Camcorder???

[Sgt Grunt]

Just checking to see if anyone could suggest a camcorder, or a good site that would have an easy breakdown. Most sites that I've been to have WAY!!! too much info.

I would like to be in the 600 to 800 range...

And what's better, an internal hard drive with 40 to 60GB or somekind of disc / card???

Thanks,

[BIGdaddy]

Just checking to see if anyone could suggest a camcorder, or a good site that would have an easy breakdown. Most sites that I've been to have WAY!!! too much info.

I would like to be in the 600 to 800 range...

And what's better, an internal hard drive with 40 to 60GB or somekind of disc / card???

Thanks,

hey sarge, listen and listen good. i've just recently been through three kinds of camcorders...

-hard drive camcorder
-$$$ not cheap
-records data uncompressed (supposedly better quality and sound)
-no disc to loose/get busted
-records data into a format that has to be editted/formatted

-SD card camcorder
-inexpensive due to established technology and competition
-rugged camera's
-ability to take photo's on same card (HD cam's have two cards)
-small size
-sound/video compressed due to card type, BUT i've been using a 5mp camera for video for about 4 years, and i can't kill the thing/video quality is great. its a pentax optio that has digital zoom only, but man, great vid quality. if you will be doing lots of zooming, then an optical/digital hybrid (very common, but more expensive) is probably better for you.
-can use microsoft movie maker/standard editing software..no extra cost there.

-miniDVD camcorder...
-just. don't. do it.
- lots of problems
-have to format discs
-discs/data NOT editable
-don't do it.

[Sgt Grunt]

Great!!! Thanks Brian.

Bueller!!!!

[1leglance]

I really like my Canon HV20 which is a HD and uses tapes...
the image quality is great and I get 1hr per tape
the tapes act as a backup and the only downside is the need to convert to data on my computer. But I have that down pretty well (other downside it happens in actual time so 1 hr of tape = 1 hr download) and like I said the tape is a backup.

I am not an expert and still learning but I like this camera...and it worked well on our Continental Divide Expedition with lots of vibration & dust on the dash mount.

Let us know what you end up with.

[RoundOut]

Before our recent family vacation, we toiled for almost two weeks over which one to get. We started by getting a JVC and a Sony at Sam's club and ended up taking both of them back in favor of better deals and more features available on the web. We just investigated several JVC hard drive camcorders before going back to the old faithful Sony brand and getting a DCR-SR220. We purchased it at Best Buy for $599.

My wife really liked the menus on the JVC's we looked at, but the image quality just wasn't as good as the Sony when played back. The JVC uses proprietary compression software, so it has to be converted to mpg or other format before use.

With the Sony we bought, we got a 60GB HD and it takes awesome stills, too. We also have a WAY COOL feature to take 3 seconds of slow motion. This came in very handy up at Overlander Falls near Mount Robson, BC, where we took some awesome clips of the salmon run at the falls.

The other feature that Sony has that the JVCs we looked at didn't, is the "night shot" IR mode. We enjoy using that feature to capture wildlife near our camp or wherever.

One note about HD vs. Disc vs. stick. The sticks are nice, but expensive for a big one. The Discs are a pain to tote around extras. The HD is the way to go, IMO. We took my laptop with us and dumped the HD nightly (not that we had too, because all of the video and stills (about 60-90 minutes per day for 6 days, plus about 50 stills per day) are still on the HD, and its nowhere near full. After having 8mm and Digital8 tape camcorders in the past, we LOVE THE HARD DRIVE CAMCORDER.

I hope this is helpful.


.

[bajasurf]

Hi Brian, I like your idea of using my digital camera for video and actually went out and took some video of the dogs. Turned out great!!! I am using a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7. I have a question I am sure you can answer. Which setting are you using for Fps(frames per second)? 30 fps VGA(640x480, 10 fps VGA(320x240) in a 4:3 screen or using the 16:9 screen with either the 30 fps or 10 fps at 848x480? I know the 30fps is much smoother and the 10 fps gives a longer recording time. My camera will take up to a 2 gig card. Thanks for the info. George