What video camera do you guys use. or reccomend I am looking for a mid range camera 250 - 400.
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OT. Video Cameras
- Thread starter hrcollectibles
- Start date
I see no one else has tried to help so I'll take a stab at it, just bear with my long winded typings!!
To really answer that question you have to consider quite a few things.
Are you looking for Hi-def?
If you are... spend no less than $900 and get a Canon HV-20 or HV-30.
Out of your quoted range I know, but it gives you an idea of where the industry might be going.
In the $300 to $400 range I would suggest the Panasonic Pv-Gs320.
It is a very solid consumer camcorder that still records to mini-dv, this allows for easy archiving. It does record in a widescreen format and has great color in good light, but is not the same resolution of anything in the hi-def category.
It also has an awesome Optical stabilized lens that takes most shake out of quick pans and hand held zooms.
The great thing is that it takes most of all the old pany accessories so finding a battery is cheap and lens threads are the very common size.
From a consumer aspect mini-dv is still pretty good, but the industry is shifting to the "easier" mediums. For that reason mini-dvds are more popular now, but they only hold 30 minutes of footage and most are captured in a very tough format to edit, mpeg-2. I would stay away.
HDD or hard-drive based cameras are great for the convenience of capture, but are limited to only that footage. Once it is captured you need to transfer it to a computer before erasing and making enough room for new content. It is exactly like your computers hard-drive. The worse case scenario is that you take one to Disney for a week long trip, and record so much the first 2 days that you are out of room and subsequently cant record the rest of the trip.
okay...
(I'm slowly stepping off my soap-box)
Let us know what you think
To really answer that question you have to consider quite a few things.
Are you looking for Hi-def?
If you are... spend no less than $900 and get a Canon HV-20 or HV-30.
Out of your quoted range I know, but it gives you an idea of where the industry might be going.
In the $300 to $400 range I would suggest the Panasonic Pv-Gs320.
It is a very solid consumer camcorder that still records to mini-dv, this allows for easy archiving. It does record in a widescreen format and has great color in good light, but is not the same resolution of anything in the hi-def category.
It also has an awesome Optical stabilized lens that takes most shake out of quick pans and hand held zooms.
The great thing is that it takes most of all the old pany accessories so finding a battery is cheap and lens threads are the very common size.
From a consumer aspect mini-dv is still pretty good, but the industry is shifting to the "easier" mediums. For that reason mini-dvds are more popular now, but they only hold 30 minutes of footage and most are captured in a very tough format to edit, mpeg-2. I would stay away.
HDD or hard-drive based cameras are great for the convenience of capture, but are limited to only that footage. Once it is captured you need to transfer it to a computer before erasing and making enough room for new content. It is exactly like your computers hard-drive. The worse case scenario is that you take one to Disney for a week long trip, and record so much the first 2 days that you are out of room and subsequently cant record the rest of the trip.
okay...
(I'm slowly stepping off my soap-box)
Let us know what you think
santa's surpriz
New Member
Ok, ammdc7, since you seem to know your stuff I have a couple questions for ya...what is your take on the Sony DCRDVD610 Handy Camcorder? I have never owned one but have always wanted one. I was so close to buying it last week, but hestitated bc I was scared by the "hybrid" features. By that I mean I have know idea what it is. I noticed that alot of the newer models are hybrid. I don't remember seeing the Panasonic you mentioned.
I am really looking for something that will be easy to use, compact, and have the same abilities/double duites that I have with my digital (night & day modes, action, panaramic, red eye reduction, and down loading to my computer, etc. ) I like the compactness of the mini DVDs but you make some very valid points. I am not sure what you mean by mpeg-2 and the pros/cons of it. How tough to edit?? Is that something I could do from my computer or strictly from the camera. As you can tell I like technology but am slightly challenged!
My daughter is starting Kindergarten so I definitely see the need and while in WDW Dec 2007 I regretted not having one. I plan to go back sometime Nov 2008-February 2009 and would like to really have all features figured out.
Thanks in advance...I guess this will put back on your soap box.
I am really looking for something that will be easy to use, compact, and have the same abilities/double duites that I have with my digital (night & day modes, action, panaramic, red eye reduction, and down loading to my computer, etc. ) I like the compactness of the mini DVDs but you make some very valid points. I am not sure what you mean by mpeg-2 and the pros/cons of it. How tough to edit?? Is that something I could do from my computer or strictly from the camera. As you can tell I like technology but am slightly challenged!
My daughter is starting Kindergarten so I definitely see the need and while in WDW Dec 2007 I regretted not having one. I plan to go back sometime Nov 2008-February 2009 and would like to really have all features figured out.
Thanks in advance...I guess this will put back on your soap box.
I would agree with dolbyman that the hv20/hv30 is a great camera, and really does about anything any disney nut could possibly need at the "World!" :lol:
With that said, it really is an investment when you start talking those cameras' prices, and depending on what you want it might make sense now to make that investment.
Now the DCRDVD610 is a nice little package. It has some features I haven't seen for a while in the smaller camcorders. Especially the 40X optical zoom and the touchscreen lcd panel.
