Best Camcorders Reviews

Aiptek HD-1 720P High Definition Camcorder with Built-in 1GB Storage (Silver)

2009-12-17T15:07:00.001-08:00

... Just got the HD-1 for Christmas and haven't given it a full work-out yet but everything about it seems perfect thus far. My computer 'recognized' it right away and I can manipulate the great pictures it takes with my photo software. It charged easily via usb connection and the battery lasted all evening at a family gathering. It is a lot of camcorder for the money! ...
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Sony HDR-SR10 4MP 40GB High Definition Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 15x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

2009-12-16T14:28:00.001-08:00

... I like the camera a lot - easy to use; facial recognition is a great feature; good zoom; picture quality is high. However, I have no idea why there is NO FIREWIRE CAPABILITY! This has to be one of the worst business decisions since Coke went to New Coke. Downloading video to edit takes forever let alone it being useless for live streaming. ...
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Canon FS-11 Flash Memory 16GB Camcorder w/48x Optical Zoom BP808 Battery/Rapid Charger 8GB BigVALUEInc Accessory Saver Bundle

2009-12-15T14:44:00.001-08:00

... After some research, I bought this item with accessory bundle. The item is about as advertised, although it is very small for my hand and zoom knob looks cheap and flimsy. I would have preferred less play and solid looking plastic, even. The screen looks grainy at night with lights on. (By the way, I am not really critiqueing the camcorder. I don't really know much about it, and I just upgraded after using tape camcorder that's about 15 years old.) I just thought the view screen looked grainy in such a situation compared to my canon camera. I have not yet hooked it up to the TV. Other website reviews and comparisons recommend Canon camcorder and I thought it was the best to buy.
I want to talk about the bundle items and service, which, ended well and me feeling pretty good about the buy. The main 2 items in the bundle (bundle costs about $40 extra) are 8GB sd card and extra battery. The included SDHC card is, however, class 2 card. Other websites recommended class 6. I believe the numbers mean something about recording or replay speed. I recorded about 150 mb of video on this card and it took about 3 minutes for my computer to start playing it. I can not say why it took this long, but it could be because the card is class 2. The camcorder manual says class 2 is acceptable.
Before you choose this bundle or buy extra sd card, do more research.
Now about the battery: Big Value Inc. clearly says that this battery is after-market. When I put this battery in the camcorder, there was a question mark over the battery icon. I couldn't tell how much time was left in the battery.
Because of these reasons I called Big Value. I was going to ask for refund and just buy the camcorder by itself, and then buy canon accepted battery. The Big Value asked me for reason (stating this is for evaluation only and they will make full refund if I want), and offered a refund of $40 and keep the items in the bundle. I find this quite acceptable and feel I made pretty good buy. My wife is happy enough to live with extra battery that does not indicate time left. I plan to do more research on SD card speed and buy appropriate items. My computer is old enough so that it does not have SD card slot (about 800 mb RAM). Maybe it is better SD card reader that I need.
...
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Canon ZR850 1MP MiniDV Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom

2009-12-14T14:31:00.001-08:00

... So far so good. I have had this camaera for over a year and have recorded many many hours of video. Controls are easy and user friendly and well placed. Zoom is very good and so is the video and video playback quality. It is versatile since you can also take pictures and save them onto an SD card. Picture quality could be better but is perfect for the unexpected shot. Night light sucks though, you litterally have to be 2 ft in front of it to see anything in the dark. ...
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Sony HVR-HD1000U MiniDV 1080i High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

2009-12-13T13:16:00.001-08:00

... I purchased this camera mainly to have a professional look when shooting weddings and events. I felt like I could produce a decent video using a normal consumer camera that would satisfy the customer just fine, but because most consumer cameras are so small the customer might not feel they were receiving a quality product. This camera with it's professional look came to my rescue. People are now treating me much more seriously with respect because of my "high-end" camera look.

