Canon DC10 Review
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...
Samsung SC-D6550 Review
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,...
JVC GR-X5 DV Cam Review
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,...
Canon Optura 50 Review
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...
JVC Everio GZ-MC500 DV Cam Review
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.
Hitachi DZ-MV730A Camcorder Review
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.
Panasonic PV-GS19 Camcorder Review
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.
Panasonic VDR-M53 Review
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.
