Need advice and opinions on Digital Video Cam to buy.

[DNA DOA]

Thanks for everyone's imput. I need to do more research it looks like. 16:9, want to learn more about that. Patrick, sounds like you bought yourself a very nice recorder. My buddy who is a GURU in video everything said that this one is a very nice piece. He is after the bigger brother pv-gs400, but i guess it is hard to find right now. If anyone is after Patrick's recorder my friend said you can get it on-line including shipping for $460.80. Sounds like a great deal. I am going to seriously look into this one.

3ccd three chip is much better in picture quality than the old single chip. Firewire is a must. Everyone go to www.camcorderinfo.com. Great place to review and shop. Thanks again and keep the info coming in. What are other options we all should be looking for in a nice recorder?

Ben

 

[Rootus]

What's the difference between your Sony and the Canon you want?

One is a camcorder ...

... and the other is a still camera.

The SD400 is likely to be my next digital camera.

Dave

 

[Rogue Cobra]

Patrick, does your camera output only in WMV?

Dave

I don't believe it outputs in wmv. It's a digital stream and the software uses the wmv compression. I use the crappy Windows XP capture, because the camcorder did not some with any. I may next look into some better software and play with it a bit more. This is am first camcorder, so I am in new territory here. I am hoping that it will do better than 320x240.

Patrick

 

[Rootus]

I am hoping that it will do better than 320x240.

That's a limitation of the software, the camera records at a much better resolution than that. Sounds like you need to blow some money on decent video editing software. I don't know what's good, though, maybe somebody here has some experience. I'm going to use my Macintosh for any video editing, since it comes with some pretty good software for free.

Dave

 

[DNA DOA]

Okay, this is what I found out from my GURU electronics buddy. This is just for people who care. 3 chip cameras are supposed to have better color rendition and are generally better than single chip cameras. That's because there are 3 colors used in TVs and 3 chip cameras have a different image sensor for each color, instead of one image sensor that tries to interpret all three colors. If you blow up an image on a big screen tv with a single chip, the images seem to have jagged diagonal lines that seem to wiggle and move as you pan across scenes. They call this "aliasing". It may be due to inadequate sampling rates due to cheap processors in most camcorders. It's hard to see on a regular tv but when you blow it up big or watch it on a hi-def tv you can see it and it's annoying. This is the level of video quality that can be used by the news. So far, 3 chip (1), single chip (0). Let's hear it for the 3 chippers.

 

[03SHKR]

Anybody pic a winner, yet????

 

[Rootus]

Did some price research today...

The Canon ZR100 (MiniDV) seems generally available at about $235. The ZR200 at about $265. And the SD400 at about $310.

 

[DNA DOA]

Going Shopping This Weekend. Will Let Everyone Know What I Find.

 

[Kerpal]

Didn't read the thread so I hope this isn't a total repost, but here is some basic info...

You probably want to look at Mini DV camcorders... they're digital, which means you can upload your video to a computer with a firewire cable (not included, cost about $30... you'll also need a firewire port in your computer, if you don't have one, a card to add firewire runs like $30-50). Mini DV is a small casette tape, so the cameras are small and light. Video and audio quality is just slightly behind what the new DVD cams are capable of, but those small DVD's only hold 30 mins of video each, and the cameras are still pretty expensive. Mini DV cams start at about $250-300 for a very basic model so the format is a pretty good value these days.

A 3CCD cam will give you improved video quality, as will a camera with a Megapixel rating (the higher the Megapixel number the better the quality, just like with a digital still photo camera).

You may want to look into a camera with a night shooting mode for low-light use. Some cameras have built in lights, but they're most effective when the subject is fairly close to you... so the light won't be of much help once the cars you're filming leave the tree.

 

[DNA DOA]

Thank you, this will help when I go shopping this weekend.

Ben

 

[duner]

Been thinking about important features that my next camcorder will have.

It has to have good image stabilization
Need to be have the ability to be powered via the 12vdc cig lighter. At a minimum it needs to be rechargeable via the cig lighter.

My next camcorder will see duty attached to a harness guide bar installed in the Cobra.

 

[jordanvraptor]

Been thinking about important features that my next girlfriend will have.

It has to have good breast augmentation
Need to be have the ability to be powered via a six pack and cheetos. At a minimum it needs to be returnable.

My next girlfriend will see duty attached to a harness guide bar installed in my basement.

 

[Rootus]

 

[DNA DOA]

Where do I get one of those Jordan?

 

[Rootus]

Where do I get one of those Jordan?

Russian catalog...

 

[duner]