Because this was a sub $2,000 camera I wasn't expecting a whole lot. It wouldn't be fair to compare it to a $10,000 or $20,000 camera, which I think some people were trying to do, especially with the poor reviews for low light conditions, plastic construction, and poor audio performance.

I was pleasently suprised with the performance of this camera, it out-performed all of my expectations. I left everything in the default HDV settings and turned it on to shoot my kids playing indoors under bedroom light conditions. I was amazed with how smooth and clear everything appeared, especially with the low reviews I read about in low light, it blew my other camera (Canon Optura 50) out of the water.

It also exceeded my expectations with audio, from what I read the shot-gun mic on this camera isn't the best, but I was greatly satisfied with it's performance. I could hear the subject speaking clear with little motor or background noise.

This camera looks and feels great, there were some reviews bashing it's construction, but whenever I take it out of the bag, people are impressed.

This is a great camera if your looking for a camera like this one (which I was) or an affordable professional looking camera with good quality this camera is great when comparing it with other consumer cameras.

If you're used to working with industrial high-end expensive cameras, you'll probably be disapointed with this camera as it is limited in manual controls (no manual iris, xlr outputs etc...) and only has one 1/2.9 single-chip cmos censor, but that's one reason why it's thousands of dollars cheaper.

I don't regret purchasing this camera one bit and I feel this will satisfy most all of my production free-lance needs ...
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Sony HDR-XR200V 120GB HDD High Definition Camcorder w/15x Optical Zoom

2009-12-12T14:22:00.001-08:00

... In my opinion, the camcorder deserves 4/5 stars. The HD picture quality outdoors (rain or shine) is PHENOMAL. I got a similar picture in SD. It wasn't quite as sharp as HD but still an EXCELLENT picture. The sound quality is amazing. I had no problem with wind noise when outside on windy days. The camcorder itself is lightweight and I found the menus and buttons to be user-friendly. I read several negative reviews on the included Sony software but had no trouble installing it or using it. It does have limited capabilities but it was sufficient for me. The camera itself does have a "divide" option for cutting video. You choose where you want to divide and it will create and save a new clip. It also has excellent focus capabilities. It focuses very quickly when zooming in and out as well as moving left/right and up/down. I was overly impressed with its performance outdoors. Shooting indoors took me back a few steps and it could be that I expect too much in lower-light conditions. When the lights are on AND sufficient natural light is available through windows, the quality is REALLY good. During evening/night hours and during the day when its cloudy outside, the picture left me disappointed. The picture was grainy and the more I zoomed, the grainier it got. I did adjust the exposure and white balance which helped the situation but still left me wondering what I was doing wrong. I also played around with the different scene settings (sunrise, sunset, candlelight, etc...) but found the "auto" option to work the best. I would gladly welcome any suggestions or recommendations on helping the low-light situation. It's the only disappointment I have and it could very well be the operator. ...
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JVC Everio MS130 16GB Dual Flash Camcorder (Black)

2009-12-11T14:52:00.001-08:00

... I've just begun testing this camcorder, and it seems to work very well. Be aware of two limitations: (1) maximum file size is 4 GB, so the manual says it will create a new file at that point if you are continuously recording. (2) the MOD file format is indeed MPG, and can be copied from the camcorder and renamed as .mpg and edited. However, even when acquired in 16:9, the file has internal tags that tell all Windows software that it is 4:3, so it appears "squeezed" on screen. The solution is to shoot in 4:3 only, or to use DVDPATCHER to change all tags to 16:9 (be sure to keep the other parameters unchanged). Ultrafine has 9100k and Fine has 8400k data rate. The software provided for conversion only converts to WMF at low data rates, so is not useful. Oh, and JVC was completely unhelpful in this regard. They referred me to Pixela technical support, even though the software was not the problem. (I would quote the rather dismissive email, but that would be illegal, according to JVC.)
I do not have an assessment of battery life yet. Menus I would assess to be a bit cumbersome, with scrolling and selection buttons far apart from each other. Overall, though, a good camera -- very narrow in body and light in weight. ...
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JVC Everio GZ-MG330 30 GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom (Red)

