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I'm thinking about getting a camcorder.
I won't need every feature in the book.
I don't need the finest lens money can buy.
I haven't decided on format although hdd seems to make sense.
One thing that is an absolute is line or mic in.
I've got way to much gear and a way to loud an apartment to settle for less.
Suggestions?
I am not too into video anymore but Canon and Panasonic make some awesome gear.
is it going to be just to use for fun, or are you going to be recording things with the intent for other people to see it?
HD camcorders are becoming pretty affordable.
small, portable, all you need at a cheap price
http://camcorder.jvc.com/product.jsp...Id=141&page=15
Ah forgot about JVC. That is an excellent brand as well.
consumer cam or prosumer cam?
for consumer use the canon hv20 records 1080, very small. cost a grand though I think.
all depends on what your budget is and what you're gonna be recording.
can't go wrong with any of the panasonic models. that's all i record in.
JVC Everio gets my vote.
Be careful if you're going to use it with a Mac. Some HDD recorders won't play nice, read up on any issues first.
Ditto for Vista.Quote:
Originally Posted by PAlexC
I would not buy JVC. They may make good electronics, but they are not lens manufactures. It doesn't matter what format you record on, or what fancy technology it features, whether it's HD or even if it records on tape, if the lens is poor, your video will be poor. JVC have never made lenses, the only reason they make them is to make money.
If it were my money: I'd buy Sony (and I have, many times, and been very happy) or Canon. Both are well established manufactures of lenses. 75% of everything you watch on TV is filmed with one of these two brands.
Panasonic are becoming more popular, and they have fancy Leica lenses, but the user interfaces could be better. Their consumer ranges are not well designed. Their professional ones aren't too bad, but still with plenty of quibbles. (E.g. Every camera/editing system in the world calls anamorphic, 'anamorphic'. Apart from Panasonic where it's called 'stretch mode', which confuses and scares people, so you end up with half of your stuff in 16:9 and half in 4:3.) Also anybody I do know with a consumer Panasonic, they only have one port for headphones/microphone, which means you can't use both at the same time. I know you're not going to be too serious about using it, but, filming without headphones is like filming without looking through the viewfinder. The whole camera is made with that kind of mentality.) See note below
Don't get too excited about HDD: you have to remember, video is biiiig. It takes up lots of space. If you're buying it to record memories, I would stick with MiniDV/HDV, as you can keep them on tape and you'll never run out of space. You can buy tapes for about $3-5 each these days, and they seem to be getting cheaper.
I would buy an HD camera, mainly because the format is much nicer to work with and as more of our lives become computer based, more useful for the future. Remember that SD/DV is only 640x480 - think about how that will look on your 23" 1920x1280 monitor.
Remember, HD does not make the quality of the image any better - just bigger. The quality is in the lens, hence why I'd go for Sony or Canon.
At a quick glance on Amazon, I'd buy this:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-HDR-HC9-D...5730693&sr=1-2
NB: J-Luv obviously has a preference for Panasonic, and many people do. They're good cameras, don't get me wrong, so I'll simplify it for you: if you're the kind of person who can't use a ticket machine at a railway station without thinking how it could have been designed better, I would avoid Panasonic.
eww... Sony. No. Go Canon Elura is you're wanting quality.
Without becoming Subway 2.0; they have great lenses, well built bodies, great battery life and are by far the easiest to use.Quote:
Originally Posted by gerbick
Sony VX2100 is an amazing camera. Used it at school.
RE JVC doesn't make lenses,,, so what fuji makes lenses for jvc.
Panasonic lenses are made by lieca.
Re Sony lenses, I've had enough of sony. Ziess lenses aren't all that.
I've got a sony cybershot that has a mediocre lens at best.
I had a crown graphic 4x5 view camera with an ektar lens and a ziess lens.
ektar won hands down.
I've got a sony surround sound home entertainment system that lasted a year and a day before taking a dump.
Acid took a dump when it was sold by vegas to sony. I bought the upgrade and it was a downgrade. Then 3 months later they wanted me to pay $$$ just to have what I had when it was vegas software. I'm so sick of sony I won't touch a thing by them.
Re resolution and file size.
The longest video I ever want to make is ten minutes Most will be under three
The largest resolution I could ever want is 800x600 but most will be 640x480
JVC Everio mentioned above appears to be the ticket. It's the only one I've seen sofar with a mic input
what's your budget for the camera you're looking for?
obviously you don't want or need HD.
personally dislike JVC..Sony's okay, haven't seen anything that's wowed me though.
i've seen some impressive footage with both Zeiss and nikon lenses
of course lighting makes all the difference in the world no matter what brand lens you shoot through - junk in junk out.
check out these sites for more info: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/ and http//ww.dvinfo.net
Just get a really nice webcam and sync the audio on your computer? ;)
Obviously it sounds like you're just trying to make youtube videos.
or porn.
10 minutes max but average 3 minutes. You might want to work on that ;)
i dont need 10 minutes to satisfy myself and only myself, its more of an annoyance then anything else.
Cut out the meet and greet, get rid of the storyline, and just show em fking for 10 minutes.
wham-bam-thank you left hand.
I will have to disagree with you on that one. I say add more story line like the golden age used to have. If you have never seen Dreamquest then you have never lived. That is a true classic. It is just like The Labyrinth except take out David Bowie and replace him with Jenna Jameson.