The neat thing about it is definitely the new hybrid feature that will allow you to record to both a mini-dvd and magic stick... oooops i meant memory stick duo! Those things can get expensive! What basically that means is, say for instance your recording on a mini-dvd at Epcot. You notice you've been shooting for awhile, about 27 minutes to be exact as you look at the viewfinder, and you panic! you didn't bring any extra dvds.:shrug: But you did bring a 2 gb memory stick pro duo that will allow you to keep recording for a while longer, just as if it were a mini-dvd. Thus allowing you to capture those one of a kind moments at the park and escape to Target later that night to grab a couple more mini-dvds.
That's definitely a cool feature, not one that has been around for long. we have talked briefly though that the mini-dvds are harder to edit, and that's due to the fact that they are actually burned inside the camera in mpeg-2 format. It is meant to be put straight into the dvd player, and played right out of the camera as if it were a dvd from blockbuster. The reason it is hard to edit is due to its nature as a encapsulation method after it has been processed in the camera. It means that the camera has already done all the editing that needs to be done in order for the movie to be shown on your tv, and packaged it into a nice little mpeg-2 present.
I should say it's a great way of doing things, as this is still the widely accepted format for commercial dvds and we all love those. But since they have already gone through this processing, its hard to go back and take the package apart per se. so it becomes very hard to edit unwanted video out of your christmas video or the 10 extra minutes before the parade that you were fiddling with the controls to get the best shot.
Now the camera does have an electronic image stabilization system that will take some of the shake out of your video, but it will degrade the video to do so. it has to in order for the processor to keep the shake down, it bascially crops the video on the the side of the imager that is experiencing shake. It can get grainy fast, so I don't recommend using it. With that long 40X optical zoom you are going to need someway to stabilize your shot if you zoom all the way in, so the only option would be to use the electronic stabilization or get a tripod. I would say use a tripod, as the electonice stabilization is going to give you a soft image.
As far as the camera features, I would have to go old school and say that a camcorder is better at being a camcorder, and a camera is better at being a camera. We still haven't made it to the point that either can do BOTH very well. Especially with the the special scene modes and low light effects. You have to realize that cameras and camcorders imagers are totally different when it comes to dealing with light. For that reason I wouldn't advise anyone to take important pictures with a camcorder. Now I do take pictures with mine, but I don't expect Van Gough Results!
I hope that all made sense, I rambled a little there!!
With that said, it really is an investment when you start talking those cameras' prices, and depending on what you want it might make sense now to make that investment.
Now the DCRDVD610 is a nice little package. It has some features I haven't seen for a while in the smaller camcorders. Especially the 40X optical zoom and the touchscreen lcd panel.
The neat thing about it is definitely the new hybrid feature that will allow you to record to both a mini-dvd and magic stick... oooops i meant memory stick duo! Those things can get expensive! What basically that means is, say for instance your recording on a mini-dvd at Epcot. You notice you've been shooting for awhile, about 27 minutes to be exact as you look at the viewfinder, and you panic! you didn't bring any extra dvds.:shrug: But you did bring a 2 gb memory stick pro duo that will allow you to keep recording for a while longer, just as if it were a mini-dvd. Thus allowing you to capture those one of a kind moments at the park and escape to Target later that night to grab a couple more mini-dvds.
That's definitely a cool feature, not one that has been around for long. we have talked briefly though that the mini-dvds are harder to edit, and that's due to the fact that they are actually burned inside the camera in mpeg-2 format. It is meant to be put straight into the dvd player, and played right out of the camera as if it were a dvd from blockbuster. The reason it is hard to edit is due to its nature as a encapsulation method after it has been processed in the camera. It means that the camera has already done all the editing that needs to be done in order for the movie to be shown on your tv, and packaged it into a nice little mpeg-2 present.
I should say it's a great way of doing things, as this is still the widely accepted format for commercial dvds and we all love those. But since they have already gone through this processing, its hard to go back and take the package apart per se. so it becomes very hard to edit unwanted video out of your christmas video or the 10 extra minutes before the parade that you were fiddling with the controls to get the best shot.
Now the camera does have an electronic image stabilization system that will take some of the shake out of your video, but it will degrade the video to do so. it has to in order for the processor to keep the shake down, it bascially crops the video on the the side of the imager that is experiencing shake. It can get grainy fast, so I don't recommend using it. With that long 40X optical zoom you are going to need someway to stabilize your shot if you zoom all the way in, so the only option would be to use the electronic stabilization or get a tripod. I would say use a tripod, as the electonice stabilization is going to give you a soft image.
As far as the camera features, I would have to go old school and say that a camcorder is better at being a camcorder, and a camera is better at being a camera. We still haven't made it to the point that either can do BOTH very well. Especially with the the special scene modes and low light effects. You have to realize that cameras and camcorders imagers are totally different when it comes to dealing with light. For that reason I wouldn't advise anyone to take important pictures with a camcorder. Now I do take pictures with mine, but I don't expect Van Gough Results!
I hope that all made sense, I rambled a little there!!