MiniDV Camcorders Under Rs. 20,000

With the vacation season just around the corner, now would be a good time to buy all the gear you need, including the camcorder. But at the same time you definitely don't want to go overboard and spend a bomb on a vacation camcorder and be low on the dough for the rest of your vacation now, do you?

That's why we've compiled a list of some great camcorders under Rs. 20,000 that will fit any budget size, even if its as low as Rs. 13,000. All the cameras in the category use the MiniDV medium, as its still the most economical medium in camcorders out there. So here goes...

Panasonic NV-GS27E

This entry level camcorder may not be too hot on features, but it can surely shoot a good home/vacation video. You may not find a lot of manual options in here, but considering the market segment its aimed at, a casual user probably wouldn't have used those features to begin with.

Though personally I would've appreciated the inclusion of a widescreen shooting mode, I guess its not that big a loss as widescreen displays are still a niche in comparison. Still, considering you're getting 30X optical zoom, a good amount of shooting presets, and good quality video recording, I'll say it's a steal at Rs. 13,000.

Sony Handycam DCR-HC36

If its manual option you're looking for in an entry level camcorder, then the Handycam DCR-HC36 might just be the thing for you. It features a complete manual exposure mode, shooting presets like portrait and landscape as well as a NightShot plus mode that uses an infrared lamp to record in pitch black conditions. The touch-screen interface makes accessing all these options a lot easier.

On the downside, you may want to carry a spare battery with you, considering that the camera may give you around an hours worth of recording before running out of juice, and the still images are sized at a mere VGA (640x480) resolution. But then again, what more do you expect from a Rs. 15,000 camcorder?