Editor's Note: This isn't open to just Tom, our resident techie. I would actually love input from all of my dear readers.
We're interested in getting a new camcorder . Well, actually I'm interested in getting a new camcorder... Plumberboy is content to use any Christmas money we may or may not get to pay off Holiday expenses. (He can't understand why I'm embarassed by our Zack Morris-esque camcorder that I could easily perch atop my shoulder. Okay, okay... it's not quite that bad but it's outdated enough that I don't think it's a wise use of money to buy a new battery pack now that our current one is DOA.)
So the question is: What do you recommend and why or why not??? Thanks in advance for your cooperation regarding this matter...
Sincerely,
Steph
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5 comments:
Rob got us a Canon camcorder a few years ago for Christmas. Can't remember the model, but I've had no problems with it and it makes good videos. Has widescreen capabilities. Feel free to come over and look at it, try it out, and stuff :)
I've had a Canon Elura 70 since 2004 (they don't make this model anymore), and I like it a lot. The feature I like best is the 16x9 widescreen recording mode. Its biggest shortcoming is low-light recording - the picture comes out grainy so I try to have a few extra lights on when shooting indoors.
To me, the two biggest considerations in buying a new camcorder is deciding what recording format you want to use (HD or standard) and what media you want to record onto, because these days the lenses and CCDs are good quality across the board. Obviously a HD camcorder will cost more, and I have been happy with the standard definition results with my camcorder, even when viewed on a HDTV.
As for recording media, you have 4 options: miniDV, DVD, flash memory, and hard drive. The miniDV format records the digital signal onto magnetic tapes, and this is what my camcorder uses. It's starting to become obsolete, but I like having the tapes for archive purposes. I am not a fan of camcorders that record directly to DVDs, because the DVD format compresses the signal so you lose some quality if you want to edit your movies later*. Flash memory like SDHC and hard drive recorders are becoming popular, but you need to think about how you're going to back up your movies when the drive fills up. Recordable DVDs may not be the best idea, because they degrade over time. SDHC cards are cheap enough now that you can use them like tapes.
I wouldn't worry about the other bells and whistles they put in like special effects. For those you're better off shooting the footage normally and adding special effects later*.
*Yes, you do want to edit your home movies before sharing them with other people. Trust me.
I'm not a fan of the dvd recording ones...they don't have a long recording time and there is no way to edit it, plus the dvd's are expensive...I suggest a JVC harddrive camcorder...but canon is a great brand too.
Thank you all for your input. I'm sorry I haven't commented back before now but I think with a quick glance at the calendar, all will be forgiven...at least I'm hoping so!
Anyway, I think we have decided not to rush into a purchase so we will wait to see what happens after Christmas as far as sales go. I do think we are most interested in a hard drive/flash drive model since you can always save them to DVDs later. I would like to use the SDHC cards like tapes but it seems like this would be kind of expensive at this point. (About $50 for 8GB = 4 hours recording time. Sound right, Tom?) Anyway, we've still got lots to think about and of course I saw a high-def camcorder at Best Buy and fell in love with the picture quality. UGH. Too many choices. Plus I don't know whether to go for the gusto with a camcorder since I'm still jockeying for a new camera AND an inground pool. Did somebody say something about a recession??? :(
We'll have to strike up this discussion again after the Holidays though. Have a good one everybody! Thanks again...
I've found the trick to buying flash memory cards is to not buy the largest one they make. Since they're the latest and greatest, there's usually a good markup. I bet you could buy two 4GB cards or four 2GB cards for a lot less than $50. My tapes record an hour of footage, and it takes me months to fill one up, so you may find you don't need the 8GB card at all (unless you're recording your kid's school production of Hamlet).
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