2009-12-10T15:07:00.001-08:00

... I was very impressed with the quality and size of this cam. Though it lacks a lot of features of higher priced cameras, it makes up for it with size and ease of use. The biggest feature that is missing is the ability to manually control focusing and other features, but at the same time you can pull it out of a large pocket, open the cameras screen and start recording within just a few seconds. The 30 gig hard drive is enough to hold a ton of video. Since I received it, I have shot video all day at the SD zoo, Wild Animal Park, Sea World, Disneyland, and a couple of family gatherings, and still have a lot of space on the drive. I would suggest a couple of upgrades for this camera that can be purchased separately, one which is a necessity, which is an extra battery. You will only get a 1.5 hours of recording time at most. If you like checking what you just recorded it can be much less. These batteries can range from 30 - 75 on the net from my own research, some generic ones come with wall and car chargers, which tend come in handy. The other upgrade I would suggest would be lens filters and extra shooting lenses. I was able to get a 3 piece lens kit and a 2 shooting lens kit that fit this camera for around [...]. Most these lenses are just to broaden the scope of what and how good you can shoot something. The one lens I would make a priority wold be the uv lens it will protect the cameras lens and slow the degradation of the lens from uv light, and gives a little to the shooting quality. Another good purchase would be a lens hood, just to cut out more sun and glare. If you spend between an [...], you will go from having a decent fun camera to a pretty good and functional camera. Overall, for the couple hundred I spent on a refurbished model and the [...] I spent on upgrades, it well outperformed similar classes of cameras I researched, and most importantly I enjoy using it. ...
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Jazz DVK141 3.1MP Digital Video Camera (Red)

2009-12-09T14:32:00.001-08:00

... Ordered camera on gift card. Recieved the camera in a timely fashion, but it kept acting up. It would quit working and show low battery with new batteries, along with lights going on at the wrong time and generally odd behavior. The obvious thing to do was to ship it back for a trade in, but I'm as broke as it gets right now and couldn't afford return shipping. So, having limited choices I chose to open it up, voiding any return claim. since the front lens parts seem to be glued on, it wouldn't open all the way, but would pry apart enough to see the problem. The positive lead from the battery box had been pinched in between the case and the metal memory card cover during assembly, and was apparently grounding out on it. Long story short, moved the lead, put it back together, works fine. So I have a camera and a small adventure. ...
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Samsung SC-DX103 DVD Camcorder

2009-12-08T14:48:00.001-08:00

... We bought this camcorder before our first child was born in January. Due to the horrible faults of this product, we have lost precious video memories of our son's first six months! We have tried multiple disc formats (DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW and brands (TDK, Maxell, Sony), and every time we receive a message of "Disc Error" or something similar and all of the data is lost. It cannot be replayed on the computer or DVD player. When we actually got one disc with video saved on it, it was impossible to copy the video onto the computer or another disc to share with family. We have wasted countless hours trying to figure this thing out! And Samsung help gave pointless explanations of "bad discs," "wrong disc format," "you overfilled the disc." Count on losing whatever you want to record. ...
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Sony DCR-TRV280 Digital8 Handycam Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom

2009-12-07T14:32:00.001-08:00

... This camera is a great bargain and so versatile.

The optical zoom is incredible. I was able to film a drowning swimmer being rescued down on the beach from my 12th floor apartment!

Not only is this an excellent camcorder, it also makes a great webcam when connected to your computer with a Firewire cable

The USB streaming is useless: for some reason it won't let you record the audio track over USB even though it installs an audio driver when you plug it in, and the camera will go into standby while it's in use if you're not recording or playing the tape, so I recommend sticking with Firewire.

Note that if you buy this camera, keep the application CD that comes with it in a safe place. Sony does not offer drivers for download for this camera and when you call tech support to request them, their customer care doesn't know where to get them either. I was only able to find them by scouring random seedy websites.

