Camcorders > Panasonic Camcorders > Mini DV > 300 GBP to 450 GBP

Advantages: Easy to use and very very cheap
Disadvantages: no lens cover and no built in light

...This is the new Panasonic NV GS230. This is an incredibly versitile little camera and at the price is very affordable. This is a very easy camera to use and its functions are very easy to understand although they are quite basic but if your like me and don't want hundreds and thousands of little buttons flashing at you it is perfect. Now before you ask i know this is a mini dv camera so i know its not the most recent in camera technology but i really ...
...unless your filming for amateur films or something i really cant see the need to spend that much more when mini dv is perfectly acceptable in fact is more than adequate and is excellent value for money. For stills this camera offers 2.3 mega pixels not brilliant but if you want good stills use your digital camara!! its not what its built for. The camara also offers SD storage for that extra memory space which i personally find very useful. One ... Read review

Advantages: Very affordable, reasonably high quality
Disadvantages: Not very attractive, poor battery-life

...digital video-camera? Since discovering the Panasonic NV GS320 last week, I have been slaving over this question, pondering and musing, desperately trying to seek a definitive answer. Is it astounding quality, or diversity of features; is it value for money, or incredible good looks? I have all of these things. But the Panasonic NV GS320 does not. On paper, it is a fantastic video-camera; indeed, I thoroughly enjoyed using it. It offers a variety ...
...The primary function of the Panasonic NV GS320 is, unsurprisingly, to record videos. As we have seen, it performs well here, delivering high quality movies with fantastic colour. Given its effectiveness with colours, the NV GS320 is especially good for filming outdoors. So whether you’re out on a stroll at sunset, or having a picnic on the grass, this video-camera is perfect for capturing the moment. Furthermore, the camera also serves to capture ... Read review

Advantages: Clear, sharp clutter free footage, chunky, easy to use
Disadvantages: No DV in - Mic socket not standard.

I always have chosen Sony in the past for the family camcorder as they have never let me down. I just sold my Sony HC18 ( I never keep Technology for too long - move on!). I wanted a 3ccd camera to see just how much better they are. Whats all the fuss about? I was pleasently suprised. For the same money as a 1 chip Sony I got a 3 chip and what a difference! On the new large LCD TV it was amazing. The GS75 gave an almost "news at 10" clarity. Colours ...
...light and chunky at the same time. A good size for my large hands. The joystick menu controls took me 10 minutes to master and the little screen was good to view close to the eye. It has a DV out - direct to the laptop and a MIC, Headphone and AV socket. (careful here - the Mic does not have the standard Jack) SVHS out is there too. Not many features but hey - we can do all that on the Mac or PC now. Stills are OKish but who cares?! we all got 5mp ... Read review

Advantages: Good Zoom, easy to use, good picture
Disadvantages: Didn't include DV cable, uses battery charge fast

I have owned the NV GS60 for over a year now and I am still happy with its performance. It hasn't broke or stopped working at all ever. It has a good 30x zoom. It came with 6 tapes to record on and i bought it off Amazon for £114 pounds. It has a 2 inch Lcd optional screen or you can use it the normal way. It isn't hard to operate and i found easy to use, within a few days i was recording, editing and using clips on the internet! It was a shame ...
...buy that seperately. Mine came with a Television cable but dissapointingly not with a DV cable which is neccesary to connect to your laptop or PC. The battery doesn't take long to charge and after an hour it's about done. But it used the battery charge pretty fast so i had to charge it again. Also it's a bit of a fumble putting the battery in the camcorder. I was going to buy a tripod but didn't bother as i had already started filming. My whole ... Read review

Advantages: good picture quality in most aplications, very light ,good batery life
Disadvantages: focus can be poor in very low light recordings

...under £200 which for a brand new model isn't too bad but I suspect this is a vision of the future and all camcorders will go solid state soon and the price will come down to ~£100 like the base level Minidv camcorders from JVC and Canon have done. ... Read review