Opinions on best video camera to buy

[Theresa]

Hello all--
I knew to come here to ask---you all would know. I'm about to go shopping but I know on my own I will screw it up. Since I want to get everything over to DVDs from the camera, which camera will be most cooperative?
Thanks
Theresa

[edDV]

Budget?

Do you want the camera to make the DVD?
Consequence = lower quality and difficult to edit on a computer.

Or do you intend to transfer to a computer for editing and DVD authoring?
Higher quality video and authoring but more software to learn.

[SingSing]

For digital camera, your best bet is most likely a canon A700. See : http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona700/

[edDV]

For digital camera, your best bet is most likely a canon A700. See : http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona700/

Subject headline said "video" camera and DVD.

[Theresa]

edDV---Yes, it would have made sense to include how much I wanted to spend. I'm more concerned with quality and I will run it into my computer to try to get the best results possible. Of course, this means using my brains which is a handicap, but I'm willing to try if it's not too difficult. Is around $600 too little to budget for a good camera? And thanks for writing back.

Singsing-- I'll check out your suggestion. Thanks to you also for your imput. I know you all here know what you are talking about so I came here first.

Thanks!!

[edDV]

OK we are closing in on a choice.

Assumptions are you want best quality for $600 and intend to edit and author a DVD on the computer.

Camcorder:
Best choice is MiniDV format. There are several good ones at that price point. See camcorderinfo.com and epinions.com to evalutate specific models. First brands to look to are Canon, JVC, Panasonic and Sony (listed alphabetically*).

You will be transferring video over a IEEE-1394 interface to the computer. You will need at least the cable if not included. If your computer has a IEEE-1394 port, you are ready to go.

For PC software, the easiest to use is probably Adobe Premiere Elements. It will take you from Camcorder transfer to a finished DVD. There are many guides, forums and books to help you get started with Premiere Elememts.

* the best model changes monthly. New models are introduced often.

[ahhaa]

don't mean to complexify the issue, but a few general considerations...

a. there's a handy feature called analog-to-digital passthru; very handy if you have VHS home movies. The VCR plugs right into the camcorder, and the camcorder plugs right into the computer at the same time (or later). This won't be on the box, you'll need to check the manual- Sony has it for one, and it includes a TBC stabilizer. Also fun for special EFX.

b. besides checking 1st reviews, check google for specific model problems once you narrow it down. to see what I mean, google 'JVC lens cap error'

c. if you think you'll want accessories sometime, check their prices now. Most people get an extra battery or two, mebbe a cordless mic... prices may vary.

d. don't go shopping alone. will others (kids, hubby, SOs, roomies) be using the camcorder? you should check that it works with your head & hands, it helps a lot to see someone else fumbling it around to judge real usability when you say 'quick, get the camera!'
They can also help you avoid impulse buys, and/or going over budget.

e. audio is important too. Bad sound=bad vid. Few models let you really control it, but some at least let you attach an external mic and/or headphones.

f. they will try & sell you a service contract. be sure of the manufacturer's terms before deciding. some will blow you off once out of warranty. big box outfits like wallyworld give you a chance for no-questions-asked returns, but they tend to carry the more mundane units.

g. i forgot this one- digital vs lens zoom, & low light are important quality issues- usually the info about these will be much discussed in reviews, but they are things I'd actually try before buying, if at all possible.

hope this helps!:]

[SingSing]

I want to get everything over to DVDs from the camera, which camera will be most cooperative?

If you want both great photo and video on a DVD, then you may want to try a good camera that can takes both great photo and video, and a DVD recorder that can put these photo and video on a DVD for you, easily.

Canon A700 ($339.00) take great pictures and movie. see : http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelFeaturesAct&fcategoryid=145&modelid=12944

Sony makes a DVD recorder MC-1 ($259.00) that takes photo and movie from camera and put it on DVD for you. See : http://www.sonyburners.com/media/VRD-MC1.pdf

Have fun.

Note : These two widgets will made your gentleman friends drew.