One of the best features of this camera is that it records digitally on standard Hi-8 video tapes, which saves you a lot of money over the more expensive digital tapes. This is the only video camera in the world that does that.

Another great feature of this camera is its onboard stereo microphone. You can use this camera as a digital sound recorder by recording the sound and then dumping the video to your computer and extracting the audio track over Firewire.

I've had two of these cameras and I will buy another if something happens to the one I currently have. ...
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Sony DCR-SX41 Flash Camcorder w/60x Optical Zoom (Red)

2009-12-05T14:22:00.001-08:00

... I wanted a camcorder that was small so I could take it with me most places and very simple yet took good video. The DCR-SX41 has been all of this. Yes, if I wanted the best picture, I would have spent four to five times as much and gotten an HD Camcorder. Simple, is what this camera is. When I have finished taking video I just plug it into the computer and record straight to a DVD. How much simpler can you get? The built-in memory takes apporx 2 hrs of video at the highest resolution, and you can add an additional memory stick to increase your storage. The last camcorder I had was a Sony that recorded to a small tape. It took good pictures but was a lot of trouble getting it to a DVD. I see all of these reviews where people are complaining about this camera not working with Mac's. Well Sony tells you up front that it is not Mac user friendly. If you are looking for something to take on vacation or taking video of the grand kids (that is what I do) you will love this camera for its simplicity and price. I am over 60 and not the most computer literate individual you will find. The picture is not HD, but it is as good as any non HD video I have seen. I would most definitely recommend this to my friends. ...
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Samsung HMX-R10 HD Flash Memory Camcorder w/5x Optical Zoom (Silver)

2009-12-04T14:53:00.001-08:00

... I got the camera from different retailer but I love it.
It beats the hack out of Panasonic HDC-SD9 (borrowed from a friend for a test drive)in PQ department.
It's much better on low light as well. Of course it gets grainy but if you play with presets you can get dissent picture. I like the form factor! It fits perfectly in my pocket and loads faster than my canon elph digital camera even when not in standby mode.
I figured that the zoom on the flip out screen is more presize
And guess what it's 1080p as appose to 1080i only for the SSD models from samsung.
Anyway I thought I'm going to miss the remote that I have on my old canon minidv camera but PS3 recognizes the camera as usb drive and I can use the PS3 interface and remote - doesn't get any better than this.
I guess it uses h264 main profile level 4 which is enough - I've seen it go even over 20 mbit/s which should be the cap. And I've seen not many scenes if br disks to go over 25 mbit/s.
I'm finding cool features every day ...and I yes I read the manual and review from camcorderinfo.
...
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Archos Helmet Camcorder for Generation 5 Archos Portable Media Players

2009-12-03T15:09:00.001-08:00

... Way too expensive for what you get. The resolution is awful even on the player's screen. Don't think about watching it on your PC full screen or upload it to YouTube. ...
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Canon VIXIA HF100 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

2009-12-02T14:28:00.001-08:00

... well, this was my first real camcorder
this camera is packed with great features, is very light and compact, has great zoom and the image quality (still or video) is fantastic.
the thing that really got me was the format that it records in. ---.mts---
this was a real pain in the wedding vegetables, as no editing software that i have is compatible. i ended up buying a program online for about 40 bucks.
i also have a free one too, which works just fine and is made by koyote soft.
another thing is, it doesnt come with a case, but thats ok. this camera is also tough. ive dropped it several times, once from about 15 feet high and it survived without a scratch. the price on amazon here is rather steep, and i ended up buying one in my local electronics store for about 150bucks less, and a 2 year warranty
great camera, definately reccomended. ...
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Sony CCD-TRV138 Hi8 Handycam Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom

2009-12-01T14:45:00.001-08:00

... This is the second Sony we purchased. I received this last year for Mother's Day eventhough it had a tape and wasn't digital. We wanted to be able to transfer our old tapes onto dvd's but wanted to record also. To our surprise when we went on vacation and went to record we get a black screen, playback works, but you can't record. This is common with this camera, save your money and buy a different camera, this is the second sony we have had problems with. check this problem by doing a search and put in the model number, but please, if you want to use for special occasions, how would you like to get sound only? and be faced with costly repairs? Buy a different camera. ...
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Canon GL2 MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom

