Best Mini DV Camera?

[LordSegan]

My little brother wants to buy a Mini DV camcorder for the holidays. We dont want to spend more than ~400 if we can avoid it. I want something that will hook up easily to a computer with a cheap firewire card and non-expensive video software.

Have any ideas? Brands? Specific models?

Also, when is best to buy? How much could we save if we wait till the day after Christmas?

[ruri]

For $400, you're not going to find much in the DV department, but if you can afford $480 look into Panasonic PV-DV102, their lowest priced DV camera.

The unit sports a
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10X optical zoom
firewire, MMC for built in digital camera
digital image stabilization
USB port
2.5" LCD screen
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Not bad for <$500 camera.