Camcorders, Digital Cameras and Computers - Oh my!

[MigratingOsprey]

So i'm back in the market for all 3. I've most familiar with the digital cameras as we've gone through a couple (had one stolen and my loving puppy just ate the replacement.........) - with that I'm wondering if I want to stick with a slim point and shoot or start traveling with a more robust option ..... convenience aside I wasn't too happy with the slim digital camera I bought

I havent' been in the computer market for like 6 years and my desktop still works pretty well .... only problem is harddrive and memory really doesn't support the media technologies open today ....... i'm thinking of buying a laptop that I can use to be mainly a multimedia computer for pictures, videos, etc ...... i've used my work laptop at home and my wireless connection is pretty good and fast

Any drawbacks that I should look out for? Any brands, specs I should want to have on a laptop?

Finally, I haven't thought about camcorders since the days of the shoulder loading tape cannons ...... completely overwhelmed by the options out there and even how they work ...... seems like you basically shoot to the cameras storage and then run it through a computer onto a DVD burner or a direct feed?!

Any information/suggestions/things to look for in this area specifically would be very helpfull as I'm pretty much lost

As a final hiccup i'm pretty much restricted to best buy for these purchases ...... although not my favorite store, i have a pretty good hookup there

Many thanks

 

[devilalum]

I love my Flip Video for movies. Its not fancy but it fits in your pocket and the software is really easy to use to email and edit movies. Its 720p HD.

 

[Duckjake]

I love my Flip Video for movies. Its not fancy but it fits in your pocket and the software is really easy to use to email and edit movies. Its 720p HD.

I like mine too. My Daughter has used it to make videos for school. Had it for two years with no problems.

Any drawbacks that I should look out for? Any brands, specs I should want to have on a laptop?

I'd stay away from ASUS even though their laptops come loaded their hardware is abysmal.

HP has terrific customer service.

You may know this already but Picasa is great software for handling photos and video.

 

[MigratingOsprey]

I like mine too. My Daughter has used it to make videos for school. Had it for two years with no problems.



I'd stay away from ASUS even though their laptops come loaded their hardware is abysmal.

HP has terrific customer service.

You may know this already but Picasa is great software for handling photos and video.

i didn't know that and wasn't familiar with ASUS ...... i saw them a little when I started looking, but am unfamiliar

i bought a toshiba laptop in 1999 and have had a dell and an HP for work ..... the toshiba was a value at the time and a bit clunky, still works no matter how outdated

 

[Ryanwb]

Don't buy a Dell... I recommend HP to friends and family. I've owned 3 or 4 HP laptops over the past 8 years for personal use and get a replacement HP every 36 months at work. Never had a problem and for the price you get a solid machine with plenty of options.

I bought my wife a Dell laptop one year and it was crap..... which I've heard repeated over and over again from others.

 

[Ryanwb]

For digital cameras I recommend Canon. I used to own a Sony and their image stabilization was really inferior to Canon, plus they had their proprietary media card, which sucks. I also owned a Casio which I didn't like as well.

As for camcorder, I have a Sony HD handycam which is just beautiful. It has a built in hard drive so you don't have to mess with media cards. I'm not sure what else is out there, it was sort of an impulse buy and an upgrade from a Digital 8 Sony Camcorder

 

[MigratingOsprey]

thanks

i've been looking into entry level DSLRs - our use for everything is pretty much personal/family use

vacations, things around the house, family moments - just your everyday home video

every now and again there will be something in nature or some exhibit that I wouldn't mind getting a better quality shot of and having some fun with photography - i was disapointed in how my P&S captured both a lounging iguana in st. thomas and a little crab that crossed our path and got into a defensive posture in grand turk ........ i also like the botanical gardens out here, i've had little luck with nightime photos during the luminaries event, although my photos from the chihuly exhibit came out OK

the main driving factor is upgrading our ability to capture photos/video ... am probably leaning towards HD video as that seems to be the way things are going and most friends/family have HD TVs with all the inputs and players

i'm perfectly happy with my desktop computer - i don't store a lot of mp3s, videos or game on it ...... basically use word, excel, the internet and manage my photos ....... only problem is I bought the thing in 12/02 although I upgraded the memory, it can't handle the new tech

i'd like a laptop because of the portability, but you seem to get more bang for your buck with the desktop ..... i'm probably more price sensitive in this area ....... i'll look into what HP has to offer - this is the one area i'm not confined to bestbuy

i'm probably looking at $400 - $600 on the digital camera and $600-$800 on the camcorder

I have seen a Nikon and a couple Canon DSLRs in that range and a JVC HD Camcorder that looks decent as well

 