2009-11-30T14:32:00.001-08:00

... I own 2 Canon GL2's. The picture is really great when the camera is new. I use a VCR to import video for editing. After about 20 hours of use I can no longer use the vcr. I must use the camera to import video. I have had both cameras fixed twice for $240 dollars each time. After 5 months one went bad again. I went back to Canon and they have now raised the price to $400 for the same repair.They claim parts are hard to get. This is a current model! I have sworn off Sony, now it's Canon's turn. By the way the problem is caused by the same issue as the eject message, The tape transport. ...
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Aiptek A-HD Pro 1080P High Definition Camcorder (Silver)

2009-11-29T13:18:00.001-08:00

... I bought this camera recently but now use it almost exclusively. It's the second videocam that I've owned and this one is a real improvement over its predecessor. The videos come out HD and I upload them onto YT with ease. Honestly, they're pretty impressive. [...]. Further, you can set the camera on high resolution and it creates some absolutely beautiful pictures. Yes, its size is a little ungainly but I have Carhartt shorts with a side panel pocket that's just big enough to hold it. I have to say this camera is one of the best buys I've made. ...
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Sony DCR-HC62 1MP MiniDV Handycam Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom

2009-11-28T14:22:00.001-08:00

... This camera has very good video and sound quality. A long lasting battery life, and the timelapse mode is awesome. ...
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JVC Everio GZ-HD300 60GB High-Def Camcorder (Black)

2009-11-27T14:53:00.001-08:00

... Price was better than most others. I was satisfied with the JVC product and the delivery was fast considering the shipping is absolutely free. The only problem is the memory card...its limited to find microSD which is compatible with this product. ...
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Panasonic Pro AG-DVC20 3CCD MiniDV Proline Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom

2009-11-26T15:08:00.001-08:00

... It's supposed to be entry level but so far it's turned out first class footage for everything.. Of course, I do know how to shoot..but it will work for anybody..and don't let the gripes about the menu discourage you. It's a simple menu and easy to use. I use a battery powered sound board to mix sound before I send it to the cam..but this AG 20 records sound better than any other I've ever used. ...
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Panasonic Pro AG-DVX100B 3-CCD MiniDV Proline Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

2009-11-25T14:28:00.001-08:00

... I did a great deal of research before I bought my DVX100B. With the rising popularity of HD, prices on the DVX will be dropping. It is still a very versatile camera. Images are excellent and the camera is easy to use. Check out the DVX User website. ...
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Samsung HMX-H100 HD Flash Memory Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom

2009-11-24T14:44:00.001-08:00

... This thing is small, compact and Amazing, Keep in mind you can get the more expensive one with the higher models but its the same thing just without the built in memory. But this is a better bet, because you can get 16 and 32 gig memory cards cheeper anyway and there removable. This camera has no memory internally like the more expensive ones but your going to purchase memory cards anyway. So purchase this and save! ...
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Samsung SC-D382 MiniDV Camcorder

2009-11-23T14:32:00.001-08:00

... This is a pretty good camera for planning out shots for an independent film. However, I wouldn't recommend it for youtube or home videography use because the image is very dark and grainy. Like I said, the only real use for this low quality camera is planning out shots that will be filmed with a much better camera later on. ...
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Sanyo VPC-TH1 HD Compact Flash Memory Camcorder w/ 30x Optical Zoom (Blue)

2009-11-22T13:17:00.001-08:00

... I wholeheartedly agree with reviewer Clank of Iowa who says that if you are considering purchasing a camcorder such as the Flip Mino HD or similar type of mini camcorder in that price range, you may want to spend the extra money to get Sanyo's VPC-TH1 HD. You'll get 30 X optical zoom and superior audio recording capability and quality.

