What's a good deal on a video camera? Perferably DV (or Sony's Digital8), under $500.

I don't know much about video cameras, so I wouldn't know a good deal if I saw one.

Hey mugs, thanks for posting.

First off, if you want to do some browsing, here (http://www.gottadeal.com/deals-category-camcorders.html) is our camcorder deal page. Some of the deals will still be available, some will have changed or expired.

I've heard nothing but good things about the Canon Optura line of camcorders. Looking for the lowest prices, it looks like Buy.com has the best deal with the Optura 20 (http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=90136346) for $468.99 shipped. You also get a free $25 Ofoto gift certificate, free memory card and free Pinnacle software. If you are a new Buy.com customer (or can make Buy.com think you are :) ), use this $15 off coupon (http://www.gottadeal.com/click.php?type=coupon&id=293) to get it for $453.99 shipped. If you notice, we had a deal on it from Buy.com for $480 shipped just a few days ago, so this is a much better price.

You might be able to find a deal on the lesser Optura 10, which has a smaller LCD (2.5" vs 3.5" on the 20) and a lower capacity battery.

However I'd still recommend the Optura 20. As a price comparsion, OneCall, who usually has excellent prices and beats everyone else, has the Optura 20 on special through tomorrow for $477 plus shipping. The Buy.com price is lower, and even better if you can use the coupon.

So that's my recommendation. If anyone has other thoughts, feel free to post them. Here are some reviews:

Customer Reviews at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00008RHA3)
DVSpot Review (http://www.dvspot.com/reviews/canon/optura20-review/index.shtml)

Nice job Brad :)

Thanks for the info!