Handycam prices increasing affordable

Doharto J. Simatupang, Contributor, Jakarta

Over the past two years, the prices of handycams have fluctuated greatly. Many buyers have experienced "buyer's remorse" for having bought a handycam too early. Two months after the purchase, for example, the price of the handycam may well have dropped significantly.

As the prices of handycams continue to slide, more and more people can afford to buy them. It is now quite common to see people carrying around all a handycam, ranging from the larger ones that use Video8/Hi8 or Super VHS-C cassettes, to smaller ones that use Mini-DV or DVD-RAM/DVD-R/-RW/+RW, or even digital cameras with a capacity of 5.25 Megapixels.

The lowest-priced entry-level handycams usually still need Hi* cassettes, made by either Sony or Samsung, or Super VHS-C (JVC). If Sony is your favorite brand and you are at the beginners' level, Sony has the following to offer: the CCD TRV238E type with 20x optical lens, 2.5" LCD and Hi8 cassette, now available for Rp 2,650,000, some Rp 80,000 lower than its previous price. Also there is the CCD-TRV438E type, which has a 20x optical lens, 2.5" LCD, a "steady shoot" and a Hi8 cassette, to be had for Rp 2,900,000. Samsung's handycam line-up, meanwhile, offers more competitive prices. Take, for example, Samsung VP-L800 and VP- L850 models, both selling for Rp 2,300,000 and provided with 22x optical lenses, 2.5" LCD and Hi8 recording cassettes. Feel like buying one?

If you like taking photographs, you can opt for a Sony of the DCR-TRV480E type with a 20x optical capacity, 2.5" LCD, Digital8 cassette and Memory Stick slot, selling for Rp 3,775,000. Unfortunately, you can't expect excellent quality for printed digital photos taken with this camera.

Handycams using MiniDV as the recording medium now dominate on the market and prices are increasingly more affordable today. These products include, among others, JVC GR-D33AG at Rp 2,850,000, JVC GR-D250 with 25x optical lens for Rp 3,150,000, and JVC GR-D50AG at Rp 3,250,000. The Panasonic NV-GS11EN has a 24x optical lens, and the price has dropped from Rp 4 million to Rp 3,700,000, and Samsung's VP-D1011 can now be had for Rp 2,700,000! Indeed, these prices are quite low.

Nowadays, a greater variety of handycams come with a digital camera feature, which allows you to take still pictures. The demand for these products is quite high and you can easily make your choice among them: Panasonic NV-GS25EN at Rp 3,535,000, Panasonic NV-G57EN 1.77 Megapixel selling at Rp 5,600,000, Panasonic NV-GS150 2.32 Megapixel at Rp 7,900,000 or Samsung's VP-D31i 0.8 Megapixel type, the price of which has dropped from Rp 3,800,000 to Rp 3,330,000. Or, if you like JVC, their GR-D295 with a 25x optical lens sells for Rp 4,600,000. Sony's DCR-HC42E 1 Megapixel has a wide, hybrid 2.7" touchscreen LCD, Memory Stick Duo and is sold for Rp 5,850,000, a decrease of Rp 80,000 on its former price. The Sony DCR-HC32E 0.8 Megapixel has a 20x optical lens and touchscreen LCD and selling for Rp 4,425,000, a drop of Rp 105,000 on its previous price. The writer's favorite handycam in this class is the JVC GR-DX77AG 1.33 Megapixel, available for only Rp 4,400,000!

If you have your eyes set on a handycam in the premium class, your choice may be as follows: Sony DCR-PC55E 0.8 Megapixel with a hybrid 3.0" touch LCD, a Tele Macro and a Memory Stick Duo, available at Rp 7,200,000, a Sony DCR-PC109E 1 Megapixel, whose price has just been slashed from Rp 6,300,000 to Rp 5,900,000, a Sony DCR-PC350E 3.3 Megapixels, the price of which has been cut from Rp 9,275,000 to Rp 8,975,000, or a DCR-PC100E 08 Megapixel selling at Rp 12,500,000.oo and provided with a wide hybrid 2.7'' touchscreen LCD and Memory Stick Duo.

There is a wide variety of DVD handycams to choose from today. You can start, for example with the Panasonic VDR-M50 available for Rp 5,900,000. Other choices include, among others, Sony's DCR-DVD7E 0.8 Megapixel, which has quite a stylish design and is sold for Rp 6,450,000, Sony's DCR-DVD101E 0.8 Megapixel (an old model) which has been cut in price from Rp 6,700,000 to Rp 6,000,000, Sony DCR-DVD201E 1 Megapixel, the price of which has just been lowered from Rp 7,400,000 to Rp 6,800,000. The Sony DCR-DVD 602E 0.8 Megapixel, without a USB terminal, is available at Rp 5,900,000, Sony DCR-DVD653 0.8 Megapixel with 20 x optical lens for Rp 6,600,000, Sony DCR-DVD703E 1 Megapixel type with wide hybrid 2.7" touchscreen LCD selling at Rp 7,250,000, and Sony DCR-DVD803 3.3 Megapixels with a wide hybrid 2.7" touchscreen LCD available for Rp 10,200,000.

The price of the Sony DCR-DVD602E now sells at Rp 5,900,000, below the Rp 6 million "psychological" price limit of handycams in this category. Therefore, it is just a matter of time before other types of Sony handycams decrease in price as well. It is worth noting that two years ago, before Sony handycams decreased in price, the Hitachi DZ-MV350 0.8 Megapixel dropped below Rp 6 million.

Now that one Sony DVD handycam is now available for less than Rp 6 million, the demand for DVD handycams will continue to grow and will soon also become a trendsetter for handycam owners. This means that days are numbered for film transfer services from Video8/Super VHS-C/Hi8/Digital8/Mini DV to VCD/DVD.

Tips:

Only buy handycam brands that also allow you to buy their accessories, such as Lithium batteries, cables, additional lenses, blitzes and so forth. In addition, choose brands that provide repair services and give a full spare parts guarantee. When you buy a handycam, the shop usually gives you a free bag, an 8 MB memory card/SD card, two blank DVD RAM discs and a blank Mini DV/Digital8/Hi8 cassette.

The right places to buy handycams include "Kotaraya Foto Video" in Glodok Plaza or Mangga Dua Mall, "Victory Electronic" in Orion Plaza in Jalan Pinangsia, or "Senen Electronic" in Atrium Plaza Senen.