OT Digital Camcorder advice

[Chad Engle]

Attention all techno gurus, wife wants a camcorder, I don't have any preconcieved notions or ideas as to which one I would like. It will be used for documenting family activities, run of the mill stuff. Nothing fancy.

The units that record direct to dvd appear to make sense. Any experience with those? Any and all advice welcomed. I'm thinking lower end of the price range, under $500 anyway. All I need to do is drop a $1500 unit off the boat...

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!!

[Kevan]

I can't aim a camera at you, but I would suggest that you consider that the camera is only half the equation, that you likely will want editing software to spruce up your films. I can't recommend a file storage medium w/in the camera either, but keep in mind what comes off the camera is the raw product and what comes off of editing software is hopefully your finished product. Benefits of the digital age.

[scrooge]

Anyone used one of these? Seemed like it might be itneresting for bike rides, slipping in a pocket etc...
http://www.amazon.com/Video-Ultra-Camcorder-60-Minutes-Black/dp/B000V1PXMI/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1215094150&sr=8-1

[false_Aest]

Canon VIXIA HF-100 AVCHD Flash Memory Camcorder ~ $650 (bhphoto.com)

Canon FS-11 16GB Hybrid Flash Memory ~ $450 (bhphoto)

More expensive has more megapix (~ twice as big) = better resolution, better image stabilizer, manual adjustment of exposure (As well as auto), attachment shoe (for external mic or lighting), and built in on-camera lighting.

The HF also uses CMOS sensor and not CCD. Do the research and find out what you want.

I'd do Canon over Nikon or other brands--they have a more friendly interface AND better color reproduction.

oh yeah +1 on video software. but really, for most people iMovie or iDVD is more than enough (6 years ago we payed $3k for software like that)

[Steevo]

I messed around with my nephew's Flip video - now I want one. Its easy to use, small - so I'd keep it with me, and fun!! I think I'd get many more hours of video w/ the Flip than w/ a traditional camcorder.


Also, I have to agree (+1,000%) w/ Kevan on the software. With iMovie on the Mac, I've been able to put together coherent, semi-entertaining videos using nothing more than multiple 15 sec. silent video clips from a 6 year old digital camera, and good background music.

[TimB]

We got one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Sanyo-MPEG-4-Definition-Camcorder-Optical/dp/B000W9Z0T0/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1215095929&sr=1-8

last year and it's pretty nice...only gripes are the lag when using the still camera (though the pics themselves are really pretty good) and that the little joy-stick thingy can take a bit of practice to get it to do what one wants. But it's small, easy to use, and makes use of resuable flash memory.

You can play directly to your TV, delete individual clips before burning to dvd, etc. All in all, we're pretty pleased.

[Kane]

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/ratings.php#

Very thorough and detailed reviews.

Cheers,

Kane

[happycampyer]

I have a couple different generation camcorders, the latest of which is one of the HDV cameras from Sony (the one I have is no longer made). The picture quality is awesome, and the prices have come down a lot (sub $1K).

And as others have said, a Mac (which comes with iMovie) is awesome. iMovie is like an easy-to-use version of FinalCut Pro (pro-level video editing software).

[vqdriver]

few things to consider are cost of usage, future viewing enjoyment and storage.

no point buying a less expensive camera if your media is expensive or compromised in quality.

go HD if you can afford it. 5-10 years from now when these videos actually have some sentimental value, especially if taping kids, you'll feel silly for watching standard def video on a then-standard hdtv (or better)

last is media. don't underestimate the hassle of storing video, especially if you go the hard drive route. you are forced to offload your video and then find some other way of storing it. don't even think of storing on your computer. best method is consumable removable media. memory cards are one way, tho still pricey per hour of video. mini dvds i guess are ok, tho they are limited to only 30 min per disc and the HD ones are sketchy as far as compatibility.

for me, i went with a sony HD camcorder that records to the good old miniDV tapes. tapes are cheap and i don't need special tapes for HD. standard 1 hour capacity, and storage is a snap. best of all, the HD video is recorded in UNCOMPRESSED format. so when i want to edit, i can edit with full uncompromised quality and then record to whatever format or media happens to be the standard at that time. there's a reason why pros still archive onto DV or miniDV tapes.

just my .02
but for ease of use, futureproofing, and cost effectiveness, miniDV is very, very hard to beat.

[vqdriver]

also, as mentioned, you'll want to think about editing software. but really, do any of us actually edit all our video?

for time, plan on a 2:1 ratio for editing, two hours editing for every hour of video shot. and that's just really basic editing out bad scenes/exposures and maybe some minor color or picture correction.

[happycampyer]

+1 on all of the above.

Editing is time-consuming; and the more you get into it, the more bells and whistles you want to add to the video. At most I edit 10% of the video I capture, but iMovie makes it a snap.