View Full Version : Choosing a camcorder
I am looking for a new camcorder and there are so many to choose from.. mainly looking at SONY, CANON, JVC and Panasonic.
Qs.
1. DVD vs miniDV. Which is more superior?
2. Taking indoor videos, (my old panasonic produces grainy pictures especially when taking vid indoors.)
3. 3CCD vs one.
4. AV in jack
5. Battery life
Big Chief
06-10-2006, 01:40 PM
I have one of the cheapest range in Sony Camcorder. Cost me about RM 1,500 with lots of freebees.
I use it for my training events. It even has a night vision feature. It's small enough to fit my pocket, and it's fairly clear too.
Gone are the days where the 'Biggies' rule.
All sockets are available, battery last for at least 1 hour of shoot.
Easy to download, even for an illiterate person like me.
I have one of the cheapest range in Sony Camcorder. Cost me about RM 1,500 with lots of freebees.
I use it for my training events. It even has a night vision feature. It's small enough to fit my pocket, and it's fairly clear too.
Gone are the days where the 'Biggies' rule.
All sockets are available, battery last for at least 1 hour of shoot.
Easy to download, even for an illiterate person like me.
which model? does it have a av in? i mean can it record from an external source? thanks
the most practical model i think is from jvc. can record directly onto a disc (i think it's dvd). no need to transfer here and there. not sure if other makes have the same feature.
the most practical model i think is from jvc. can record directly onto a disc (i think it's dvd). no need to transfer here and there. not sure if other makes have the same feature.
currently all the major players have dvd recording.. onli problem is you can record the most 1/2 hour per dvd.
singteck
06-10-2006, 09:32 PM
currently all the major players have dvd recording.. onli problem is you can record the most 1/2 hour per dvd.
Wow looks like you know more then anyone of us! :cool:
Anyway I think there not much difference between all of them. But if you want quality, 2 things you have to look at:
1. 3 CCD is the only way to go. The rest are all the same.
2. You need artificial lightings if you want to use it indoor. It's not optional if quality is what you are after. Usually one on the cam is not enough, you should have at least 2.
This is of course what a producer would use. Not a holiday maker's tool, that's for sure.
There's not many cam with 3CCD so this should narrow your field down a little.
singteck
06-10-2006, 09:51 PM
I am looking for a new camcorder and there are so many to choose from.. mainly looking at SONY, CANON, JVC and Panasonic.
Qs.
1. DVD vs miniDV. Which is more superior?
2. Taking indoor videos, (my old panasonic produces grainy pictures especially when taking vid indoors.)
3. 3CCD vs one.
4. AV in jack
5. Battery life
Maybe I should explain more
1. They are all storage device and they don't improve quality. Just buy more if you need more. Untimately, it comes down to which is cheaper in the long run. My pick would be miniDV because they are easier to carry.
2. Camcorders are very automatic creatures. And not many of them have manual settings. When you move indoor, the cam measures the light level and set the shutter speed and aperture to ensure the best video quality. However, at low light level, the setting for shutter speed and apperture will be at it limit and still the picture will be too dark due to the insensitivety of CCD. The only other setting the cam can change will be the ISO setting of the CCD. When the ISO setting is increased, "noise" creeps in. This is what you call "grainy".
3. 3 CCD is definately better then 1. If you can afford it. I can't :crying:
4. This one will be available is most of the more expensive one. So how much you want to spent. I have no idea of the current cam market but I think most will have it, except those cheap ones. I know I will be wrong. The last I check, they have it but uses a proprietary connectors and cables.
5. Most come with a small battery but you can buy more or bigger battery. And the higher end ones have external battery pack to power the cam and light. Untimately it's how much you want to spent.
Phew, lots of thing said from someone who don't like to use one. :p so take it with a grain of salt. :squeeze:
thanks for the detailed explanation... singteck. What about those of you who owned a camcorder, care to share?? :)
WitchKing
06-11-2006, 08:00 AM
I have a 6 year old Digital 8 Handycam, still chugging along nicely. If I were to upgrade, reckon my choice would be one that has solid state (eg memory cards) as opposed to disc or tape media......
alfred98
06-11-2006, 10:55 AM
Can the camcorder record picture which is very near and magnify it????I mean around 2 feets away....
Can the camcorder record picture which is very near and magnify it????I mean around 2 feets away....
can, under macro mode... i saw a demo using the canon camcorder.....
alfred98
06-11-2006, 09:58 PM
can, under macro mode... i saw a demo using the canon camcorder.....
Wah!! Ok need to check it out this weekend in KL....
Wah!! Ok need to check it out this weekend in KL....
if you buy one... do tell.... do check out the Sony DCR-HC96E... looks impressive and also the CANON MVX 460
song cm
06-12-2006, 09:38 AM
honestly, comcorders are used for kids....not suitable for adults as we are too shy to be on it.....:)
alfred98
06-12-2006, 09:42 AM
if you buy one... do tell.... do check out the Sony DCR-HC96E... looks impressive and also the CANON MVX 460
Thanks!! Noted....:)
Oddfather
06-12-2006, 10:08 AM
honestly, comcorders are used for kids....not suitable for adults as we are too shy to be on it.....:)
I think Zazu and Alfred is thinking more for work purposes. :)
i'm also thinking of getting one. pls tell me wat to get after u guys have done all the testing... :p
so what's the best camcorder and best deal in town? am thinking of either the sony DCR-SR100E or canon DC40 or panasonic NV-GS500.
is there any point in getting the latest HD recorder? i don't have a hdtv, so maybe it's a waste of money...
anyone has any comments?
cxtreme
12-02-2006, 05:21 PM
hmm from wat i hear from the shopkeeper, miniDV is stil the best in terms of storage capability....dvd handycam or even hard disk handycam is inferior...
and it does tell in a way, when i do my video editing, to convert from a miniDV to .avi format durinc capturing takes up aobut 20gb for an hour of video.
