Bell & Howell DV1200 HD Camcorder

Comments about Bell & Howell DV1200 HD Camcorder:

It hardly looks hd....the touch screen in not very good, the speakers are terrible... so save your money.

Comments about Bell & Howell DV1200 HD Camcorder:

Using it for parties, family gatherings and just plain whatever. It works very well.

Videos look great on the computer, though I haven't tried editing any of the videos.

My biggest problem is the threads for the tripod mount. They are plastic, and already cross-threaded.

Comments about Bell & Howell DV1200 HD Camcorder:

Bottom line up front: the handful of nice features of the camera were not enough to overcome the shoddy video quality. The picture (set on the highest available quality "Full-HD" setting did not even look HD - the picture was a muddy sea of large squares, pixels and digital artifacts. I tried this Bell + Howell model as well as the DXG-5F0VK HD before it, both from B+H. I was really hoping that technology had progressed to the point of being able to get a camcorder with excellent quality HD picture under $200. Alas, I was disappointed and will be returning this camera as well. After extensive home testing of each, I found the DXG actually had fine video quality but an unacceptably sluggish auto-focus. The reverse is true of this Bell + Howell model - the auto-focus was passable but its video quality is simply terrible. Tested both in outdoor sunlit conditions as well as indoors. Outdoor scenes were quite bad, indoor/lower-light scenes were completely unwatchable.

Other cons: There is no lens cap provided at all - not a built-in one, removable one, nothing. This seems like a major oversight as the lens is sure to get scuffed up in no time from regular use. Also, when hooked up to a TV through the mini HDMI, the touch screen stops working. Skip, play, stop, etc. is all controlled through the hard buttons on the end of the camera, which are not labeled as such so you just have to figure it out and remember what button does what (e.g., record button = play, right directional button = skip forward). It's a very clunky, unintuitive interface and the first touchscreen camera I've seen that didn't allow playback control features on the touchscreen - makes no sense.

The positives of the camera are that its still photos are decent. This camera had a rare built-in strobe flash in lieu of the more common LED light and it made for better indoor shots. It was also nice that the company included a belt case for free. The battery life seemed good as well and the interface was certainly very basic and intuitive with the exception of the playback method. It was also nice that the battery was not a proprietary model so a backup could be purchased cheaply.

After returning both this camera and the previous trial, the DXG, I finally bit the bullet and ordered a more expensive model - the JVC GZ-HM650 HD Everio. Unfortunately it's twice the cost of the Bell + Howell but it's already showing me a night and day quality difference - beautiful HD video quality and a very sophisticated auto-focus. My lesson learned with these cheaper models is that unfortunately you do get what you pay for.

Comments about Bell & Howell DV1200 HD Camcorder:

Found the HD Camcorder to be a good pick. A plus for this item would be a view finder as well as a quality lens cover when not in use. Overall it is everything one coulod want in a reasonably priced item. Thanks

Comments about Bell & Howell DV1200 HD Camcorder:

This is an excellent camcorder. It rivals some Samsung and Panasonic models. Use it for family videos and other similar uses. I may also buy the night vision version of this model, just to play with IR videoing. Overall, very impressed.

Comments about Bell & Howell DV1200 HD Camcorder:

This camcorder is absolutely fantastic! Bell & Howell makes a real professional camcorder with this one. The videos come out in crystal clear 1080p High Definition Resolution. The camcorder also has an SD card slot that can hold SD cards up to 32GB. That gives me hours of video. I love this camcorder! I'll be watching for more Bell + Howell product.