Handycam prices increasing affordable

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.