[devilalum]

thanks

i've been looking into entry level DSLRs - our use for everything is pretty much personal/family use

vacations, things around the house, family moments - just your everyday home video

every now and again there will be something in nature or some exhibit that I wouldn't mind getting a better quality shot of and having some fun with photography - i was disapointed in how my P&S captured both a lounging iguana in st. thomas and a little crab that crossed our path and got into a defensive posture in grand turk ........ i also like the botanical gardens out here, i've had little luck with nightime photos during the luminaries event, although my photos from the chihuly exhibit came out OK

the main driving factor is upgrading our ability to capture photos/video ... am probably leaning towards HD video as that seems to be the way things are going and most friends/family have HD TVs with all the inputs and players

i'm perfectly happy with my desktop computer - i don't store a lot of mp3s, videos or game on it ...... basically use word, excel, the internet and manage my photos ....... only problem is I bought the thing in 12/02 although I upgraded the memory, it can't handle the new tech

i'd like a laptop because of the portability, but you seem to get more bang for your buck with the desktop ..... i'm probably more price sensitive in this area ....... i'll look into what HP has to offer - this is the one area i'm not confined to bestbuy

i'm probably looking at $400 - $600 on the digital camera and $600-$800 on the camcorder

I have seen a Nikon and a couple Canon DSLRs in that range and a JVC HD Camcorder that looks decent as well

If you are looking at DSLRs I have some input. I read a lot about this before buying my Nikon D40 a year ago. A lot of good amateur photographers use a D40 over more expensive models. I would buy the D40 and get the Nikon DX VR 18-200 mm F3.5-5.6G Zoom lens to go with it. This lens is all you will ever need and if you really get nuts with photography you can get a better body and still use this great lens. You could get a D90 with 2 crap lenses or for about the same price you could get a D40 body and the 18-200 lens which better than both of those crap lenses combined.

Of course if you get a D90 you can shoot movies.

 

[Covert Rain]

Unlike Ryanwb I would not recommend HP at all. I worked in support and still work in technology for our company and we get more problem tickets for HP machines (desktops or laptops) then any other machines.

There is only one HP machine that we consider reliable in it is one of their flagship models. All the others have been total crap for us. Our IBM(Lonovo) and Dells do have some crap models but their overall lines are much more reliable IMO.

 

[AZZenny]

Nikon D-90. I've got the D-80, my daughter got the D-90, and it is much user-friendlier. Spectacular cameras.

I get my desktops locally, put together by a very responsible firm my computer guy swears by and has used for years -- but I'll have to dig up the name. Paired with a Samsung monitor -- very nice.

Laptops -- I have had several, and the only thing I'll use anymore are Toshibas. looks like a 20% off sale on some of their laptops through toshibadirect.com

 

[Darth Llama]

Unlike Ryanwb I would not recommend HP at all. I worked in support and still work in technology for our company and we get more problem tickets for HP machines (desktops or laptops) then any other machines.

Of course you do, they sell the most so it's no surprise that you see them the most. I have always had good experience with HP computers myself.

I agree with the above posted that Asus Laptops should be avoided. I have one that I just had to upgrade because after 2 years the hinges that hold the lid on just gave out and broke almost completely off. The laptop works great, but the build quality is the worst I have ever seen.

If you're looking for a good multimedia laptop, Sony's new Vaio FW might be up your alley. I just bought a 16.4" Widescreen with 4GB RAM, HDMI Out, Blu Ray, Dedicated ATI 4650 Graphics card and a 400GB HD for $1k. It was at Fry's, but Best Buy should be comparable on the price. The difference in build quality from Asus to Sony is night and day. Avoid Asus at all costs. My personal second favorite is Toshiba, hard to go wrong with a Toshiba Laptop.

 

[AZZenny]

I've heard from several people that Sony's durability is a problem, because that's what I was looking at prior to getting my tiny Toshiba. One repair guy said 'They're gorgeous, and a lot of my customers buy one Sony. Never had anyone buy a second one.'

 

[Darth Llama]

I've heard from several people that Sony's durability is a problem, because that's what I was looking at prior to getting my tiny Toshiba. One repair guy said 'They're gorgeous, and a lot of my customers buy one Sony. Never had anyone buy a second one.'

Interesting, the reviews I read were the opposite. I guess time will tell, if this one falls apart then it will be the last one I ever buy. My Co-Worker has a 4 year old Vaio that still looks like the day it came out of the box. I'm sure alot of it has to do with how well you take care of it. Hopefully I'll have better luck this one, we'll see. Since I have only had this laptop a few days, I'm not really qualified at this time to say your repair guy is wrong. It SEEMS like a well built laptop though.

 

[AZZenny]

I'll be interested to hear down the road, because man, they are pretty machines! I was after the lightest-weight small traveler I could get, and it was a Sony or the Toshiba Portege (which I love).

