G'day, One of my friends is looking at getting a Vid Camera for oversea's travel, She's looking at spending around 1000 max so cheaper the better. I have no clue on Vid camera's and neither does she so i though i would ask here. Any hints and stuff would be helpfull too.

DO NOT GET A SONY. I have a hc30 thats been taken back 5 times for repairs.

Dont get a JVC i took mine back about 5 times too and it still didnt work. Sony is actually your best bet.

Canon

the video on some of the new still cameras is pretty good, and you can get pretty mega memory cards ... might be better spending the $1k on a really good digtal still camera. They're nice and light and small too.

where is she going? it may be cheaper to buy one when she gets there. I am buying one from the US and getting it shipped here it is way cheaper.

As for the best buys in the <$1k range, panasonic 3ccd cameras are your best buy. I am getting a nv-gs300 shipped here for $850AUS ($1200 here in oz) but the lower model nv-gs180 is also a great camera and can be had for $800 as well. otherwise Sony do make the best, due to the lenses sony users and there stabilising features.

things to look at, lens (lieca decometor forget spelling is best), 3ccd allows for better low light images, but make sure if you go 1 ccd that is has a higher the better pixel count. HDD cameras seem good but the problem with them is that they use battery power like crazy so see how much extra batteries are. DVD recorders are good except that dvd wont allow you to edit on the camera. It will allow you to put loads of stuff onto a dvd without a laptop on the road tho, and that can save looking for a place to do this os/

just a few things if you have any other issue/questions mc2macca@hotmail.com msn

our sony minidv rocks, sold as, have had it for 2 years now.

its been 2 months and i still haven't gotten my canon camera back...

I got a sony 3 years ago and never had a problem.

tvr22 I believe

same one ^^ but i got the E so its better ok!!!

have used a jvc dv and sony mini disc both have worked great. took my jvc back for some lens work and it still works fine to this day.

BigZub, I think Mine has an E in it as well. I have a shocking memory

mine is still better though, cos i'm half asian half african.

I am sure it is

sony are pretty bad, at my last work they had two sony dv cameras and both of them died pretty much two weeks after the warranty expired ... id recommend panasonic or something else

Sometimes it seems like you pay more to get something smaller and lighter which isn't always a good thing. Because of the fine moving parts, it's better to sacrfice some space and get something a bit heavier and sturdy - even when you take really good care of something you can never help it getting bumped around when you carry it while travelling.

The Sony's that I've had experience with are really amazing, but much higher end than you are after.

I find that Panasonic miniDV cameras are far more affordable. I have a nv-gs400 which is worth about $2200 but performs like a $4000 Sony but there are smaller cheaper versions of it like the gs200 i think you can pick up for about a grand. Just has a s***tier lens and CCD.