[Sifaga]

just googleling around i found this page which i found informatiive http://www.epinions.com/content_1447534724

[Theresa]

Wow--thanks to you all! Great advice and I will start my search. I knew I could easily bring the wrong one home, post here asking what I'm doing wrong only to find out I didn't do my homework. edDV, I am IEEE-1394 ready, so I've got that going for me.
ahhaa, GREAT advice--things I never thought of. One question--probably an obvious point, but I'm at a loss---on point g. what do you mean 'digital vs. lens zoom'?
Singsing, I'll follow up on your links. I didn't stop to think about utilizing a camera for video and stills. Good idea! Thanks so much.
And Sifaga, thanks for your link. I'll be looking into it.

Thanks to you all for your advice and interest. Hopefully, I have enough gray matter to make a good decision! :P

Theresa

[ZAPPER]

Ooooooh, you opened up a "BEST" topic and thus you opened up to alot of opinion

Thats OK, we know what you mean. But best is ultimatly gonna boil down to what you want or can afford.


I don't have any model numbers to offer up, just a few suggestions and most have been mentioned already.

DV- yes

Mini or 8- I don't know if they even make the 8mm still, but I think mini is kind of the current consumer standard

Pass Thru- Yes, the thing about pass thru is that it seems that it is not on all cams and sometimes it is not really advertised on the ones that it is, Go figure. On the few cams that I am familar with there are a couple of analog ports that are either S-Vid and/or a Mini jack that uses an adapter cable to hook from the cam to composit/RCA jacks. These ports are bi-directional on cams that do passthru, that is, if you are hooked up to a VCR out jack the cam is taking the signal in or if you are hooked up to a VCR in jack, the cam will put out (VCR being substituted for any analog source/destination)

TBC-Yes, but not the highest priorty, you can do better with an external gizmo, but it is still a nice feature to have on a cam (Zapper ducks)

Zoom- Yes, get the most optical zoom that you can from the group that you narrow your choices down to. The moral of the story here is that you are buying a cam, and anything that you already have on tape is already at its finest, but you will be shooting new footage with the new cam so the best lens that you can afford is the best you should get.

UV filter/lens protector/polorizer-YES!!! $15 to $30 is cheap compared to ruining a lens! Oh yeah they other things too, but I forget what

Manual controls-Yes, and as many of them that you can find. The truth is that it takes some doing to learn what they are for and how to use them, but in the long run they could come in handy. White balance is the biggie, low light situations are the trickiest things, and adjusting for the odd light sources and situations is where this is most important.

External connectors-Yes, for mic and light and lanc and anything and everything that you can find. you may not use them at first, but atleast you will have the option to grow into them


There are a few sites that will help get you more aquainted with some cam features and help you decide what to prioratize (SP) for yor taste. Try searching for "Camcorder buying guide" or such.

My favorite camera shopping method is to leave my cash and credit cards at home and go to the local Wolf Camera or Mom and pop shop (Getting very rare). Spend some time with a salesperson holding and playing with the cams. Put it thru the paces and get a feel for what it is. Most of these folks are actually pretty knowledgeable and like to talk about cams. Start from the get go. Put a tape in, turn it on and off, zoom zoom zoom, focus, shoot, mash all the buttons, screw with all of the settings, Crash the Bios and see if the salesperson can get it working again

I abuse these places, and I do feel bad that I hardly ever buy big ticket items there, but their prices are to steep for me. I do however throw them a bone every now and then like on a camera bag or something.(It really seems that they do have the best selection of bags on hand) And they will usually have a good selection of other Cam related goodies on hand when you absolutly need it right now.

You are on the right track asking for opinions. Researching before you buy is the right thing to do even if it does make your head spin. You may even consider looking at like last years models but still new in the box. This is tricky to do sometimes because it isn't like they always push a model as being discontinued, but I got lucky once.


Good Luck

[Theresa]

Hey Zapper---
You are too funny-- Your post was so helpful and I could actually follow it!! No, all the posts were great, but really, really great imput. I knew there was alot to consider; I'm just glad I stopped in here to ask ya'll and I knew you wouldn't let me down. I'll keep this all in mind on my Great Quest! Now to find my husband's credit card . . .

I'll be back asking more questions so stick around, ok?
Thanks

Theresa

[ZAPPER]

Hubbys credit card? Your buget is only as small as his available balance. Don't forget the tripod, tapes, lens filters, gadget bag, extra lights, extra batteries, car charger, external mic, waterproof housing, diving lessons, trip to Aruba.....









Ain't I!

