(no video) Help on buying a camcorder?

Muffinman · Post by **Muffinman** » 01 Jun 2007 23:31

Hey guys.
I am looking at buying a new camcorder. I don't know stuff. I want something nicer than an average point and shoot home video camcorder, if that is possible within my price range (of approx $1000 Canadian). I seriously don't know a single thing, but I want to be able to make nice videos... Some specifications that I do understand are that I want a wide angle lense, and I want a bunch of hours of battery life (so that has to be compatible and available, if it isn't included)... Oh, and a decent sized lense to begin with? (I really don't know...I want to be able to be close to people and still get all of them... but not fisheye).

That's pretty much it.
Any input would be great, but particularly if you know what you're talking about.

EDIT: I've been using a Canon ZR10 for, like, 7 years, or something. So that will help give some idea of what I'm trying to upgrade from. I guess what I am looking for is categorized as "prosumer", or something...
STUFF I WANT:
-around $1000 (absolutely no more than $2500, and that's pushing it)
-manual focus ring on lense (preferrably metal grippy style)
-MiniDV (and or HDV?)
-preferrably Sony
-Wideangle lense (is compatible/necessary... need to be able to shoot close up and see lots)

yippy · Post by **yippy** » 02 Jun 2007 00:37

http://www.cnet.com.au/camcorders/camco ... 520,00.htm

This one looks like it could be good, around your price range. I don't really know anything about camcorders but it seems to match what you want.

EDIT: This one also looks quite good http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcord ... =pdtl-list

Muffinman · Post by **Muffinman** » 02 Jun 2007 01:05

I heard that the HDR HC1 looks good. After comparing some camcorders some more, and the others in the Sony HDR HC series, I noticed features that would affect me -- I'm really digging that metal grippy manual focus ring on the lense of the HC1 model!! I want that baaad! It's, like, $2500-ish, though... that's not completely out of the question, but I'm having trouble finding Canadian retailers on the internet...
Also, after browsing some reviews, this "bottomline" stood out: "The Sony Handycam HDR-HC1 is a good first effort at a consumer HD camcorder, but only HD fanatics should consider it." Any thoughts? Or alternatives? I think I want Sony, and they seem to have the metal focus ring that I like on these still, manual Canon cameras that I use (which is kind of weird that Canon seems to use a plastic ring on their camcorders?)

More suggestions would be awesome.

High Definition?
Oh, I think I am looking into high definition, but I don't really know what that means either. Is everything the same, but better quality? Or do I need a special TV and a special computer and special editing program and everything... Well, HD was suggested to me, but I don't know what the difference would be, and I think my biggest thing is maybe good quality and good manual focus features? Or something?

Ooooh -- the Sony HDR-SR1 looks yummy and so affordable, but hard disk

I'll edit the first post with stuff that I am looking for in a camcorder, especially now that I'm reading around more and getting a better idea of what I want (although now it is a lot harder to find something that works for me...)

acxel22 · Post by **acxel22** » 02 Jun 2007 06:09

I don't have enough camera knowledge to answer wich camera is best.

But high definition is your input to your computer, so you will import either 1080i or 720p. Your software will be able to work on it no problems.

If you export your project in a high definition resolution (ex: 1080i or 720p) then you will not be able to watch it on a standard tv.
You will need to export it in a standard resolution, such has 480i.

On computer you don't need a HD computer or HD screen

King Monkey · Post by **King Monkey** » 02 Jun 2007 09:26

To edit HD however, you need a fuckin hot system, like 1gig of RAM minimum, at least 3GHZ processor, and an ass-load of harddrive space. Also you probably need a fairly up to date graphics card also.

