Camcorder Reviews

Actually, I didn't need this battery now.

I had a sony DCR-HC85 handycam which duals as a 2MP digicam. Now, I got a canon digicam & don't the handycam for taking snaps.

So, now that I am not taking snaps, the battery supplied with handycam is good enough to go for a day. Then, you can always recharge at night when u r home.

About what I expected. I get plenty of life from the battery, though I haven't yet depleted a full charge, so I can't really estimate the life I get out of it. The bulkiness/weight of the batter actually seem to help stabilize my camcorder when I'm shooting.

The price was acceptable (I pain about $95 via Amazon). I chose free shipping and received it in a couple days, despite the website's claim that it would take about 10 days.

Just so potential buyers are aware, the battery itself is pretty big (the dimensions currently listed by Amazon includes the packaging). For comparison, the FP50 battery that came with my HC42 camcorder is about 1/3 the thickness. I realize the larger battery size is the tradeoff for having a significantly longer run time before recharging (I'd guesstimate almost 4 times as long).

The size doesn't bother me since I use the camcorder mounted solidly into place, and long battery life is my primary requirement.

But if I were primarily handholding while recording, I'd consider getting two FP50's (instead of one FP90) because of its compact size. The FP90 is heavier, and as it sticks outward pretty far the camcorder is less balanced; both conspire to make the camcorder more difficult to hold steady.

I think this is a cute camera but it isn't great. For one thing you can't edit your video on your computer, just play it off of it. You have to take it to get a dvd made.

It takes fair to good pictures but remember to hold it the way the welcome screen comes on or your pictures will be upside down.

Most digital cameras take better video than this, but this is cheap. So when I dropped it in the mud and it still worked, I didn't mind.

For kids, for a fun vacation, for something where you don't need great video, this is a good buy. But if you need better quality, save your money and buy a digital or used video camera.

This thing is great and it will only take you about 30 seconds to learn how to use it, and putting it on your computer takes about that long too. Then you can save it and edit it on your computer, but it doesn't come with the software to do so. The only problem I had was opening the frickin' thing. If your looking to buy a digital camcorder for a low price, this is the way to go. BUY IT NOW!!!!

Any less-than-5-star reviews of this camcorder that were written during Summer 2006 simply miss the point of the device. The Pure Digital Point and Shoot camcorder is one of the most easy-to-use electronic devices I have ever used. With only 6 buttons (on/off, play, delete, zoom in/out, backward/forward, and stop/pause) one is able to digitally record and save events with the greatest of ease. Very little instructional material is packaged with this device because it is simply not needed. Coming complete with batteries, I was able to start recording immediately out-of-the-box. For the price and convenience - currently only $130 and virtually no setup time for recording spontaneous events - the Point and Shoot camcorder simply cannot be beat. There are two drawbacks to this device: memory and image quality. With only 512MB of unexpandable memory, the device only stores 30 minutes of footage. However, downloading footage to your PC or laptop is incredibly easy as the device has a built-in USB port that connects directly with no additional cabling needed. After downloading footage to computer, the memory can be cleared from the device and recording can resume. Image quality is decent but not great. If capturing life events on a budget is all that is needed, you will not regret purchasing this camcorder. Please be aware that according to a recent Wall Street Journal review, Pure Digital has licensed its technology to other firms, which are expected to release similar products with greater quality and features in the future - in my opinion it is probable that such products might be introduced to the marketplace as soon as Christmas 2006. If you cannot wait, however, $130 is a small price to pay to be an early adopter of such technology.

I purchased it last friday, and exchange it yesterday. I will find out if the replacement is any better as far as the motor noise goes. The motor noise is not the sound that I heard while using it, it's the sound being recorded on the tape. The sound ranges from humming, a fluorescent light post, to jungle.

The RCA output is dull.

I am happy with most of other features. One thing that I like (and I hope I am correct after reading the manual) is that it is electronic anti-shake.

One more item, in easy mode, the anti-shake can not be shutoff.

