On 27 May 2002 00:39:22 -0700, dereksurfs@Hotmail.com (Derek) wrote:

>I am considering buying a Canon digital camcorder and looking for any
>tips from camera owners. As a Canon G1 owner and I find myself
>gravitating toward Canon. Yet I know Sony seems to have the largest
>market share as well as some of the highest rated DV cameras.
>
>I have found a few DV sites but there is nothing so far like DPReview
>& other great DC sites/communities. This is the best site I have
>found so far for reviews (yet it is somewhat limited & slanted toward
>Sony):
>
>http://www.camcorderinfo.com
>
>I found a pretty good review on the Canon Elura 2mc here:
>
>http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/Elura2/

Try:
www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/camcorder--comparison.htm,
www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/camcorder-comparison.htm.
and for reference,
www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/vid_pict_characts.htm

>I am looking for quality at an afordable price (<$700). Digital
>photography is my main interest and will only use the DV camera for
>friends/family type activites. A friend of mine just picked up a
>Sharp mini- DV from Ubid for $350.
>
>Ebay seems to have some good prices on 'slightly' older models as
>well. So far the best bargain/quality DV cameras appear to be:
>
>-> Canon Elura 2mc
>-> Sony TRV730
>
>Both cameras seem to offer a heck of a lot of features, even if
>slightly dated.
>I think that a camera that is a ~year old like the TRV730 that was
>considered one of there top prosumer models is better than the lower
>end 'Newer' entry level miniDV's available now.

The Sony TRV17 and 18 are about in your price range, and
the similar older TRV11 should be cheaper, used - and
I suspect, better than either of the above (I also own
the TRV730 - and I gather from what I've seen that low-end
Canon camcorders are not best-for-price [and the more
expensive ones are also not, from my experience...]).
Sony models appears generally to have technological
advantages over other similar models, though they can
also cost more - on a tight budget, and without a taste
for the advantages, buying cheaper models may make sense...