Help Me Decide on a Camcorder to Use!

[neoelectronaut]

Actually, I'm helping my aunt pick out a camcorder for her sons as christmas gifts. One has a Macbook Pro and the other has a Mac Mini (Intel). Obviously we're going with MiniDV, and we're shooting for a sub-$300 mark.

She stopped in Sears and threw out a few models to me.
JVC GR-350 & GR-370
Samsung SC-D363
Canon ZR500

I've just started to do a bit of research for her, but I'd figured I'd also ask here for any advice, because to be honest, I've never used a camcorder.

They'll obviously be using iMovie, and one may eventually move up to Final Cut Express, so keep those in mind.

Thanks for any help, guys and gals.

 

[nitynate]

Go for a sony handy-cam, all other camcorders feel cheap and cheesy.

I have this one, and many others, so just ask me. Have been reliable for years of use!
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/sony-dcr-hc40-camcorder-review.htm

Ignore the cons! This camera is amazing!

 

[ebook]

I have a Panasonic right now that I bought 3 years ago. I love it and I know a lot of the Panasonics receive pretty good reviews because the have features that other lowend cameras don't have. But, as I've been researching new video cameras (I dropped my and broke off the zoom button) I have been reading a lot of good reviews for the Canon Elura 100. It seems to do pretty well for the point and shoot/consumer market.

 

[ero87]

another vote for the sony handycam! I have the dcr-hc 36, not 40, but i'm sure they're similar.

Only issue I had was that it didn't come with a firewire cable. I picked one up for 10 bucks and i was good to go! they're a lot of fun to use, mac-compatible, and mine was relatively cheap ($310 with a sale).

good luck!

 

[gcpenn]

A good source of information on camcorders is www.camcorderinfo.com. They've got reviews of everything under the sun and have issued buying recommendations in all price ranges. I've been told that they are reliable (Leo Laporte recommends them as a resource).