The VDR-M53 is Panasonic's low-end DVD camcorder, and it's also the first non-Sony DVD camcorder that we've reviewed. DVD camcorders give you the ability to take your video and put it into your home DVD player without ever touching a PC. It's as point-and-shoot as you get. At the same time, those who like to edit their video will be disappointed with the DVD format -- it's just not designed for that."