 

[Covert Rain]

Of course you do, they sell the most so it's no surprise that you see them the most. I have always had good experience with HP computers myself.

Not sure I understand that. We calculate our reliability standards based on the percentage of problem tickets seen on each model machine. In addition, we also track which models receive multiple tickets per machine. Not to mention that we are pretty evenly split amongst our 3 main vendors. The number of machines doesn't dictate our reliability reports as much as the percentage of those machines receiving tickets and what we call our "repeat offender models".

HP has been horrible all the way around for us. They were by far the least reliable computers we have on the floor. We are talking thousands of samples of data to back it up. We found out today that we will not be renewing our contract with HP.

 

[Darth Llama]

Not sure I understand that. We calculate our reliability standards based on the percentage of problem tickets seen on each model machine.

It's very simple, if there is more of "Brand A" out on the market then it stands to reason that you will see those more then any other machine. As far as calculating on a percentage that's only reliable if the place you work only services products sold in that particular store. If you service any model walk in, you can't accurately compute those numbers because you can't properly determine the amount sold. For example, your store might sell 100 of "Brand A" in a month and the Best Buy up the street might sell 500. Unless you're computing the world wide sales and basing your repair percentages on those numbers you can't accurately compute the total percentage of that product that comes in for repair. If you're seeing mostly HP laptops in your repair center it doesn't necessarily mean that they break more often then other brands, they are just more common because they sell more. It could be that they are more unreliable as a whole, it's very possible, it's just not necessarily a given. I suppose though that it would be easy enough to track the return percentages for units sold in your store, if that's the case then maybe there is something to it. If you guys are servicing a high percentage of all the HP's you sell then it stands to reason that there could be problems, I was just saying it's not always the case, but I wasn't aware how you guys measured your repair volume.

Just out of curiosity, is there any one thing that seems more common on HP's? Like faulty GPU's? bad displays? problems with the build? What is the most common problem with them on average? Do you see a lot of Sony's in for repair? (I have a Vaio.)

 

[Duckjake]

Just out of curiosity, is there any one thing that seems more common on HP's? Like faulty GPU's? bad displays? problems with the build? What is the most common problem with them on average? Do you see a lot of Sony's in for repair? (I have a Vaio.)
__________________

HP has responded extremely well and repaired any problem I've had with my HP machines. Easy as well. They send you a repair code by email and then have Fed Ex bring you a box with a mailing label to send in. They don't hide their customer service behind a multitude of incomprehensible web pages like most hi tech companies including ASUS do.

The only problem I've ever had with HP is understanding the very accommodating, but heavily accented, techs in places like the Philippines. Helps that I can speak a little Spanish.

 

[Covert Rain]

It's very simple, if there is more of "Brand A" out on the market then it stands to reason that you will see those more then any other machine. As far as calculating on a percentage that's only reliable if the place you work only services products sold in that particular store. If you service any model walk in, you can't accurately compute those numbers because you can't properly determine the amount sold. For example, your store might sell 100 of "Brand A" in a month and the Best Buy up the street might sell 500. Unless you're computing the world wide sales and basing your repair percentages on those numbers you can't accurately compute the total percentage of that product that comes in for repair. If you're seeing mostly HP laptops in your repair center it doesn't necessarily mean that they break more often then other brands, they are just more common because they sell more. It could be that they are more unreliable as a whole, it's very possible, it's just not necessarily a given. I suppose though that it would be easy enough to track the return percentages for units sold in your store, if that's the case then maybe there is something to it. If you guys are servicing a high percentage of all the HP's you sell then it stands to reason that there could be problems, I was just saying it's not always the case, but I wasn't aware how you guys measured your repair volume.

Just out of curiosity, is there any one thing that seems more common on HP's? Like faulty GPU's? bad displays? problems with the build? What is the most common problem with them on average? Do you see a lot of Sony's in for repair? (I have a Vaio.)

I got what you were trying to say what I didn't get is how it applied to the scenario I was talking about.

At any rate to answer your question, there are alot of motherboard problems, problems with generic memory used, we have had overheating problems etc. It's the overall quality of the parts that they chose to put them together with that is the problem. At least that's what the general consensus is.

It's a shame too because HP has a good warranty service. However, the problem is we are using the warranty service so much that we know how good the service is.....if you get my drift.

We don't have Sony's on our floor. Mainly HP, Lenova (IBM) & Dell. We have a few other machines sprinkled in (Gateway) & Toshiba but don't have enough users that are currently using them to make a determination on those machines.

 

[DeAnna]

Don't buy a Dell...
I bought my wife a Dell laptop one year and it was crap..... which I've heard repeated over and over again from others.

How so? I've bought a laptop and a desktop from the Dell Outlet (refurb) and never had a problem with either.