Hard Drive Camcorders-Best hdd Camcorders Review

When it comes to having the newest and the best, I want those "Best" choices. That's why I always go to the review section of the internet plus Consumer Magazine when I decide to buy anything - even cars. Once I get my choices lined up, I head to the internet to buy or the store to check out a few more details. But this time I was looking for Hard Drive Camcorders-Hard Drive Camcorders And Best HD Camcorders.

When we were kids, my folks had an 8mm movie camera that we must have had 60 or 70 hours of tapes that spanned a period of over 25-years. The light on our 8mm recording device was so bright and so hot that dad used it to strip our stairway banister of paint enamel. Edited and spliced onto a DVD, those 8mm tapes made one amazing family Christmas gift.

The three Cameras and camcorders we have right now are held together with rubber bands and they seem to decide on their own when they should turn on or off.

I want the best because I expect it to last at least five years minimum - regardless of how fast technology moves to replace it.

Seems like they get dropped fairly often in our house, too, . . . sound familiar . . . ?!

According to the information I hunted down there are really only four truly great choices for me. In other words, between my thumbs up and the review information, they either rated a 4 out of 4, or they rated a 2.5 out of 4 for my peferences

Since Hard Drive Camcorders and Best HD Camcorders are top picks to keep memories alive, I had a few of my own criteria they had to meet before I agreed with the ratings.

Primarily, I was interested in ease and simplicity of use in the recording of people and places. I hoped to get quick focus, clear color, capable of prints and video, longevity of battery, light weight, fabulous reviews and durability. They say if you want to know about something to ask an expert, so I rely heavily on honest reviews from real people. After all, I wouldn't take a horse to a hot tub party. Would you? Here are my four best hard drive camcorder-HD camcorder choices.

Best-My Top 4 Picks:

A - Panasonic SDR-H200 (rated 4/4) - A beauty that fits the requirements for most camera operators. Hybrid model, called the HDD/SD Card Camcorder.

Comes with:

• 512 MB SD Card
• CGA-DU12 Battery Pack
• PV-DAC14D AC Adapter
• AC Cable
• DC Cable
• AV/S Cable
• N2QAEC000023 Remote Control
• CR2025 Button-type Battery
• USB Cable
• CD-ROM

Featured:

• Captures JPEG stills in sizes: Fine or standard quality
• 2048 x 1512
• 1920 x 1080 (widescreen mode)
• 1280 x 960
• 640 x 480 - Most used for us.
• Stills can be captured to the 30 GB HDD or SD card.
• Highest resolution holds up to 19,160 images (or 2,520 images on a 4 GB SDHC card).
• Scene modes, guidelines, and optical image stabilization (OIS) are carried over from Video mode
• Photo mode’s OIS features has a “mega” setting which increases the effectiveness of the OIS.
• No flash is included, but there is a feature of a high-power video light and the same manual control set found in video control mode.
• The shutter effect setting, which applies a sound effect was neat too.

What I especially liked was that the auto mode selections were above average for this model - of primary importance to me!

What I wasn't crazy about was the fact that the testing of this model only rated it in the average ranges for color error, noise and saturation - Although not my first priority, three important elements for me in choosing between models and brands for my version of Hard Drive Camcorders-Best Hard Drive Camcorders Review

Real people seemed to agree that all factors considered, this was a good choice, because of the image stabilization feature, affordability, and choice of scene playback. But they also noted that it had difficulty with night to day transitions, and that in some cases you may have to convert your files before editing. Two important issues for people who are in a hurry for a shot or don't have time or desire to process an extra conversion step.

Personally, I am not a true Panasonic fan. Some great features, but we passed on this one.

Sony Handycam DCR-SR87

B - (4/4) - A hybrid also (hybrid means that video can be stored to memory sticks and hard drives).

Comes with:

· 80GB hard disk drive = 56 hours + of video footage in SD LP mode

· 25x / 2000x digital zoom

· 1/6" Advanced HAD™ CCD imager

· SteadyShot™ Image stabilization

· 2.7" touch panel display

Features:

· Direct connection to the Sony VRD-P1 DVD burner for transferring videos to DVD

· 2.7 inch widescreen touch panel display

· 123K pixel resolution plus

· Dolby Digital 5.1 channel sound recording

· Sony PMB (Picture Motion Browser) Software

· One Touch Disc Burn, which will connect the camcorder to your PC and burn a DVD

· USB 2.0 connection

· Power on by opening the LCD display

· 20x optical / 800x digital zoom

· Carl Zeiss® 60x optical zoom lens

When it comes to Hard Drive Camcorders-Best Hard Drive Camcorders Review and brand loyalty, I tend to go for a Sony before any others. The storage and hard drive capacity is huge - yeah! A touch panel control mechanism is both easy and convenient. It is a bit on the large side of size, but the features it has that I like make it "worth the weight." The auto features are comparable to the Panasonic, so that's nothing to yell about. Testing results put it in the top of my list for quality and performance.

