Buying my first Camcorder

[odedne]

I want to buy a Camcorder, i now have doubts about what media it records to.
What is the difference between them? I am not a professional video editor, this is mainly for family records, but i would like to have the option for an amateur editing.
I understood that there is a quality decrease in dvd and hdd camcorder, what about SDHC?
Is dv camcorder preferable?
I also saw this camcorder Canon FS100 with DIGIC DV II and SDHC, how is it? do you have other suggestions?

Thanks. Oded!

[Soopafresh]

Buy a Canon HV20 for $650 or the newer HV30 for $900 . You'll be very, very satisfied.

[zoobie]

www.camcorderinfo.com

[edDV]

If you intend to edit stay with MiniDV or HDV. The Canon HV20 does both.

They HV20 has been so successful it now sells for 30% discount to Sony. High volume = manufacturing efficiency.

[odedne]

Wow, this is a jump from the budget i intended to spend, i planned for around the 400-500 $.
i think the camcorder doesn't have to be hi def, do you think it's a necessary accessory?

oded.

[edDV]

Wow, this is a jump from the budget i intended to spend, i planned for around the 400-500 $.
i think the camcorder doesn't have to be hi def, do you think it's a necessary accessory?

oded.

MiniDV

If you want MiniDVD or hard disk MPeg2 understand these will be lower quality and more difficult to edit.

Your choice

[Soopafresh]

Have a look at HV20 footage: http://vimeo.com/videos/search:HV20/page:2/sort:relevant/format:thumbnail

You get what you pay for, but the HV20 is a great buy for the money.

These videos in particular are amazing:

http://vimeo.com/726312

http://vimeo.com/401533

[odedne]

Thanks for the help, i am going for the hv20 after your recommendations.

Oded.

[Soopafresh]

Congratulations. You'll be very happy.

[SpectateSwamp]

For those who want extreme digital zoom consider a spotting scope. Just set up your camcorder behind that. It works see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kwa5iXh2EwQ
The
best zoom of all is manual zoom. Get in close and circle the subject. So don't let the zoom factor weigh too heavy in your decision.

Get one with a remote. It eliminates the jigglies at the beginning and end of each video clip when the start / stop button is depressed. It is also required when pairing up with a spotting scope. Once it is set you can't touch it.

Some camcorders can record with the screen door closed. That's a good feature when out in the cold cold. I have used my bare hands as a heating pads for My camcorder.

Some manufacturers name their files: yyyymmddhhmmss.mpg. That's handy if you want to merge video clips from 2 or more camcorders.

Get a camcorder that isn't too expensive. Otherwise you won't risk it by taking it everywhere. Cheap is better.

I have had 2 long term camcorders (Hitachi & Sony) and both has their good points.

There are so many videos on the net you might be able to have somebody do a low light video example; if asked nicely. Maybe?

Check out power alternatives to extra battaries. Some power units will run your camcorder along with lights. Then you can have the camcorder powered up without worring about the battary. They are cheap and have other obvious benefits.

For me I shoot "mpeg video" and "short clips". That allows for immediate upload to the NET (with no editing). I use my custom software (that I can't mention here) it plays avi and wmv but not with the same functionality as mpg. The app allows for "timeline playback" whereby I assign which segment of each video to play. It does a lot more.

Good player software is a very important part of the video experience.