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12/15/2005 06:14:41 PM · #1 |
need to buy one for xmas - I'm great with computers, great with digicams - and know NOTHING about digicamcorders. Someone give me the idea? I mean basics - types of cam, what I need, what the user will need to view, edit, anything. :)
Thanks so much!
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12/15/2005 06:24:21 PM · #2 |
one of my co workers has a digital video camera, he said if you bump it while its recording, it messes up that spot on the "video".
Im not sure of the specs or type, but he said it was digital (ie, not a digital tape or high 8)
James |
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12/15/2005 06:47:50 PM · #3 |
There are two choices to make and sub choices. DVD quality or HD
Here are some examples of both.
HD format
DVD quality
And the sub choice is tape or dvd recording.
Here is a great site all about camcorders.
Message edited by author 2005-12-15 18:53:19. |
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12/15/2005 06:50:51 PM · #4 |
I just helped a friend pick one out for christmas so I'll see if I can help.
Your basicly looking for a lot of the same things as you would with a digital still camera.
The first step is picking a format. MiniDV is still pretty hot right now, but there are also camcorders that record directly to a DVD, or Hard Drive. Flash based camcorders are still not that great yet.
As far as Image quality goes, the bigger the sensor the better the quality (generally). Some use a three CCD setup, some just one.
Another thing to look at is zoom. Obviously Optical is better, don;t even worry about these 800X digital zooms, it's just a marketing ploy.
If your looking for some good sites for reviews try this out: //www.camcorderinfo.com/ratings.php
It gives some good reviews and the page I linked gives a rating based order, best to worst. Look down the list to find some high rate/low price combination.
My friend ended up getting a Panasonic PV-GS31, which is between the GS19 & GS35.
Good Luck with your quest!
Aaron |
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12/15/2005 07:00:43 PM · #5 |
| Just bought one last w/e to record my daughter's school nativity. I found this helped to make sense of it all. I went for cheap sony handycam H19 (mini digital tape) and am impressed although need to get more familiar with the computer editing side (need to buy an ilink/firewire cable for best quality download). Came with some software but not sure if own-brand Apple mac or XP movie editing packages are good enough.... |
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12/15/2005 07:15:11 PM · #6 |
| What sort of budget are you on and what will it be used for? |
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12/15/2005 07:16:29 PM · #7 |
up to about $300 and it will be used for learning how to work with video, edit, etc. I want it simple enough to be easy and complex enough to grow with.
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12/15/2005 07:26:03 PM · #8 |
Well, I can't say I know much about lower end video cameras. My brother's had a couple Sony's that he's used for skating videos and stuff. They all seemed pretty intuitive and well constructed. The one I remember best could record to both tape and memory stick simultaneously. I, somewhat randomly, have more experience with a pro-sumer type camcorder. My boyfriend is a film maker and has a Canon XL1, which I've used on a few occasions. It's pretty freaking awesome - beautiful images and uses real lenses (SLR type, not built in), plus is very customizeable (he recently got an accesory that connects standard microphone cables into it's sound inputs, so when I taped his band I was able to be plugged into the sound board). In any case, it's way out of your budget range, but if Canon makes anything low end, maybe it has similar (but cheaper) awesomeness...might be worth looking into, perticularly since your already a Canon user. From what little I know of Canon SLRs, some of their controls sound pretty similar to what he has on the XL1.
Edit: Looks like Canon does indeed make regular consumer camcorders in addition to the prosumer ones, so I would definately check that out if you're already used to Canon systems.
Message edited by author 2005-12-15 19:33:46. |
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