Deacon Bill Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 I'm going to be buying a video camera soon, but know absolutely nothing about them. What with graduations, grandkids, and weddings aplently lately, I decided to (okay my wife decided) to buy one. Any advice on what to look for would be greatly appreciated. I would like something that is PC compatible so that if I want to burn a DVD straight from the camera, I can. Does that technology exist? I admit I am functionally illiterate when it comes to video technology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 what is your price range? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 what is your price range? Best place to start & allow about 20-30% for accessories (firewire cable, DVD's, Mem. Cards, Bag, etc). Also MiniDV, DVD, or hard drive. All have advantages & disadvantages. I just bought one and I didn't want much more than basic and wanted to keep the price down. The one I got: Sony DCR-HC36... I paid around $340 for it a month ago. Does everything I want and it got good reviews. One point is, unless you spend > $2000 for one, the still picture feature, like digital zoom, are worthless. Even @ $2000+ they aren't all that great. Actually digital zoom is just about always useless. The 2 in 1 camera w/ good quality just isn't there yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 rr speaks truth. You should be able to get a really decent compact MiniDV camera for 3-400 dollars without any problems. I would definitely recommend MiniDV as the format. Any VHS-C, Hi-8, digital 8, or other older format is too crappy. Any DVD, MicroMV, or flash memory ones are lower quality or have poor compatibility. MiniDV is a great quality, highly compatible with everything, and inexpensive. Digital zoom, still camera functions, video effects, webcam features... these are all pointless and useless. Ignore them. I've seen good quality from Samsungs at a low price. Sony is reliable, and has a flat-fee repair service out of warrantee, which is nice. I have a personal vendetta against JVC's crappy durability and repair department... but your mileage may vary. I would stay away from any brand you've never heard of. If you're looking for a step up to the next level, feature wise... look for 16:9 widescreen, progressive scan (30p or 24p), or 3-CCD cameras for better color and function in low light. If you're looking for the future, and you have a High-def TV, and a little more money to spend... I would definitely recommend looking at the Sony HDR-HC1. It's still just over $1000... but it shoots High-def video on standard DV tapes (called HDV). Great quality for a single chip camera, and you can downconvert to standard-def video on the fly for transfer to PCs and burning DVDs until high-def DVD burning becomes available to consumers. Great little camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deacon Bill Posted June 24, 2006 Author Share Posted June 24, 2006 what is your price range? Under $500 bucks would be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deacon Bill Posted June 24, 2006 Author Share Posted June 24, 2006 Thanx for the advice RR & Atomic. I'm headin' to E-Bay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 Thanx for the advice RR & Atomic. I'm headin' to E-Bay! No no! For $300... buy it new for sure. Who knows what some other dumbass did to the camera if you get it used. Get it fresh from the factory with a warrantee. It's not worth saving $100 for a used piece of equipment like that. There are too many very tiny moving parts. What if someone really messed it up, and then just polished it up with some OxyClean to make it look just like new? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 (edited) Go new for sure. I spent about $600 for my Canon ZR70 and I love it. I had a JVC before that and it was a piece of crap. I'd go Canon or of course Sony (however, Sony will be more expensive just for the name). GL shopping. Edited June 24, 2006 by irish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 No no! For $300... buy it new for sure. Who knows what some other dumbass did to the camera if you get it used. Get it fresh from the factory with a warrantee. It's not worth saving $100 for a used piece of equipment like that. There are too many very tiny moving parts. What if someone really messed it up, and then just polished it up with some OxyClean to make it look just like new? I agree! Amazon had some decent prices + I like their return policy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 Go new for sure. I spent about $600 for my Canon ZR70 and I love it. I had a JVC before that and it was a piece of crap. I'd go Canon or of course Sony (however, Sony will be more expensive just for the name). GL shopping. Canon is a great camera. I've had some weird compatibility issues between some Sony equipment and Canon... but that's not Canon's fault. They follow the established spec, and Sony follows the Sony spec.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deacon Bill Posted June 25, 2006 Author Share Posted June 25, 2006 I would never buy something like that used. E-bay has many "new in box" items as well. You have to pay a set price, but generally it is cheaper than retail. I took "RR's" recommended Sony DCR-HC36... choice, found it, checked it out, and it had all the features I was lookoing for. So I bought it new for $309 bucks. Thanks again to all for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Sweet. Good choice. Compact, inexpensive, and it includes night-shot. Good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Sweet. Good choice. Compact, inexpensive, and it includes night-shot. Good stuff. The night shot is pretty cool. You can do your own "Blair Witch Project"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 BTW.... a couple of tips for the camera. If your PC has a fire wire (1394 iLink) port on your PC, use it for capture vs the supplied USB cable. I has much higher quality. The S/W Sony provides is pretty lousy, as most free camera S/W is. I'm currently using Adobe Premier Elements. It works well. I've also used Roxio Media Creator 7.5. This also works well. You can additionally use Windows Movie Maker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 wise decsision...especially with purchasing a Sony....they make very good camcorders as does JVC and Hitachi.....also Panasonic... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deacon Bill Posted June 25, 2006 Author Share Posted June 25, 2006 That's why I love the Huddle. No matter what the problem, situation, condition, or anything else for that matter, you're just a click away from getting some good advice. Thanks again all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTed46 Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 If you make any "good" films let us see Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexgaddis Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Advice? Just make sure the hooker doesn't see the camera... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Here's an article I just got. Skip the review, unless your interested, look at the chart. Atomic was right on for quality. http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6500_7-6546692.html?tag=nl.e725 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_bone65 Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 I have a sony with mini-DVD as well and I love it. Buy the disks from costco, they were much cheaper then anywhere else I found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengal Mania Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 Take the cap off when shooting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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