This little camcorder was exactly what I was looking for. I am not a pro, and the Canon ZR500 is my first camcorder. The picture quality is good, and it picks up sound pretty well. Like some of the other reviewers, I agree that you can hear the motor when you play back what you recorded, but the sound is not as bad as some people make it out to be. I have small hands, so the controls are perfect for me, and the Canon ZR500 is pretty easy to figure out without the manual (though I will admit I did have to flip through it for a few answers). The only real disappointment I felt was when I realized that the camcorder did not come with a miniDV. Overall, I would recommend this product for a beginner.

We haven't had our camera very long, but so far we are totally pleased!

This is indeed a very nice camera case that is sized perfectly for the Canon S2 IS. I think it has just enough extra room for memory cards, etc. without being bulky. It is built with typical Case Logic quality, very solid....plenty of foam protection for the camera unless you drop it from a decent height...then all bets are off.

After purchasing the case made by Canon for my S2 1S and finding it too small, I purchased this case. The camera fits snugly into the main compartment, and the addtional pockets leave ample space for extra memory cards, batteries, or whatever. I highly recommend this case for anyone purchasing a Canon S2 1S camera or similar sized camera, you won't be disappointed.

As a Mac user, I can just say that this cable is essential for anyone who wants to utilize the syncing features of iMovie with a Sony Handycam. The USB connector that came packed with my HC40 was completely useless when trying to connect to iMovie.

This is essentially the reason I can't give it a higher rating than three stars. It was definitely frustrating to find that after investing in such a decent personal-use camera, that Sony expected me to buy still more of their stuff to make it even connect with my computer. If I had to purchase it at the ridiculous Sony retail price, "frustrating" would've been too mild a descriptor, but Amazon's discount helped soften the insult.

Beyond that, I can't say a whole heckuva lot about it - it's a cable, after all. Ha!

It's a cable, what ever they want to call it. It works like it's supposed to.

This was the right cable for matching my Sony Digital8 Camcorder to my computer's 1394 port for high-speed data transfer. It was much cheaper than buying from Sony.

I bought this TDK 3-pack 8cm DVD-RW discs for my Panasonic VDR-D300 camcorder. I've been using two of the three discs; haven't opened the last disc yet. The discs seems quite reliable and they work well in my Panasonic VDR-D300. I also bought TDK's 5-pack 8cm DVD-R discs; I'll review those as well.

BTW, the DVD-RW disc can be re-written and/or re-formatted about 1,000 times total, but I've heard that after 500 or so times write and read speeds will drop off dramatically. This compares to up to 100,000 times for DVD-RAM, which is also used by Panasonic's DVD camcorders.

It's a nice little unit, the price is great for what it is. But that's only as long as you don't expect much. I read the other reviews thinking it would be much better than it is. The video quality sucks. It says that it's like 32 frames per second, but it looks like about 5 fps. It's all choppy looking. Spend more and get something better... mine is going on ebay as soon as I get a chance.

I purchased my MPVR as a 2nd camera to use on a family vacation and take video clips. I was delighted in the picture quality and the video's were good although not DVD quality. I used the heck out of it for 7 days. When I got home I could not get it to turn on or off properly so had to return it for warranty repair. I was given no hassle Return to Vendor (RTV) number and sent it off for repair/replacement. It's been about 2 weeks now and I have not received my replacement unit to date.

I must say that I had been doing some research of my needs to the cameras out there. I am very pleased at my choice of camera. This camera has all the bells and whistles on it. mpegs video still camera. I've been working in the media industry and I have to say you could take this camera and do programs and everything else. It's true that the storage space on the camera is limited and I would also reccomend getting a storage card for the camera. I'm still playing with the features since yesterday but I think it was well worth the price and wait for this camera. More feautures I loved were the ability to tape your favorite movie/programs to watch on a road trip and other such. This unit also has a hook up for a computer that you get with your camera as well as software to plug into your computer. Now I have the XP version of windows and had no problems loading. Still features to play with but for now I would have to say this is a camera that if you want to have a lot of fun with that I'd highly reccomend it.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how compact this product was.

