should I get a blu-ray camcorder?

[richteer]

Originally Posted by ulri4651

My wife and I are expecting our first child this September. As a result my wife has mentioned that she would like to get a video camera before her due date. So I did a quick search online and I see that there are actually a few blu-ray camcorders! I'm not very tech savvy so I'm wondering, are they worth it? I really don't want to spend more than $1000 and most of the HD camcorders I found are much less than that. But if its worth it to go blu then I would consider it. Anybody able to reccomend anything? Like I said, I'm not much of a tech guy so I would really just have to take your word for it. Thanks in advance!

I've been researching hi-def camcorders for a while now, and I agree with others' advice to avoid Hitachi's BD camcorders (which at the time of writing are the only ones on the market). A sub-$1000 camcorder isn't going to be very good, so if you can afford more, go for it. After all, how many times will have the opportunity to film your first child? (Are those cheaper "HD" camcorders really 1080i, or are they just 720p/i?)

The best of the current generation seems to be the Canon HX30(?) and the Sony HDR-SR11 (for a bit more cash you can get the SR12 which is exactly the same, except it has twice the storage capacity). Beware everyone's 2nd generation HD camcorders (the current generation is 3rd), because they're susceptible to artifacting due to low bit rates (hrm, sounds like HD DVD!).

For my preferences, the Sony camcorder has the edge, because it has a built in view finder (I despise using LCD monitors as a view finder, and it kills battery life), and is a HDD/memory stick hybrid. I don't like the hassle of dealing with tapes, and memory sticks have a too small capacity for my liking to be the only medium. Being a hybrid means I can use the HDD to record as much as I want, then use the memory stick for ease of transport/durability if I want.