[ahhaa]

OK, the zoom thing... optical zoom is done by the lens itself, with no loss in quality; digital zoom is much less satisfactory as it 'zooms' in on the CCD sensor, for a very noticable loss in quality.

Zoom is an easy feature for makers to compete about, and many camcorders have digital zooms you couldn't hold steady without a tripod. Some cameras have a built-in stabilizer- Steadycam!
So just get the longest optical zoom available in the model you choose.

The other end of a zoom is wide-angle & macro (super close-up). I find many cameras don't have a wide enough lens for inside a house, car, etc. Accessory lenses may not be available for super-tiny cameras- always check the cost too. My Sony wanted $300 for one...

All the advice here is good, tho it may feel a bit like a buncha cowboys meetin' the new schoolmarm (howdy, ma'am ).

One last bit of frontier wisdom: if its hubby's money, take hubby along. He needs to be able to work the dinky lil comtrols on the camera (and like the camera as a tool), or there will be very little footage of you. Its a guy thing.

[Theresa]

[still laughing!] Zapper, ya know, you are exactly right! This is a BIG project and so much to include!! Getting good underwater shots doesn't come cheap! I'm sure my husband will understand!

ahhaa, thanks for explaining that point. I would have broke my leg kicking myself had I not known this and bought the wrong one. I know it's so easy to get talked into the wrong one when shopping, so that's why I knew I'd get the best advice here. And it would be very considerate to take my husband along. My absense in our family VHS-C video's is rather obvious. As well as the stills. He's intimidated by all my electronics and knows what fate awaits him should he break anything, poor guy!
Thank you for making me feel welcome, too! [I promise not to smack anyone on the knuckes with a ruler!] All you here are knowlegable so well versed in the technobabble, I almost don't post for fear it's obvious I'm totally out of my element. Thanks for welcoming the new kid!

Theresa

[jlietz]

One last bit of frontier wisdom: if its hubby's money, take hubby along...

If they're married, doesn't the money belong to both of them? Should she also get permission before leaving the kitchen to go shopping?

[ahhaa]

J- imho- durable marriages aren't about permissions, they're about bonding experiences. It'll make all the diff if he says "honey, I think we should get this one'. Trust me on this!

[ZAPPER]

Ooooh! Wide angle. How could I have forgotten. I got like a 0.6 elcheapo on mine and wish I had something better. In my opinion if you are ever going to use your cam inside of a normal house you are gonna want the most wide that you can get. A zoom is nice for getting you closer, but a wide is really needed for when you can't get far enough back to get the whole shot. Not being able to get wide enough has been my biggest problem eversince I picked up my first 35mm still cam and continues on to this day with my camcorder. I take (reads as try to take) alot of architechtrual shots and a wide is mandatory. In hindsight I would trade some big zoom for just a little more wide angle.

Macro is another world in itself, great for flowers and bees a buzzin'. Sad to say though, I don't think an off the shelf $600 cam will do it all. However if you are serious, you might look into a film class and some pro level gear. Take the class and learn about some of the big boys toys and then decide how many credit cards to max out.

Photographers are never happy with just one camera and just one lens. It is a sickness and there is no cure.

[Theresa]

ahhaa, you are right. I respect my husband very much, but since he's extremely technologically handicapped and couldn't care less about such things, I need as much persuasive power I can muster up when it comes to buying anything. And since I'm so rarely 'helpless', he likes any chance to charge to the rescue.
Zapper, again, great advice. I need to print all this out. I would love to get the 'big toys', but I have to settle for the small ones now. But your points will be great as I sort this out. A good zoom it really important to me, so now I will now how to proceed.

Again, Thanks!!!

[rumplestiltskin]

Canon's cheaper camcorders (Z-series) have terrible low-light performance. Ends up looking like VHS when shooting indoors without bright lights.

[ahhaa]

this's a kinda nice unit...

[edDV]

[quote="ahhaa"]this's a kinda nice unit...

...
Nice yes, but have you actually picked one up?
Where would you take something that large?



I have a PD-150 (smaller) but rarely carry the suitcase it requires. I use it for projects and a consumer MiniDV goes in my travel pack.

[Theresa]

Sorry--a busy couple of days. Ok, guys, you are just trying to make me cry now. Maybe if I sell a kidney I can get one of these!!! Well, I do have two . . . :P