Originally Posted by ru42

Well, since I am mentioned in this thread, I guess I will jump in.

MiniDV I feel is better then DVD. DVD is made to be easily to pop into a DVD player. I think MiniDV is better, more versitile, and cheaper.

I highly recommend B and H Photo out of New York. Great prices, excellent customer service, and very reliable. All my online purchases are made with them.

I like Sony video cameras, I think they are the best. I shoot with a Sony TRV22. I just checked on eBay and they run from $150 to $250. That is about 1/3 of the price I paid when I got my camera. After the TRV22 series Sony changed some of the internals and now the low light capability is a little worse. So, grabbing one of the TRV22's off eBay is a good price. I just might pick up a second one for myself.

Of, rereading the thread, do not reuse tapes. The cost is low enough that you really don't need to. I get the TDK 8-pak from CostCo for $20. Hard to beat that.

The camera has a small 1 hour battery. I recommend the 6 hour battery. I can shoot an entire day at DLR and not run out. I also recommend a UV filter. I also have an IR enhancing light for shooting in the dark, like Pirates or HM.

If I missed anything, ask away.

RU