The JVC GZ-MG36EK goes straight to the heart of the matter when it comes to compact camcorders. Quite simply it’s about how you store your footage. Mini discs and the like are in my view a stop gap technology. Hard drive storage is where it’s at just as it is with the Camcorder’s cousin - the still camera.
The problem is matching the hard drive storage facility with good picture quality. The JVC gets closer than most to this convergence. A particularly nice feature is the direct export facility which burns straight to DVD without the need for a PC.
Other features include:
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I have been on a bit of a journey through cyber space to locate some of the best compact camcorders on the market. My search was not in vain and I managed to come up with some gems that lived up to expectations when I managed to have play in the real world.
So for your pleasure I have listed my top five compact camcorders on the market:
1. 30 GB hard drive JVC GZ MG36EK - $700 (£380)
2. Panasonic SDR S150 Camcorder - $1000 (£585)
3. HD Ready Canon HV10 Camcorder - $1600 (£849)
4. Canon MVX460 Camcorder - $700 (£349)
5. Ultra Slim Sanyo Xacti VPC C6 Camcorder - $500 (£249)
The Panasonic SDR S150 looks like it can live with the best of them. Certainly the price tag of $1000 (£585) puts into the expensive category.
However, the SDR S150 looks the part with sleek and understated design which includes a handy 2.8 inch widescreen LCD viewfinder.
The bit I really like is that it embraces the future of media storage with a built in 4GB solid state memory card which gives plenty of room for approximately 3 hours of low resolution footage.
This product also won Digital Video Award Winner 2006 which means it must have something going for it!
Features include:
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Canon really do have a number of seriously good camcorders on the market and the HV10 is one of them. It’s expensive, retailing at around $1650 (£849) but it promises high definition without resembling a pro camera.
The HV10 is compact and rated as one of the smallest HD cameras on the market capturing 1080i pictures. It’s a shame that the medium is MiniDV tape and not a hefty hard drive, but it’s tricky to have your cake and eat it I guess.
Features include:
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I’m currently looking around for the best camcorder to buy (what a minefield!) and wanted to share some of the best buys I have discovered.
The technology at the moment seems to be at a bit of a crossroads and in a way everybody is waiting to see when we get to the next strata of technology. That next strata as far I am concerned is the camcorder with a substantial hard drive with picture quality to match. Yes there are a few hard drive camcorders that are getting very close to the finished article but their still not quite up to scratch. It won’t be long in my view.
Nonetheless on my travels in cyberspace I managed to pin down some products that crop up time and again as being worth the investment.
The first is the Ultra Slim Sanyo Xacti VPC C6.
Personally, I love a camcorder that is compact, but in the past there have always been question marks over the lack of stability that ensues. Anti camera shake engineering claims to eradicate this but it’s still not a total solution. Nonetheless, the advantages of a smaller camcorder far outweigh the disadvantages in my opinion.
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