This year, our camcorder died. Can't afford an expensive, one, but would like one for other things, as well as taping my skating. There is one i saw at Walgreens that's about $130 that's a very small hand-held one. Would anyone know if this kind would be any good? I know the "better" ones run $250 and up.

Do you happen to know which one it is? Is it digital or still using a tape? There are some things to consider, I think digital cameras make it easier if you want to upload onto a computer, I'm not sure if the Hi8 ones can do that. Also, the cheaper it is, it usually has a lower optical zoom. It may have a high digital zoom, but digital zoom in my opinion should be banned. It just totally screws up what the image looks like. Also, the cheaper camcorder's may not have all the custom effects that could make a video look really cool.

Really, it may just depend on what your needs are. For me, I bought a Canon MiniDV camcorder for around $300. But I wanted a digital one so I could upload it onto the computer to do some editing, and it also has a bunch of in camera effects that are pretty neat. My camcorder also doubles as a digital camera, which is nice. I personally probably wouldn't have gotten a $130 camcorder, but then again, I doubt it would have worked for what I wanted it for. I also needed something really sturdy since I take it when I travel and it probably gets beat up in my bag, so I needed somethng that could take a pounding, and my camcorder def. can. See maybe if you can find reviews of the one you're looking at online, and see what other people have to say about it.

I have a little Aiptek handheld, but I'm not sure what model it is -- DBNY would know since she has the same one. (She recommended it, so I bought it for <$100 from BestBuy.) Compare prices before you buy - Walgreen's may not be the least expensive.

For skating, it's terrific because it's small and light. I bring it to freestyle lessons and use it to let my students "see" what they're doing - really helps with the headstrong "But I DID lift the free leg." You can review the video on the screen, and then delete it when you're done.

It also takes nice still pictures, although I haven't connected it to my computer yet.

It records on to a small SD memory card. I'm using a 1.0 mb card, but also takes up to 2.0 mb. Caveat: you have to select the right brand card or it won't be recognized.

I like the feature that lets you zoom in and out while recording; not all inexpensive cameras have that available. Being able to review it right then is great.

It has a headphone jack to listen to the audio, but no speaker (unlike my Kodak camera.)

The buttons are a bit too small, but you do get used to it after a bit. I touch the lens often, which leaves smudges, and I also cover the light sensor below the flash when holding the camera to take pictures. That's because of the size - if it were an inch or two longer (top to bottom) that wouldn't happen.

Instead of connecting it to my computer to pull off the videos, I've connected it to my DVD Recorder and burned the videos to DVD directly. It took some serious monkeying around with cables, though. I had to connect the "audio out" on the camera to ONE "audio in" on the DVD Recorder, then connect a second cable between the "TV Out" camera port and the "Video In" DVD Recorder port.

My DH used my little camera to record the kids' holiday concert, but he didn't like it very much. Said it was too shaky and delicate, plus too small for his hands. He went out and bought a new battery for our old 1990 behemoth VHS recorder, just for his use. (It's a Magnavox - their VHS things rarely die.)

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Digital zoom is the biggest fraud ever. All it does is cut out a piece of the picture. So say you start with a 1000 pixel by 1000 pixel image - one that comfortably takes up most of the space on an average monitor. If you open up MS Paint or any other graphics program in existance and cut out a little 10 by 10 pixel block from it, voila, you have just accomplished 100x digital zoom! Isn't that amazing!! Of course now you have an image that's so tiny you can't see anything and if you magnify it well you just have a magnified 10x10 speck rather than anything useful. Gee whiz, isn't technology grand?!?

I really hate that it's so common to deceive consumers with stuff like this.

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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve

Not where I work it isn't. I tell customers to ignore the digital zoom figure as it is virtually meaningless. I agree though, It causes confusion.

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The camera Isk8NYC and I have is the Aiptek MPVR. If you watch for sales, you can pick it up for around $100. It's on sale right now at CircuitCity for $120. I got an A-Data 2GB SD card for mine at NewEgg.com for $22.99, and TigerDirect.com has an Ultra 2 GB SD card right now for $14.99 after rebate.

I've found the best place for answers about digital cameras is Steves-Digicams.com. The only problem with it is that there is so much information that you may end up spending a lot of time there. Because the price was so good on the Aiptek MPVR, I was able to determine pretty quickly from the StevesForums info on it that it was a great buy. Be forewarned, the Aiptek MPVR forum is now up to 22 pages.

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Sometimes, I amaze myself. I just connected one cable from the camera to the computer and TADA! I can pull everything off without installing any software. Very easy, I'm impressed. Now if only my DVD-burner on my computer worked - next holiday project. (I finished three, three to go.)

