opinions on digital camcorders

[tommyk90 5,000+ posts]

Well, I'm trying to put together my list for christmas and frankly I can't think of much shit that I need/want.

So i've been thinking about getting a digital camcorder to take to shows and whatnot, but I have no idea where to begin.

I have seen that there are two main types, harddrive and dvd/miniDV.

Mainly I'm just trying to figure out which would be better for my needs. I'm thinking a harddrive model since I don't take many long videos and using dvd's for a few 5 minute clips would sort of be a waste. Plus I would think that transferring DVD clips to my computer would be a lot harder than a harddrive type.

Honestly, I have no clue when it comes to these sort of things, so I'm looking for some (expert) opinions on what I should be looking for in terms of storage type, brand, features, etc.

Any help is appreciated.

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[MoneyMike 10+ year member]

Get one.

 

[maroj248]

JVC makes good camcorders with hard drives. you should check them out.

i have a JVC Everio, not sure of the exact model. but it has a 30GB HDD. takes good videos and pictures.

 

[tommyk90 5,000+ posts]

Get one.

Very helpful.

Thanks.

 

[tommyk90 5,000+ posts]

bump.

Anyone else have an opinion?

 

[Kawasaki STX-R 10+ year member]

i like using a digital camera for video

 

[tommyk90 5,000+ posts]

i like using a digital camera for video

The problem with that is I already have a digital camera that works fine.

Plus it's hard to find a digital camera that also takes good videos as well.

I'm open to that though, as long as it takes GOOD videos with GOOD sound. I've seen way too many grainy vids and distorted sound from digital camera vids.

 

[tRidiot 10+ year member]

I have used a Panasonic MiniDV unit the last several years... I definitely recommend this or the HDD version. The digital camcorder was one of the best investments I ever made... we've posted so many videos online of my son and our travels... it was awesome. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Unfortunately, it's broken now. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif I need to buy a new one, but as much as we used it, and how we treated the thing, it lasted nearly 3 years, so I'm still not too disappointed. If I wanted to send it in, I'm sure it could be fixed, but it's almost cheaper these days to just upgrade and get a better one.

 

[tommyk90 5,000+ posts]

I have used a Panasonic MiniDV unit the last several years... I definitely recommend this or the HDD version. The digital camcorder was one of the best investments I ever made... we've posted so many videos online of my son and our travels... it was awesome. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif
Unfortunately, it's broken now. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif I need to buy a new one, but as much as we used it, and how we treated the thing, it lasted nearly 3 years, so I'm still not too disappointed. If I wanted to send it in, I'm sure it could be fixed, but it's almost cheaper these days to just upgrade and get a better one.

Would you recommend the miniDV version over the HDD?

It just seems that having an HDD one would make it easier to transfer videos on my computer, but frankly I don't really know.

 

[Kawasaki STX-R 10+ year member]

The problem with that is I already have a digital camera that works fine.
Plus it's hard to find a digital camera that also takes good videos as well.

I'm open to that though, as long as it takes GOOD videos with GOOD sound. I've seen way too many grainy vids and distorted sound from digital camera vids.

hmm... well, i dont know really... our camera is a canon powershot a630. i like it for video a lot more than the hi8 video camera we have //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif not much of a comparison i guess. and the canon was an upgrade from our 2 mp cybershot that took video with no sound.

i think i really like it just because it is easily carried around and pulled out at random times whenever my daughter is doing something we want to video tape... we use it almost soley for short clips like

i would get the hdd vs the dvd camera for sure though. our neighbors had a minidvd camera and we always complaining about it. just mainly like having to be sure and have blank media on hand and loaded ready to shoot.

 

[tommyk90 5,000+ posts]

Hard drive cams are the way to go ... If you're looking for excellent video, pick up one of the Sony Hi-def camcorders ... They're a little on the pricey side, but take incredible video ...
DVD camcorders fvcking blow ... MiniDV cams are great if you're on a budget and/or edit your movies.

I've seen quite a few hard drive cams in the $400-500 range, which is fine with me.

Any brands you would recommend that aren't crazy expensive? (under $600?) I'm not looking for movie quality vids, just better than what most digital cameras are capable of.

 

[tRidiot 10+ year member]

I think either the MiniDV or HDD ones would be fine for putting vids on the computer. I went with MiniDV for the ability to swap in new tapes. I was afraid that I'd run out of space on the HDD ones... and I think that I was right to do so. Several times in my travels, I haven't had time to transfer movies onto the computer, but needed to keep recording. The new tapes was by far the better option. This is just for me, but the last thing I want to do on my vacation is have to spend an hour or two pulling movies off my camcorder so I have more room to make more... the proper time for that is AFTER the vacation, to me.

 

[tRidiot 10+ year member]

Most hard drive cams these days come w/ at least 30 GB, which is good for about 7.5 hours of high-quality video.

This would be enough for most situations, but certainly not for me on a 2-week vacation or something.

Again, just my opinion.