How to choose a camcorder?

[beavereater]

I want to start taking video for 2 reasons, 1 is for stuff I'd just like to have for the future, like kids birthdays and events like that. The other reason is because I'd like to start doing some amateur videos (Of the non-porn type). I went to the local electronics shop, and they keep showing the beautiful high definition camcorders. However, I don't know much about them and wonder if I'm over-doing it.

So what is it that one looks for in a good camera?

[Scorpion King]

We have the Sony HDR-HC3 HDV 1440x1080i MiniDV camcorder. The picture quality is out of this world. It records on minidv tape in mpeg2 format @ 25Mbps so you understand why the quality is so good. The hdd version available at the time maxed out at 7 hours on a 30GB hdd (about 9.6Kbps mpeg2) so we went for the tape version.

The camera will playback on any tv and you can transfer HD format to your hdd in either HD (1440x1080 mpeg2 @25Mbps) or SD (720x480 DV @25Mbps) formats. I have found I get the best quality by transferring in HD then resizing/reencoding with the computer. A little time consuming but well worth the end results.

It was a more $$ than we wanted to spend, but.....

Good luck.

[beavereater]

$$ is right. I'm seeing the lowest price at 1000 bucks

[Scorpion King]

If you wanted to wait I think the $$ will come down on them. When I don't know.... lol

I would buy it again I think.

Good luck.

[Ron B]

I always recommend that you define the quality you need and the price you want to pay as the parameters for buying a camera, still or video. Believe me, you can always spend more than you plan, you have to draw the line somewhere. Better quality=more money.
Lots of buzz about HD now, but DV is not dead yet. If you can swing it, get a camera that can do both. At this stage of the game, I think I would go for a camera that records on DV tape.
I'm looking for a video camera myself, but I need a more "prosumer" type model, I've found the big price gap between the consumer cameras that top out at about $1,500.USD and the more "pro" models starting at about $3,000.USD. I'm going to follow the best advice for purchasing any tech gear and wait until the very last minute before I need it to buy it.
CamcorderInfo.com is a pretty good place to check out.

[edDV]

Lots of choice today. Several formats in high definition or standard. You need to carefully consider how you will use the camcorder. There are editing and storage space issues.

Some global issues to consider at consumer level.

- High definition camera sections tend to have poor low light capability. You need to use lights inside. Standard def camcorders (MiniDV, DVD, Hard Disk) vary in low light capability. Read the reviews at www.camcorderinfo.com for comparisons.

- DV format camcorders (MiniDV or Digital8) have advantages for editing and lower generation (quality) loss. They are less compressed and store individual frames. MPeg based camcorders (DVD, hard disk, HDV, AVCHD) highly compress in the camera. Editing long GOP compressed video is both more difficult and usually requires generation loss*.

- DV format is well established and is supported by most editing/authoring software and directly in Windows XP/MacOS. Current PC speeds allow fast DV workflow and sophisticated special effects at 720x480/576. MPeg2 formats require special handling to minimize loss and require decompression to do the fancy effects. High definition format editing can be very slow on current PC hardware. Most PC's will struggle just to play the video.

- Backup file sizes are significant if you want to save native files. DV and HDV require 13GB/hr in native format. Tape still makes best sense for backup until high capacity DVD media (e.g. BluRay/HD DVD) become affordable. MPeg based formats other than HDV require less backup space since they are more compressed.


* Simple MPeg cuts editing can be done with minimal generation loss if native MPeg editors are used (e.g. Womble). These products only decompress within the GOP (between MPeg I frames).

[Scorpion King]

Encoding and editing HDV is slower by far, and my system sometimes strains to play the native files. All that should work itself out since it looks like HD is here to stay I guess.

We discussed all this when shopping for our new camcorder. We both agreed not to buy DV because of it being the old technology. We figured just get it now because that is what we wanted and forget about what it costs. It's going to be obsolete in no time anyway. Everything else I buy does.

lol

[beavereater]

hmmm...well, it's still a few months before I put down some cash for one. I'll do a little more research first.

[Pothole]

Hi,

If I have had a previous camcorder that recorded in Standard definition and I buy a HD camcorder, will I still be able to play the old tapes on the new camcorder?

[edDV]

Hi,

If I have had a previous camcorder that recorded in Standard definition and I buy a HD camcorder, will I still be able to play the old tapes on the new camcorder?

Generally no. It depends what format the old tapes are and what format the new camcorder is.

An HDV or DVCPro high definition camcorder will usually play MiniDV format standard definition tapes.