I’m thinking of buying a camcorder as a gift for one of my daughters who is getting married soon. I haven’t kept up with tech developments in these for some time. The last one I used was an Super 8mm deal. I see there is now a variety of recording media: Midi-DV cassettes, DVD, flash memory, etc.
Anybody out there have any experience with these devices lately?
well, since nobody jumpin’ in on this I’ll step up and say somethin’ stupid…that always flushes 'em out!
some…started with record to VCR, went to cassette, went to mini DV, would have gone flash if the price had dropped enough when the cassette on died
light weigh is good if the camera person is shooting for more than a few minutes at a time.
big enough to hold onto without your fingers ending up in the way is nice
10x optical zoom is enough for 180 foot away
moving parts are bad
Hi-Def seems to be the “in” thing now as well. If money wasn’t too much of an issue, I would go with something Hi-Def in an effort to “future-proof” my camcorder as hi-def tvs will start to replace the standard 4:3 screens.
good point…
I’m takin’ horse video’s to post on a web site. It’s all lost anywho, no sense in payin’ for hi-def.
Hi Dale,
There are so many good options these days for camcorders, it all depends on your budget and if you want high def output.
If you don’t mind working with tape, I suggest you check out the closeouts of the Canon HV20 HDV camcorder, they sell for around $650 and can capture both standard and high definition video to a DV tape. The model was recently replaced by the HV30 which just adds a few features, but is essentially the same camera, so the HV20, which was the top rated consumer camcorder last year, is being sold highly discounted. I’ve used it for many of the session videos (not the tune demos, those are on a studio camera) on the TradLessons site.
To get the footage to the PC or Mac, you’ll need a Firewire port. Most Macs have these built-in, for a PC you’ll need a PCI Firewire adapter board for around $30.
If you don’t want to deal with tape, then there are many excellent hard disk and solid state camcorders from Sony, Panasonic, and Canon. If you are thinking about going to a hard disk or solid state high def camcorder, you’ll need a very fast computer to deal with the footage, which is compressed in the new “AVCHD” format, which requires considerably more CPU horsepower than the HDV or DV format used by the tape-based camcorders. The best two cameras in this category are the Sony HDR-SR11/12 and the Canon HF10. Expect to spend around $1100 for a hard disk or solid state HD camcorder of this class.
There are many options in the standard definition hard disk camcorder market, they all record in DVD compatible MPEG-2 format. I happen to really like the 3-CCD cameras sold by Panasonic in this segment. They have three sensors, one for each color, and produce a very clear, well-saturated image.
The problem with all consumer camcorders is that they don’t do well in low light. Some are better than others, but basically, none have the large sensor chips to really do well in low light. The video I posted in the City Guide forum of the dancers at The Field was on a pro-level standard def 3-CCD camera with large sensors, so very low noise. The same scene taken with my HV20 camera would have a lot more noise and not have nearly the color saturation, even though the HV20 is a high-def camera. Some of the newer cameras are a little better than others, and some vendors add special low light modes, trading frame rate for light gathering, but they won’t deliver the sort of quality in low light of the pro cameras. The camera I use for low light is a older JVC GY-DV300 standard def DV camcorder, and there are many similar cameras that will give you similar results such as the Sony PD-170 and VX2100. Used, these cameras are in the $1500-$2000 price range.
A good source for camcorder reviews and equipment forums is:
Cheers,
Michael
As long as Dale brought up the topic of camcorders, if anyone is interested, I’m selling two as-new condition camcorders as I’ve just upgraded to a new flash-based HD system and need the cash to pay for it:
The first is an as-new Canon HV20, the one I spoke about previously, which was consumer camcorder of the year in 2007.
The camera captures either 1080i30/1080p24 HD as well as standard 480i DV footage to DV tape. You can then transfer the data to the PC over Firewire or watch the HD video direct to a standard or HD TV using its SD analog, HD component analog, or digital HDMI outputs:
Here’s a comprehensive review on Camcorderinfo.com:
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Canon-HV20-Camcorder-Review.htm
I purchased my HV20 only a few months ago in November 2007, have put less than 10 hours of total use on the camera, it is as new, with box and all standard accessories, plus a second Canon battery, additional external battery charger, 1 GB MiniSD card (for photos) and 3 new tapes. It has an extended 2-year warranty until November 2009 through Circuit City.
Here’s some very nice video I shot on it this past weekend, transcoded from 1080p/24 HDV to 720p/24 h.264:
I’m asking $750.00 plus insured shipping for the whole package.
Here’s some photos of the setup:
http://www.pbase.com/eskin/image/96228014/original
http://www.pbase.com/eskin/image/96228015/original
I’ve used this camera for many of the Tradlessons pub session videos.
The second is a Panasonic HDR-SD1 SDHC card HD camcorder:
Its in absolutely new condition, used less than 10 hours since I’ve had it. Original box, all original accessories (cables, remote, 4 GB SDHC card, manual, software). Also includes an extra VW-VBG130 battery pack.
It also comes with a 4-year extended warranty from BestBuy which is good until March 2011.
Full review at:
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content...der-Review.htm
Asking $650.00 plus insured shipping.
Here’s some video I took with the camera (audio from the Crown SASS mike in front of the pipers) at the last SCUPC tionol:
http://www.vimeo.com/393284
http://www.vimeo.com/400610
http://www.vimeo.com/393388
Here’s some photos of the setup:
http://www.pbase.com/eskin/image/96228017/original
http://www.pbase.com/eskin/image/96228019/original
Please email if you interested in either or have any questions. I take very good care of my equipment, both are in perfect shape.
Cheers,
Michael
The HV20 is no longer available, and the SD1 is selling on eBay…