Content area
Full text
Camcorders have become a ubiquitous as Kodak cameras were three decades ago.
But with different formats, shapes and features, figuring out which camcorder is right for you can take some doing.
DEALERSCOPE collected five popular small format camcorders, priced between $599 and $849, and put them to the test, using them for the things most people do: family reunions, weddings and the odd talk show featuring cats.
The five cameras: RCA's CC663A, Panasonic's PVA306, JVC's GR-AX710, Canon's ES200 and Samsung's SCX915. The first three are VHS-C, while the last two are 8mm format.
Not too surprisingly, the final tally ended up very close, a testament to the quality and features available in the market today.
In our use, three issues cropped up: playback ability, poor adaptability to those wearing glasses and poor ergonomics for lefthanded people.
All five of the cameras were designed for use by right-handed people. Although some were less difficult to use for lefties, it was still a bother, especially those with smaller hands.
Those of us with glasses were less than thrilled with the viewfinders, wishing for more soft rubber near the end.
As for playback, the 8mm camcorders took hits in the features scoring, because...