Muffinman · Post by **Muffinman** » 02 Jun 2007 15:42

Cool. That really helps a lot -- thanks guys. I have a pretty good gaming system, so I can probably handle those specs. I will make sure with my brother who knows computer stuff.

janis · Post by **janis** » 02 Jun 2007 17:22

make sure you have heaps of hard drive space! Also make sure your hard disks can write data quick enough to keep up with the data from HD, often people use RAID for this reason.
HD is a relatively recent format so make sure you have the most recent releases of editing programs. A while ago I was beta testing at a graphics card company and at the time this was what I saw: Premiere had trouble with drop frames even on a $300000 workstation, they may have fixed the code since then so make sure you have the latest version of premiere. Final Cut Pro had a few difficulties with compatability, in the most recent version (6) this has been fixed, making final cut pro an extremely good package for the price. Avid (hardware based) was great, but Avid unfortunatley isn't really an option for us home users due to the price.
Even though I'm not much of a Mac user, I am a huge fan of Final Cut Pro.

Hey Ian, what is the model of camera you have? It seems to be a very good camera.

King Monkey · Post by **King Monkey** » 02 Jun 2007 21:45

Mine is Sony FX1E HDV...it cost me an arm and a leg and i have no time to use it!

blitz · Post by **blitz** » 02 Jun 2007 22:57

you guys need to learn to distinguish between HD and HDV. HDV's bitrate is lower than DV, so you should not be at all concerned about disk space. You'll only need approx 12GB/Hr. Also, firewire400 externals or SATA internals should be plenty fast for HDV; it's a non-issue.

Erik, there are countless video forums out there, why don't you look and post your questions there? Would be a lot more helpful.

Muffinman · Post by **Muffinman** » 03 Jun 2007 04:37

Yeah, I've been doing some research.
I was going to wait until the end of the summer, but I'm so excited about the cameras I'm finding!

I think my first choice is the "Panasonic PV-GS400", but it is discontinued it says. After that I really like the "Panasonic PV-DV953", but that one seems harder to find online (especially for Canada), and then my backup is the "Panasonic PV-GS500" which seems to be quite a bit worse than the GS400, but it's going for, like, $929 CAN (as opposed to about 1,700)! (Though it may be discontinued also, but I saw it for sale on some sites at this price (which also makes me want to jump on it and not wait 'til the end of summer?...))

I'm still hazy about details (because I don't really know video stuff), but these seem to fit my qualifications (except that they aren't Sony... but as long as it isn't Canon, I'm okay). Any input?

blitz · Post by **blitz** » 03 Jun 2007 08:58

panasonic makes good cameras.

Muffinman · Post by **Muffinman** » 03 Jun 2007 21:18

Thanks for that input, Eli.
Yeah, I started finding a LOT more options, once I stopped limiting myself to Sony products. I've semi-ordered the Panasonic PV-DV953 for almost half of the suggested retail price (from www.camerasforless.com or something) with a 4-year warranty. I haven't received the confirmation email on my order yet, but I'm very excited. This one is supposed to be super for manual controls, which I'm really excited to play around with -- I guess it has a ton of features for a lower price because I don't think that it's HD.

I guess, now that I've done a bunch of research I can potentially help other people find new consumer-level camcorders

EDIT:
DO NOT BUY FROM THIS STORE!!
Here's a post I wrote in my footblog:

me wrote:I have just nearly dodged a dreadfully dangerous deal! AIYA!!
I got an email from camerasforless.com saying that they don't accept "Canadian credit cards" -- this sounded suspicious, and then the super cheap price started to seem a lot more suspicious...and I started putting things together, like the lack of information on the website, and the really crappy pictures of their products... As soon as I walked in the door, getting home from work, instead of looking up reviews for the camcorders I want, I looked up a review of this website... baaaaaddd stuff @______@

Jeez...
I checked three different sites that reviewed this online store...over half of the reviews were great, but more than a few basically described them as crooks who sell used, scratched-up cameras, in generic boxes which sometimes aren't even the product that was ordered...passing it all off as new. All of these bad reviewers were, like, "Well, that taught me to do my research from now on!"

So in the email, the store asked if I wanted to proceed with my order, and I just emailed back saying no...

Scary!