Camcorder Reviews

I bought this camera to replace a 9 year old Sony camcorder that stopped working (we're not talking about 9 yrs of heavy use either). I must say, this Canon is wonderful and so much easier to use!! My biggest complaint with the Sony camcorder was when I had to hook the camera up to the VCR to convert my videos to VHS tape. It was truely a pain. This Canon camcorder is simple to convert to VHS tapes. The price is great and I definitely recommend this camcorder!!

I also was upset about the lack of a wireless controller, and my trunk ceased closing just after a year. Disgusted.

I recently bought the Canon 8400 after having a Sony CCD 8 mm (non HI-8 format) for 5-6 years, which was great. Here are the Canon's Pros: It's small and light weight. It has a light and image stabilization. It has a LCD screen. It has a high power zoom.

Canon's Cons: Compared to the Sony, I'm a little disappointed in the picture quality. Although the zoom is easy to use, the picture quality was fairly grainy, even at what I would consider relatively short distances (15-20 feet). I frankly don't think it's any better than the Sony non-Hi-8 format. Also, the 2.5" LCD screen is too small.

I think if I were buying again, I would look more seriously at the Sony's. The comparable price point Sony model didn't have image stabilization; however, that feature I now realize isn't as important as picture quality.

I recently purchased this camcorder from amazon and I am quite happy with it. Before I bought this, I used an RCA camcorder that I was satisfied with. However, the RCA used VHS C tapes that weren't very good quality. I shopped around looking at different cameras. The digital cameras are the newest, and eventually will probably be the way to go, but the good ones are up around $1000+. Then I came across this camera and I decided to buy it.
I am very happy with the features on this camera, especially the 22x optical zoom. I usually find myself zooming in often because at the extreme wide angle position, you do lose some picture quality. Also, the digital effects are fun to play with; I especially like the negative conversion. Another nice feature is that the playback also lets you hear sound. The image stabilizer is very helpful as well, especially in telephoto. Also, people have been saying that the LCD could be bigger, but I think that a screen much bigger than that would drain the battery very fast. The built in video light is very nice too.
As much as I do like the camera, there are a few cons. First of all, the view finder could be in color, I often find mysef using the view finder on sunny days, because the LCD gets glared. Also, I wish there was a way to turn off the microphone when you don't want sound. Also, there is no way to program your own titals into the camera. The pre-set titals are too general, and I can't program in the ones I want. Another thing is that the 800x digital zoom isn't all what it is said to be. When you zoom into the digital zoom, immediately you see diminishing picture quality, and if you zoom in 800 times, the pictures are grainy that you can't distinguish the picture. But the zoom is nice at the low stages of it.
Overall, I am very happy with this camcorder, and I am enjoying it. I highly recommend this camera to anyone who is seeking out a good camcorder for a good price.

This very affordable camera is a quality product in every respect. It was purchased to replace a 12 year old 8mm unit that no longer operated and it is fully compatable with the standard 8mm tapes.
This compact unit has many features that are not listed in the specifications. Besides the full menu of options, two very important features are a variable speed zoom control and an s-video output connection. I highly recommend this camcorder.

This camera is very user friendly. It has a wonderful clear, crisp picture as well as sound on the video. This little camera comes with alot of little features that would please any beginner.

This is my first hi8 camcorder, though I've had a couple of the old VHS ones before. I was waiting to get one of these until the value caught up with the technology and I could get a high-quality camcorder at an affordable price. Then this little number came along.

The thing I like most about this camera is its color viewfinder. To me, that is a good tradeoff for not having a larger LCD screen, because those typically drain your battery much faster. This was a good compromise--I can see things in color without cutting my film time short.

This camcorder is loaded with special features, and has a 700 power digital zoom! With it you can get as close to something as you want. You only need to rest your filming arm on something or get a tripod--otherwise you won't be able to hold the picture steady.

A Canon is always a good bet for a camera or camcorder, and they have definitely not let me down with this one. If you're looking for a good bargain but still want a respectable brand and some special features, look no further than the Canon ES75.