Video Camera help
Video Camera help
Ok so im in the market for a nice new video camera. Last time I used one was when high8 tapes were still standard, so as you might guess I have no clue what I need to look for when shopping. What specs should I be interested in? What do they use for memory storage nowadays? Disc? memory card? I plan to use the cam for everything from family film type stuff to mounting it in the car for some action shots. I want it to have a decent sized flip screen and sound quality is also top priority. Picture quality is important but I dont need state of the art. My budget is <$300, so that should narrow it down pretty nicely. Thanks in advance for any help, and yes, if anyone is selling a used cam that meets my needs, shoot me a PM and we'll talk.
-Derek
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For around $300, you will have a couple nice quality DVC camcorders to choose from.
Here is a rough break down of what is on the market right now...
1) DVC camcorders, they use a tape, but its the smaller, newer version of the 8mm camcorders. The usually start off at 480i, which is DVD quality. This is still probably the most popular style camcorder...
2) DVD camcorders (don't get confused with 1st type cause this is different) use a mini-DVD, and can only record 30 minutes. There are 60 minute double sided discs, dual layers disks, and all those special types, but they are expensive. 30 minute write once only disks are fairly cheap. You will have a fairly tough time trying to edit with this style camcorder, the disc is written in some funky .vob file which your computer doesn't understand. Use this style if you want to bypass the computer all together...
3) Hard drive camcorders usually have a 30GB+ hard drive, they will record roughly 7 hours of video, and have all the bells and whistle that the other camcorders styles have. This is what will become the most popular style very quickly, the prices are still a tad high at the moment.
That is your basic breakdown of what style camcorders are out. If you are looking to do any type of editing, doesn't matter if its something simple such as deleting a clip that you didn't like, or something advanced like text, changing colors, brightness, contrasts, then DVC or Hard Drive camcorders are the way to go...
Also, what size television are you running? This is a really important question, most of the time a basic camcorder looks like shit on any TV bigger than 40"-50".
Here are a couple of camcorders that I like, the first two are discounted becuase they are discontinued...
1)Panasonic PVGS29 $215.
2)Sony DCRHC26 $240.
3)Canon ZR800 $265.
4)Panasonic PVGS80 $250.
5)Sony DCRHC28 $270.
All of those are great camcorders, I usually recommend Sony, Panasonic, and Canon, I've had great results with all those brands. The last three will probably be your best bet, with my nod going toward the Canon ZR800 just because of the features that it has, how easy it is to use, and quality.
Don't forget your accessories, extra battery (the battery that comes in the box will give you roughly 45 minutes to an hour of straight recording time), tapes (you don't get any in the box), bag (its cheap insurance if you drop it), tripod (you know how we all hate blurry pictures, well we all hate shaky video even more), etc... Don't bother with a memory card, these camcorders take horrable stills, they are like 1/2 mega pixel...
Hope this helps you out. PM me if you have any other questions, I can help you out with pricing. I work at Circuit...
~Amit
Here is a rough break down of what is on the market right now...
1) DVC camcorders, they use a tape, but its the smaller, newer version of the 8mm camcorders. The usually start off at 480i, which is DVD quality. This is still probably the most popular style camcorder...
2) DVD camcorders (don't get confused with 1st type cause this is different) use a mini-DVD, and can only record 30 minutes. There are 60 minute double sided discs, dual layers disks, and all those special types, but they are expensive. 30 minute write once only disks are fairly cheap. You will have a fairly tough time trying to edit with this style camcorder, the disc is written in some funky .vob file which your computer doesn't understand. Use this style if you want to bypass the computer all together...
3) Hard drive camcorders usually have a 30GB+ hard drive, they will record roughly 7 hours of video, and have all the bells and whistle that the other camcorders styles have. This is what will become the most popular style very quickly, the prices are still a tad high at the moment.
That is your basic breakdown of what style camcorders are out. If you are looking to do any type of editing, doesn't matter if its something simple such as deleting a clip that you didn't like, or something advanced like text, changing colors, brightness, contrasts, then DVC or Hard Drive camcorders are the way to go...
Also, what size television are you running? This is a really important question, most of the time a basic camcorder looks like shit on any TV bigger than 40"-50".
Here are a couple of camcorders that I like, the first two are discounted becuase they are discontinued...
1)Panasonic PVGS29 $215.
2)Sony DCRHC26 $240.
3)Canon ZR800 $265.
4)Panasonic PVGS80 $250.
5)Sony DCRHC28 $270.
All of those are great camcorders, I usually recommend Sony, Panasonic, and Canon, I've had great results with all those brands. The last three will probably be your best bet, with my nod going toward the Canon ZR800 just because of the features that it has, how easy it is to use, and quality.
Don't forget your accessories, extra battery (the battery that comes in the box will give you roughly 45 minutes to an hour of straight recording time), tapes (you don't get any in the box), bag (its cheap insurance if you drop it), tripod (you know how we all hate blurry pictures, well we all hate shaky video even more), etc... Don't bother with a memory card, these camcorders take horrable stills, they are like 1/2 mega pixel...
Hope this helps you out. PM me if you have any other questions, I can help you out with pricing. I work at Circuit...
~Amit