What I'm not so happy about in this Hard Drive Camcorders-Best Hard Drive Camcorders Review is the lesser battery life is low. Some users were disappointed in the range of features. But for the uses I have in mind, it's on the top of my list. Battery is important to me so I have to ask myself if the features on this are worth sacrificing battery life (?) And, do I want to carry an extra battery pack sometimes?

What real people are saying about the Sony choice in this Hard Drive Camcorders-Best Hard Drive Camcorders Review is that it is comfortable to Use, light in weight, durable and sturdy, has great features, picture quality, and sound, uses simple controls, and is versatile. They all agree that the Sony Handycam DCR-SR87 is worth having a look at.

C - JVC Everio GZ-MG360

C - (2.5/4) - Affordable and light choice, nice looking!

Comes With:

· small, lightweight - 0.7lbs

· 60GB internal hard-drive

· up to 70 hours recording time/14 hours in high quality mode

· micro-SD card slot

· 35x optical zoom, with an 800x digital zoom

· Image stabilization

· 2.7" LCD screen

· USB 2.0

· Internal Mic.

· 1/6" Sensor

Features:

· 1/6" CCD sensor

· Gigabrid Engine image processing technology

· USB 2.0 output

· Competitively Price

· 5.1 Surround Sound

· Still Shot capability with a max image size of 640x480 - .31 megapixels

· Night Shot

Most users reported very high satisfaction with the JVC Everio GZ-MG360. Most reviewers favorably focused on weight, cost, and ease of use - "The video is excellent," said one reviewer who claimed to shoot multimedia.

Since we use a variety of media for different projects, I wasn't pleased with the proprietary software and shorter view range that is better used for close or zoom shots. Although I consider this to have a low battery life, other people did not share my issue with that.

I don't want to have to modify my file for audio to upload it to other media. I want it to be a more user friendly in that way so I don't have to worry about it - altering the way it saves a file (in a .mod file). The salesperson assured me that new software versions of movie producing software will work with this camera to make that operation 'easy.'

Maybe that's just me, but I have to make sure that it's easier to train someone on so that it doesn't end up in our camera pile with a rubber band holding it together.

Long range and short range viewing and clear imaging are priority issues for us. I didn't feel confident this was the best choice for our criteria.

Although this was rated high by several for many reasons it is not my first choice for our needs.

Canon VIXIA HG20 DVD Hard Drive, Blu-ray

D - (2.5/4) - Priced well for features offered. If you want Blue-ray ability and surround sound that is comparable to your home stereo system then this is a good one to look at.

Comes With:

· Canon HD Video Lens

· 12x optical zoom

· 3.3 MP Canon Full HD CMOS sensor

· DIGIC DV II processor

· USB Cable

· AC Power Adapter

· Battery Pack

· Video Cable

· Still Shot Capability

· Without MPEG Movie Mode

Features:

· DVD · Hard Drive · Blu-ray

· 1.03 lb.

· 3310K pixels CCD # Pixels

· 2.7" LCD Screen

· Lens Focal Length 4.8 - 57.6 mm

· 37mm Filter

· Lens: 12x-Optical/200x-Digital

· 5.1 Surround Sound - Kind of cool!

I'm not a fan of a lot of manual settings. They make me crazy when I have to concentrate on other things and can't risk getting fuzzy shots or background noise or light adjustments. This is an excellent choice if you are that kind of technically savvy person who loves to 'fiddle' with gadgets. The high tech market sector reviewers in this Hard Drive Camcorders-Best Hard Drive Camcorders Review loved it for that reason. It's priced right and easy to hold.

The Blue-ray and surround sound was a huge draw for us, but in our final analysis, the other options in the previous three choices took this camera off our list. I don't often consider features like Blu-ray because I have found that they are often out-dated in a short time frame.

Which One did we pick?

• # B, C, A, D - In that Order

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