It is amazing how technology got so good last less than a decade, it was a dream to directly record right on DVD cd just a few years back. Now you can do that with a price range around $400 and that alone deserves 5 stars. Canon DC100 DVD does it what it says it does and does it so well. I am very satisfied with the quality along with picture resolution and I think this is a fantastic buy for what it costs, I bought it from Amazon and I am very happy with my purchase

I purchased the Canon DC100 from Amazon in mid-May. This is my fourth camcorder since 1985. Therefore, I pretty much know what is needed by me in the manner in which I use a video. This camera is new but appeared to 'fit the bill', so I bought it on faith. I am not dissapointed! This is a little jewel. How small can a camcorder be designed? It will fit in your coat pocket or your purse. The ergonomics are very good. Who thought to hide that wafer sized battery behind the LCD? That gets it out of the way and it charges in situ. A surprise is the high quality of the fit and finish. From what I have seen in others, this was unexpected. The picture quality is good. Probably not great but this is what you get with small CCDs. However, you do get the long optical zoom (25X). Long zooms are absolutely necessary for my use. You can't get them with mega-pixel cameras. I was apprehensive about the DVD format,but my fears were unfounded. The discs are dirt cheap except for RWs and they are so easy to access and play. If you want a fun camera that you will actually use, this is a good choice. If you are a pro(you probably just think you are) or like to edit(a ridiculous activity) ,get something that costs $800 instead of $400 and let it collect dust.

Maybe it's the camera I'm using (DSCP200), but this battery just doesn't seem to die. During normal, occasional use, I charge the battery maybe once a week. When I was on vacation and snapping shots every 2 seconds, the battery lasted almost 2 days before I had to swap it, and even then I was being conservative, as the low battery indicator hadn't even come on. I can't speak for other cameras, but using my camera with this battery has been an excellent experience.

I have this battery as a backup. works great with my p200...excellent battery life

Excellent battery. Gives life to spec. in our Sony camera and was an excellent buy.

I've been buying Sony products for years and have always been satisfied. While this camera operates fine, the Picture Package software that comes with the product is GARBAGE!

If you have Microsoft XP Service Pack 2, DO NOT INSTALL THIS SOFTWARE! I did and when I'd run the software to capture video, a fatal error message would pop up on my screen, something about "RunDLL as an App" but if I click Send, or Don't Send (doesn't matter) it would pop up again. It would never stop popping up.

So I uninstalled the software from my system (there are three uninstallers), but even after rebooting, it keeps popping the error message up. This software has corrupted my operating system! Every time I run my computer now, this error message pops up and I cannot dismiss it. I have to just move it to the side and live with it.

So I called the tech support number listed in the manual and the support person explained to me that to uninstall the software one must simply delete two folders on the hard drive. He said that there are no uninstallers for the software but I found them in the Control Panel!

He also explained that this software is incompatible with XP Service Pack 2! Well, thanks for the warning! He also said there are no plans to fix this software to ever work on XP Service Pack 2! Sony really blew it this time.

Anyway, even after running the uninstallers, and deleting the contents of the Sony Corporation folder and the InstallShield folder, I scanned my system registry and found Picture Package dll registration entries all over the place!

When I explained about the system registry entries that remained after uninstallation, the support person explained that it was way over his head, that they were not trained to know anything about that. Yet more evidence that offshoring technical support is a bad business strategy.

Well, this software has now broken my computer and I will have to pay Microsoft tech support on my credit card to have them help me fix the damage that was done.

I asked if I could talk to a supervisor of if there was a site or email address I could use to get better assistance and was told "no". However, he said he'd forward my problem to Japan.

SHAME ON YOU SONY! You have lost your face!

Erik Thomas

The Sony DCR-HC36 is very easy to use, especially with the "EASY" setting turned on. Picture quality in well-lit places is pretty good. However, the color quality suffers in low-light situations, with a somewhat bluish tint occurring.

The camera can be hooked up to a PC or Mac via Firewire (iLink) or USB. I hook up the camera to my Mac Mini via Firewire and the iMovie software works great with it. iMovie can control the camera pretty well. The camera can also act as a web cam (via Firewire) using Yahoo! Messenger on the Mac.

It was for me an exellent purchase, also the delivery time. The operation of the camera is easy and the resolution great.

Thanks