More CCD better..
my hostel only uses sony cameras....cause at least with the different battery packs they can be switched with one another...the latest camera we bought was the 1st genersation sony HD cam about a year ago.
i guess HD cam will in general provide better picture although u might not have a hdtv. there are specialised HD miniDV tapes which costs about 3 times the normal tape prices.
but as singteck says, these cam dont come cheap, we got our set at $2700 that was in november last year. not sure what's the current prices like
shiruikage
12-02-2006, 09:25 PM
miniDV is good in terms of storage, but for home use ar, dvd is the way to go, cheaper too the disk. using miniDV, u have to convert it into other formats, and that takes away quality. then it uses too much space. unless ur computer hard disk got like 2.5 terabytes of memory (YES, one vendor here sells computers with that much disk space!! I am soooo charged up!:eek: ), might as well buy a dvd camcorder. straight shoot and watch. easier to edit too.
i recently bought a dvd recordable one (basic model) .. was initially afraid that the quality might be somewhat compromised... but surprise, surprise ... it's much better than my old miniDV cam.. off course nowadays we have High Defination camcorder...
shiruikage
12-03-2006, 12:59 AM
HD camcorders useless lar unless ur making semi high end home camera whoring, computer hugging movies. and of coz, coupled with a very nice HDTV is a must. if not no point.
last time thot wan to buy miniDV oso since looks cheap and high quality, but after my fren working in sony adviced me against it...now oni considering HDD based or dvd based. problem is now.....batt life and shooting time.......arghhh, so hard to choose!
HD camcorders useless lar unless ur making semi high end home camera whoring, computer hugging movies. and of coz, coupled with a very nice HDTV is a must. if not no point.
last time thot wan to buy miniDV oso since looks cheap and high quality, but after my fren working in sony adviced me against it...now oni considering HDD based or dvd based. problem is now.....batt life and shooting time.......arghhh, so hard to choose!
my grouse with the DVD based camcorder is that the mini DVD tape onli allow 30 minutes of taping and also u need a power source to finalise the dvd to make it viewable on a dvd player.
shiruikage
12-03-2006, 09:28 AM
r u sure? im under the impression that after recording it will be playable rite away.
r u sure? im under the impression that after recording it will be playable rite away.
nope u need to "finalize it""... ask your dealers
what about those with normal sized dvd? can play direct?
cxtreme
12-03-2006, 06:31 PM
i think the camcorders are only fitted with mini dvd...with half hour recording time....there's no full size dvd...this is cause of space constraint
what about hard disk camcorder...any thoughts on that>?? i personally dont think it's a good idea...still need to transfer to comp edit etc..and it's hard to change the storage i think
shiruikage
12-03-2006, 06:34 PM
i think the camcorders are only fitted with mini dvd...with half hour recording time....there's no full size dvd...this is cause of space constraint
what about hard disk camcorder...any thoughts on that>?? i personally dont think it's a good idea...still need to transfer to comp edit etc..and it's hard to change the storage i think
hdd tho good, takes up too much space. imagine, 20gb for a one hour video. that is total overkill man.
. the 1/2 hour is a minor irritance.... .it's more convinient compared to the mini DV. if i were to buy a new camcorder today i wud go for the new HD DVD
and have narrowed my choices down to Canon DC40 or Sony DCR-DVD905E. both same RRP. any final comments before i take the plunge base purely on the amt of discount i can get? :unsure:
shiruikage
12-11-2006, 10:53 PM
and have narrowed my choices down to Canon DC40 or Sony DCR-DVD905E. both same RRP. any final comments before i take the plunge base purely on the amt of discount i can get? :unsure:
ask not what ur camcorder can do for u, instead seek to realise the truth...there is no camcorder.......dem, i'm influenced by the matrix again.
and have narrowed my choices down to Canon DC40 or Sony DCR-DVD905E. both same RRP. any final comments before i take the plunge base purely on the amt of discount i can get? :unsure:
Canon
http://reviews.cnet.com/Canon_DC40/4505-6500_7-31699245.html
Sony
http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/videocams/0,39050560,39097843p,00.htm
Personally, i rather stick with Canon coz i don't have to buy expensive Sony Pro memory stick. Expensive and cannot be use with any other medium except Sony stuff.
athena
12-12-2006, 09:01 AM
Canon
http://reviews.cnet.com/Canon_DC40/4505-6500_7-31699245.html
Sony
http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/videocams/0,39050560,39097843p,00.htm
Personally, i rather stick with Canon coz i don't have to buy expensive Sony Pro memory stick. Expensive and cannot be use with any other medium except Sony stuff.
the thing is..you won't wanna use the sony memory stick for other stuff anyway....wud u?
now i have another dilemma. both the models i shortlisted only have 1 CCD. having read what the experts here say about CCD, looks like i should be getting a panasonic or jvc, which have 3 CCDs? does the size of the CCD matter? i.e. is it better to have 1 big CCD or 3 small CCDs?
:confused:
now i have another dilemma. both the models i shortlisted only have 1 CCD. having read what the experts here say about CCD, looks like i should be getting a panasonic or jvc, which have 3 CCDs? does the size of the CCD matter? i.e. is it better to have 1 big CCD or 3 small CCDs?
:confused:
the panasonic with 3CCD has had a poor review the other time...
but even then, they r much more expensive.
with that money u shud consider High Def.
vBulletin® v3.8.5, Copyright ©2000-2012, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.