Camcorders

[Imjustpeachy]

This seemed the best place to ask such a question

Alright, I'm going to be going to Disneyland in August and as an early 20th Birthday present to myself, I would like to get a comcorder. However, I don't know what would be better. A DV camcorder or mini DVD? I would appreciate knowing the pros and cons of both. It'd be cool to have on my trip and just in general. I have a Canon digital camera which i use and still love, but I'd like something with a little better quality and something that could take better videos. I'm going with my boyfriend and it's right before I move back home and I'd like something that's affordable but great enough to use to make a documentary/virtual scrapbook with.

Thanks in advance everybody

[Piglet]

I highly recommend a minidv recorder--they are smaller, easy to use and you get great quality. My only complaint about them is that sometimes they "digitize' when you're recording, but it has not happened very often. I'd ask RU42 for his opinion.

[Imjustpeachy]

from what i'm seen, they're alot cheaper too =P thanks so much Piglet for your info! yah, i think i will ask RU

[GreenLantern13]

I like DV over straight to DVD. There are numerous advantages. However it appears a lot of the companies have decided to stop developing the DV format and have put a lot of their efforts into DVD or the HDR camcorders.. so the technical specs on DV camcorders have sort of hit the wall. There are still some great ones out there, I did a bunch of research figuring out which one I was gonna get.. and for your needs(assuming this is just casual recording) that wall i just mentioned probably won't even be a factor, just thought I should mention it.

Originally Posted by piglet

My only complaint about them is that sometimes they "digitize' when you're recording

Any of these recording formats are digitizing the image, and if it ever messes up while you're recording that's an unusual problem related to the camera but not an effect of the media you're recording onto. I haven't had any problems of it showing digitization on my videos yet. There is one thing I suggest though for whatever media your camera records to... check the format it records them in. I recommend against motion jpeg..the newer cameras have strayed away from that now fortunately. Look for mpeg, avi, dv, etc.. it's all the same. But it'll explicitly say if it's motion jpeg.. at its highest quality, motion-jpeg can be better than the digital video saved in other formats but it's a very loose standard and you might end up with a poor codec in your camera.

[Piglet]

Originally Posted by almandot

Any of these recording formats are digitizing the image, and if it ever messes up while you're recording that's an unusual problem related to the camera but not an effect of the media you're recording onto.

The digitizing I'm referring to is caused by either dirty tape or dirty heads. In his work, my husband records 8-10 hours a day of video onto minidv tapes, and has found that this is why digitizing occurs. It affects the final product, if the image is recorded distorted, it cannot be repaired. He advises to only use high quality tapes and do not reuse them--he finds that re-using tapes is what causes the digitizing problem.

[tony]

Originally Posted by Imjustpeachy

This seemed the best place to ask such a question

Alright, I'm going to be going to Disneyland in August and as an early 20th Birthday present to myself, I would like to get a comcorder. However, I don't know what would be better. A DV camcorder or mini DVD? I would appreciate knowing the pros and cons of both. It'd be cool to have on my trip and just in general. I have a Canon digital camera which i use and still love, but I'd like something with a little better quality and something that could take better videos. I'm going with my boyfriend and it's right before I move back home and I'd like something that's affordable but great enough to use to make a documentary/virtual scrapbook with.

your better off with a minidv. the quality is better since it's filming in DV quality. plus the dvds have to transcode on the fly as you burn the info to the dvd. yuk we have software for that.

[Imjustpeachy]

thanks guys, you're helping me out =)

now, actually...the question is, where could i buy one? I've been researching and Fry's seems more reasonable.

[GreenLantern13]

Originally Posted by Piglet

The digitizing I'm referring to is caused by either dirty tape or dirty heads.

ah okay tape distortion. eh. i don't think i'm concerned over that enough to go to dvds. i do want an HDR but i haven't had problems at all with minidv in the meantime, and apparently sony's tapes are pretty good about it.

and like tony said, recording in DV as opposed to the compression the DVD players are using keeps the quality up a bit. and if you keep the quality the same it takes a few dvds(like three-ish) to get the same amount of recording time as a minidv tape.

[Where'sYourLaughinPlace?]

Yeah, I use miniDV also and it is great. Video quality is marvelous, especially when I upload onto my mac.....beautiful video quality for making movies.

I like the Mini DV camcorder. I recorded a ton of footage on my last trip, and it turned out WONDERFULLY! :)

The tapes can be expensive at the park, so be sure to find a good deal on them somewhere before you go and start shooting.

Also, an extended-life battery is a good idea.

The digitizing effect that has been listed by Piglet is a very real possibility with the quality of your footage. The best way to avoid this is to use a fresh Mini DV tape every time you reload.

Re-using tapes can cause HUGE problems, especially if you plan on uploading your video to your computer in order to build a DVD. What happens is this: there is a timestamp on the tape. When you re-use the tapes, the timelines can get odd skips in them. Then, when you go to edit the footage on your computer, it causes all types of artifacts from past video images, and if the mentioned timeline is corrupted (in other words, if it's not totally continuous), the footage will be rendered useless for computer editing and splicing.

So, grab your camcorder, your NEW tapes, and shoot away! You will not be disappointed if you go this route. Also, may I recommend a Sony camcorder (mine was the DCR-HC30)... excellent lens, awesome interface, and the nightshot is EXCELLENT. Also, the zoom is hardly anything to sneeze at...

Happy shooting, and an even more happy trip to you!!!

Hans

[GreenLantern13]

Yeah that's another issue... pricing The miniDV tapes are going for 3.33 each(9.99 for a pack of 3).. well I use sony's and those are that much anyways. Each tape records ~60 minutes(sp mode)

I haven't looked too much so correct me if i'm wrong but i'm seeing between 8-13 bucks for a dvd.. and that's 30 minutes each(assuming you're doing full quality.. if it compresses the video more you can get more time in it but with lesser quality)

You are right in the media cost department...

The thing about DVD camcorders is that they are kind of made for those who want something ready to slam into a DVD player, in my opinion...

MiniDV is cheap, cheap cheap for tapes if you really look around. Check Costco, and if you have the time to wait for shipping check Ebay and NewEgg.com

Those are great places to get good deals. I recommend getting at least 3 tapes per day, and then you can shoot in quantity and then go back and edit like crazy on your PC.

Have you done any video editing on a PC before? If so, then ignore what I am about to say.

For the newbie editor, Adobe Premier Elements is AWESOME!!! It's a drag and drop utility with plenty of pre-made themes and menu screens, and the buttons are so easy to create and put graphics to (For every scene I labeled, I used and actual video frame from the scene!). It's all cut and paste, drag and drop, and it's soooo easy to put your own custom background music on it as well. Also, there are INCREDIBLE scene blending patches that you just drag into place between scenes, and it makes smooth audio and video transitions between cuts.

So, if you have any more questions, please write again!

:)

Hans

[tony]

Originally Posted by Imjustpeachy

thanks guys, you're helping me out =)

now, actually...the question is, where could i buy one? I've been researching and Fry's seems more reasonable.

first off what is your budget?

[GreenLantern13]

find some models you like and look on http://www.pricegrabber.com. I ended up getting mine off of http://www.butterflyphoto.com and I don't even remember the site I got my still camera from heh.

[Imjustpeachy]

i don't really mind the price, but it would be nice to find anything of quality less than $400 please =)