I need Geek help deciding on a cam-corder.

[dcOne 2]

WTF is up with all the various forms of memory? Some take full size DVD's? Some take miniDVD's, some have hard drives?

 

Which one is the most "current"? I am assuming those with hard drives have some sort of memory card also?

 

I am have lost touch with what's up to date in the cam corder dept. I have a HI-8, I believe. It takes the little cassettes....which are a pain in the arse.

[SUXBNME 1,335]

One of my co-slackers..errr...workers just got one the new Sony mini DVD (not to be confused with the miniDV like I have), and the thing looks pretty f'ing .

The "night vision" on his and mine are the best that I've seen versus the other companies attempt at it.

I haven't seen them all, though. The only thing I don't like about his, is on mine, when you flip it out to film your porn...errr...soccer games, it has screen touch controls. His (sorry I can't remember the model) has buttons that I found very awkward.

On the lighter side, his has a built in camera (they all do now) with i think it was 4 meg pixles. (mine only has 1)

 

I actually did a lot of research before buying mine (2 years ago) and found that sony seemed to be the best "bang for your buck"

 

HTH

[Riddlen 1]

WTF is up with all the various forms of memory? Some take full size DVD's? Some take miniDVD's, some have hard drives?

 

Which one is the most "current"? I am assuming those with hard drives have some sort of memory card also?

 

I am have lost touch with what's up to date in the cam corder dept. I have a HI-8, I believe. It takes the little cassettes....which are a pain in the arse.

I will need to be provided pictures of the wife/girlfriend you plan on secretly recording in the shower before I can comfortably assist in your decision.

[hoffdaddy 1]

Video guy here at work used to be employed by Sony. He swears by their mini dv camcorders. I'd avoid the ones that burn directly to a little dvd. One of our other coworkers bought one and had all kinds of trouble figuring out how to edit the clip in her computer. I think those are more designed to be burned directly then played in a DVD player. If you think you might edit any of this video, recording digitally is the way to go.

[cmh6476 752]

get a Sony

[dcOne 2]

He swears by their mini dv camcorders. I'd avoid the ones that burn directly to a little dvd.

 

So, don't get the one that burns directly to a mini-DVD? Isn't that the same thing that your friend who worked at sony recommends?

 

I'm confused. Sorry. Ummm...give me an example of one you'd recommend.....(model #, etc or link.)

[ssastar 0]

The new HDD camcorders (built in hard drives) look very promising. It would be great never to never have to buy tapes and have over 20 hrs of recording - also the video editing and direct burnng to DVD has to be a lot easier.

 

ETA: Here's a link to a new Sony ... I know JVC has some available too.

[dcOne 2]

Is this decent?

http://cgi.ebay.com/JVC-Everio-GZ-MG21-20G...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Or is it the wrong time to buy a HDD camcorder? Are they so new that their will be a ton of improvements made/price drops in the next 6 months?

[ssastar 0]

Is this decent?

http://cgi.ebay.com/JVC-Everio-GZ-MG21-20G...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Or is it the wrong time to buy a HDD camcorder? Are they so new that their will be a ton of improvements made/price drops in the next 6 months?

 

I don't know that much about it yet, but I have a feeling it might be wise to wait. Format issues (mpeg-2, mpeg-4...) will determine quality and how much video you will be able to fit on the HDD. I think the technology is cool, but it might be too soon. Maybe someone else here has more insight.

[hoffdaddy 1]

So, don't get the one that burns directly to a mini-DVD? Isn't that the same thing that your friend who worked at sony recommends?

 

I'm confused. Sorry. Ummm...give me an example of one you'd recommend.....(model #, etc or link.)

 

Nope. It's OK to be a little confused. Mini DV is just fancy name for the way things are recorded. It's actually a digital cassette. Good explanation here:

 

http://www.high-techproductions.com/dvFAQ.htm

DV cassettes are designed for maximum performance when used with today's digital video (DV) camcorders and VCRs.

 

The DV format has two cassette sizes: Standard/ Full Size (125mm by 78mm by 14.6mm) and Mini DV (66mm by 48mm by 12.2mm). The current crop of camcorders accept only the Mini DV.

 

DV cassettes are designed to take full advantage of the DV format, providing remarkably faithful image reproduction with lifelike color and detailed edge sharpness, along with the ability to record digital audio with better than CD-quality stereo sound.

----

 

So, it's actually recording onto a cassette. However, it's digital and the quality is oustanding.

 

Some the ones that use the little DVD's in the camera themselves seem to only be designed for those who will just throw that DVD right into their home DVD player right afterward. If that's how you'll use it, it's not a bad purchase. If you're looking to have high quality video that you can edit on a computer afterward, the Mini DV format is the one to pick.

 

And a couple of options, just depending on what you're looking for:

Sony DCR-HC32

 

 

Sony DCR-HC42

 

 

But get the FireWire. Using light weight compression algorithm (similar to MJPEG), DV format offers minimal digital artifacts and is highly suitable for linear editing. Before connecting the camcorder to computer, invest in FireWire (also known as i.Link or IEEE 1394) cable. This cable, along with FireWire connector on your computer, is necessary to edit DV footage on your computer with zero loss in quality. Windows XP includes Windows Movie Maker 2 which is good video editing software and works well with DCR-HC42. Sony includes video editing software, too, but it is pretty limited with many usability issues. If you are using Windows XP, stick with Windows Movie Maker.

[dcOne 2]

If you're looking to have high quality video that you can edit on a computer afterward, the Mini DV format is the one to pick.

 

Okay...I've read some good reviews on the Sony miniDV's....but...it seems that editing on a computer afterwards, would be difficult, as the original recording is on a "cassette"???? Or does the "cassette" not actually contain moving parts/rewind/ff, etc?

 

Thanks

[hoffdaddy 1]

Okay...I've read some good reviews on the Sony miniDV's....but...it seems that editing on a computer afterwards, would be difficult, as the original recording is on a "cassette"???? Or does the "cassette" not actually contain moving parts/rewind/ff, etc?

 

Thanks

 

Hey, it's not too bad. Read my last paragraph. With FireWire directly into your computer, transferring the video is very easy. If you don't have that port, then I'm not so sure. I think USB is an option, but I believe there is some quality loss there. FireWire is your safest bet for transferring the video with no loss of quality. You can add a FireWire port, but I'm not sure on cost.

 

It is pretty easy to add a FireWire port to your computer. You just buy a FireWire card, which you then insert into an empty PCI slot in your PC. Restart your computer and the Drivers install. Voila. You have a FireWire port.

 

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question371.htm

Most digital video cameras have an IEEE-1394 plug. When you attach a camcorder to a computer using IEEE-1394, the connection is amazing. With the right software the computer and the camera communicate, and the computer can download all of the scenes on the tape automatically and with perfect digital clarity. As prices fall, home video production will become trivial!

 

Adding a FireWire PCI appears to be inexpensive.

http://froogle.google.com/froogle_cluster?...oring=mrd&hl=en

 

I've had good luck with Belkin products.