Camcorders

[RU42]

Well, since I am mentioned in this thread, I guess I will jump in.

MiniDV I feel is better then DVD. DVD is made to be easily to pop into a DVD player. I think MiniDV is better, more versitile, and cheaper.

I highly recommend B and H Photo out of New York. Great prices, excellent customer service, and very reliable. All my online purchases are made with them.

I like Sony video cameras, I think they are the best. I shoot with a Sony TRV22. I just checked on eBay and they run from $150 to $250. That is about 1/3 of the price I paid when I got my camera. After the TRV22 series Sony changed some of the internals and now the low light capability is a little worse. So, grabbing one of the TRV22's off eBay is a good price. I just might pick up a second one for myself.

Of, rereading the thread, do not reuse tapes. The cost is low enough that you really don't need to. I get the TDK 8-pak from CostCo for $20. Hard to beat that.

The camera has a small 1 hour battery. I recommend the 6 hour battery. I can shoot an entire day at DLR and not run out. I also recommend a UV filter. I also have an IR enhancing light for shooting in the dark, like Pirates or HM.

If I missed anything, ask away.

RU

[Imjustpeachy]

VERY informative! wow, so the B and H photo? I'll check out their website and meander around ebay.

Originally Posted by ru42

Well, since I am mentioned in this thread, I guess I will jump in.

MiniDV I feel is better then DVD. DVD is made to be easily to pop into a DVD player. I think MiniDV is better, more versitile, and cheaper.

I highly recommend B and H Photo out of New York. Great prices, excellent customer service, and very reliable. All my online purchases are made with them.

I like Sony video cameras, I think they are the best. I shoot with a Sony TRV22. I just checked on eBay and they run from $150 to $250. That is about 1/3 of the price I paid when I got my camera. After the TRV22 series Sony changed some of the internals and now the low light capability is a little worse. So, grabbing one of the TRV22's off eBay is a good price. I just might pick up a second one for myself.

Of, rereading the thread, do not reuse tapes. The cost is low enough that you really don't need to. I get the TDK 8-pak from CostCo for $20. Hard to beat that.

The camera has a small 1 hour battery. I recommend the 6 hour battery. I can shoot an entire day at DLR and not run out. I also recommend a UV filter. I also have an IR enhancing light for shooting in the dark, like Pirates or HM.

If I missed anything, ask away.

RU

Didn't I just write this exact reply on the last page?


LOL

Actually, what I was hoping was that RU could also chime in on the subject of editing software... I have found Premiere Elements to be perfect for the beginning DVD creator, but are there other software programs that work as well or better, in the same price range?

[Imjustpeachy]

Originally Posted by hanswagner

Actually, what I was hoping was that RU could also chime in on the subject of editing software... I have found Premiere Elements to be perfect for the beginning DVD creator, but are there other software programs that work as well or better, in the same price range?

where can i purchase the software?

[GreenLantern13]

iMovie and iDVD come with every new mac and are very straightforward and easy for beginners ;P all i hear about PCs though is adobe premiere so I'd prolly go with that heh =D

[Imjustpeachy]

ok, now here is a new question. what camera has a better zoom?

[andrewilley]

I personally would probably be slightly more concerned about the overall quality of the optics rather than absolute numbers in terms of zoom ratios - but whatever camcorder you choose, turn off anything which purports to be a "digital zoom" of any kind (except maybe an extra x2 if your camera has a large CCD chip and can use it properly?). Far better to stick with pure optical zooms only, and ignore all the marketing drivel you see printed about 560X zooms and the like.

Andre

[Imjustpeachy]

hmm, it's so dificult with so many choices. however, I guess what I'm looking for is something no more than 400 bucks that is easy to use, great quality, has easy-to-use features that have good performance.

[Imjustpeachy]

it's been awhile and I know I was the last person to post, but now I kinda know what I want. I am curious as to where [store-wise] I could find a good minidv camcorder that's under 400 bucks that's as high in pixels i can get, easy to use, can take pictures but video quality is great, sound is good too, and zoom is good. I would also like to know what software to find that will work well with minidv's to create movies, edit them and upload them. pretty much anything userfriendly. Thanks again in advance, I'm so excited about my trip!

[Fantasmic!kid]

RU, is a Sony DCR-TRV18 any good?

[RU42]

I beleive it is one step down from the 22 but I cannot remember the exact differences in specs. I think the view finder was black/white but that may be wrong. You should be able to pull on the specs for both online somewhere.

On eBay you can find the trv22 for less then $200.

RU

[Imjustpeachy]

I've been checking them out and I'm still trying to decide. One of them had a great price at about 50 bucks with shipping and 7 hours to go. But it was partly working =\ I don't know how to fix cameras..so, that doesn't really help. Is e-bay the place for me to purchase a camera? E-bay is great, but I'm not that tech savvy. And what is better HDV or mini-dv?

[tony]

i am a big fan of 3 CCD camera but those are in the 3K and up brand new.

[Imjustpeachy]

Does anyone know if Handy-cam's are good? What is the difference of a HC from a TRV?

[spock8113]

There are also Digital 8 cameras that use 8MM tape, a format that holds 1 hour at the highest quality speed.
They also play all your old 8MM tapes, be they regular 8MM or Hi-8.
I've been using a Sony TRV-840 Digital 8 and it's very durable. Sometimes higher end cameras will give you more metal than plastic but that depends.

Zoom is optical AND Digital. Usually anything past 10X or 12X is digital and quickly becomes "boxy"!

While on the subject of filters, not only will a UV filter protect the actual lense, consider a Neutral Density filter for bright daylight shooting. I think it's 37MM diameter.

B & H is excellent, been, shopped there and I'm happy.

DVD camcorders are still in their infancy and use small mini-discs, that I believe, only hold 20 minutes of footage.
When they introduce full-size DVD, then I'll consider.

Editing software: Adobe Premiere is one.
Avid is another used by professionals and a consumer version is probably available.
I use "ULead" Media Studio Pro 8. Like most editing software, give yourself a little time to master it.
Try magazines like "Videomaker" for sellers of that stuff.
Good luck!