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I just pull out the SD card, put it in the USB card reader on the PC and copy the pix over via Win Explorer.

The best feature, which I still haven't used, is being able to copy from video tape to the camera's SD card, because then I can get individual performances from taped skating shows/comps onto my PC. I haven't forgotten the Halloween On Ice video, Isk8NYC, just haven't gotten those cables connected yet. The TV/VCR/DVD player are in a closet (door open, of course), so getting to the backs of things is not so simple.

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Doesn't it get expensive having to keep buying new memory cards for the camera? How much recording time could you get on a memory card? I know my tapes, I can get a pack of 8 from Costco for about $20, and each tape is 60 or 90 mins, can't remember. Although I geuss if you use it to tape students and whatnot, then you can just delete them after you upload them.

Okay, well, we had to get a new computer for Christmas also. A power surge took care of our old one. It has a DVD burner on it, so if i buy this little one, i can just figure out (ha ha) how to burn it onto CD/DVD and then i can keep re-using the same memory card, right?

Absolutely correct, that's why I only have one 1mb card. I was just burning it to the DVD Recorder, but now I've figured out how to pull everything off to the computer. I have a DVD burner installed, but I need to fiddle with the jumper settings to get it to work.

DBNY: I don't have a card reader (internal or external) on the computer, but that's even easier than the USB cable.
Thanks for the sugggestion, I might pick one up.

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I can get an hour of video on a 2GB SD card. To me, the whole point is to upload to my PC, then burn to CD for backup. I really have no reason to leave anything on the card. Also, if I'm using it at the rink, I can delete as I go, after anyone who needs to see the video has seen it.

I think you mean 1GB, right? You can get a very nice multi-card reader at NewEgg.com for $5 or $6 plus $5 shipping. If you search, there are 4 pages of them. Sorry I didn't save the links, because you do have to look at the tech specs for each to be sure of which cards it reads. I wouldn't get anything that can't handle both SD and CF, as those are what the family cameras use. OTOH, there have been freebies of SD or CF readers from time to time at Staples, CircuitCity, OfficeMax, Buy.com, etc.

BTW, I just bought an external, USB DVD burner at OfficeMax, but haven't installed it yet. It's as big as a house, but we won't be toting it anywhere except about 10 feet between computers. It was somewhere around $20after rebate.

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Well that makes sense then. For me. that wouldnt work so well because I use my camcorder when I travel. On my last trip to Europe, I used 4 tapes. I could tape over my tapes, but I like ot have them as backup just in case something goes wrong with the computer. I rarely burn an entire tape to a DVD, I usually cut out the boring parts of the tape. So then I guess it does depend on what your needs are. If you just use it for skating and for students and can delete right away, it makes sense to get one of those hybrid camera's that tape onto a memory card. But IMO, if you're going to be taking the camcorder on vacation and you like to tape a lot (like me) I would prefer having a regular camcorder that's got more weight so it doesnt' shake as much and I can get the taping medium much more cheaply.

I am seriously looking into getting that little one - at least for now, mostly cause i can afford it. I know there is a website that you can go to so that you can compare prices and get the lowest price, but i can't remember what it is. Anyone know?

We bought one, but it didn't like being in an ice rink, alas. I think we'll use Husband's phone from now on!

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
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First of all, Mrs. Redboots, why didn't your little camera like the ice rink? Did it fog or freeze up?

Secondly, Walgreens has one on sale this week for 89.99. It is 6 megapixels but it is a Aiptek Pocket DV Digital Camera/Video Camcorder? How does it compare to the other one ya'll mentioned? Anyone know?

Dunno, it just kept going wrong, and we took it back once, and it worked for a bit, and then lost its zoom. Will have to try videoing us on Husband's phone, but I know him, and the videos will sit there forever!

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

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The one one sale at Walgreens is not nearly as good as the MPVR for several reasons. The LCD is only 1.5" as opposed to 2.4" on the MPVR. The Pocket DV model on sale uses CF cards with a max capacity of 512MB, as opposed to SD cards with a 2GB capacity. CF cards are generally more expensive than SD cards, and the capacity is really important. There are other features that are not so good also. I would say wait for the MPVR to go on sale somewhere.

According to Nextag.com, the MPVR is on sale at CircuitCity for $119.

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A trick for electronics at the rink - its not the cooling them down that breaks them - its the warming up because this pulls water vapor out of the air and condenses it right on the electronics (especially the massive parts like batteries and transformers bzzbzbbzzz). So the solution is put them in a ziplock bag while still in the cold and don't remove them from the bag until theyare completely warmed up.
Lyle