Of course size if size is of great consideration to you and you want a camcorder the size of the Flip or Vado HD, then you'll find the TH1 too big.

As mentioned, the TH1 has a 30 X optical zoom. That's a pretty powerful optical zoom, and if you don't already know this, there's an important difference between optical zoom and digital zoom. Optical zoom is "real" zoom; the lens moves closer to the subject. Digital zoom is simulated zoom that is achieved at a loss of image quality (the more digital zoom used, the grainier the image).

The TH1 is easy to use, as Sanyo claims. I found it as easy to use as both the Vado HD and the Flip Mino HD, which is to say that it's pretty intuitive, though the TH1 is a bit more complex than the aformentioned mini camcorders and thus there is a bit more of a learning curve involved in learning how to use it.

One must have an SD (Secure Digital) or SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) card to use the TH1(though it did capture a few seconds of video without a card), so that is going to be an additional expense for purchasers of the TH1. Flash memory (as SD and SDHC cards are) is one of the stablest, most durable media formats, as there are no moving parts. Bump a hard disk camcorders while recording and it will likely affect the recording. Hard disk camcorders get hot when recording; flash memory camcorders have very low heat emission. Flash memory camcorders also boot up faster than hard disk camcorders.

The TH1 is an HD (High Definition) camcorder but not all HD is the same. Set to the highest quality recording level, the TH1 is capable of recording at a resolution of 1280 X 720 also known as 720p where "p" stands for "progressive scan." Camcorders capable of recording at a resolution of 1080i ("i" for "interlaced") typically produce clearer images but this depends on the TV the recording is played back on as well as on what is recorded (according to Kerr Cook at Sony HDV Info dot com, "720p recording may hold the edge if you are recording sporting events or where there is a lot of high-speed motion and you want to later Pause and examine, step through frames, extract still snapshots, or do slow motion analysis." Aside from that, Cook says, "For the highest resolution, 1080i can't be beat today...for general recording..."). Technicalities aside, when video recorded at the highest quality level possible on the TH1 is played back on an HDTV via the included AV (audio visual) interface cable, the image quality is good but not great (I'd say a 3 to 3 1/2 on a 1-5 scale, and I'm sorry but I don't know the specs of the HDTV I tested the TH1 on and it was not mine; I do not yet own an HDTV). Image playback quality improves when one uses an HDMI cable (High-Definition Multimedia Interface, which is NOT included with the TH1; the Vado HD comes with an HDMI cable but it seems that most consumer camcorders do not) to playback video on an HDMI capable TV. I own a compact camcorder that can record at a resolution of 1080i, and the playback quality is far superior to the playback quality of the TH1.

The screen is a good size and my aging eyes appreciate it; my other compact camcorder cost more than twice what the TH1 cost and it has a smaller screen.

The audio pickup is good, meaning that the TH1 seems to clearly record whatever sounds it is pointed toward that the camcorder's operator can pickup with her ears.

My guess is that compact camcorders such as the TH1 include still image taking capability because it is easy and inexpensive for manufacturers to include it. As other reviewers note, the still image quality is relatively poor.

The more light when recording, the better the recording quality. This is as true for my more expensive compact camcorder (which is a JVC Everio hard disk camcorder) as it is for the TH1. Thus, video taken indoors is typically inferior in image quality to video recorded outdoors on a sunny day. Turning on as many lights as possible indoors and opening curtains, shades, and blinds to let as much daylight in as possible helps.

Uploading to YouTube is simple, as other reviewers note. The TH1 would, I think, be nearly ideal as a user-friendly relatively inexpensive camcorder for someone whose primary use is making videos to upload to YouTube.

I am obviously not terribly enthused about the TH1, but at the same time I think it's not bad for the price and I am impressed with its 30X optical zoom and ease of use. I have not mentioned the software because I haven't used it. I use Adobe Premiere Elements 7 to edit video (which requires me to convert HD video to DV-AVI, mainly because my computer, a Sony Vaio laptop with the maximum 2GB RAM installed, can't handle HD video very well). ...
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