[Tim]

The wife is thinking that we need a shiny new camcorder for an upcoming trip, and I am phenomenally out of the loop on anything resembling modern technology.

While it's not computer related, per se, i'm sure that a bunch of you know everything I need to know to buy a good one. Anybody have some advice for me?

(I know, Jump.. use the newegg link from our front page. )

I'm looking to spend, oh, 2 or 3 hundred. Less if I could get away with it. I've got a computer that can burn DVD's, so I don't know if that feature will be necessary in the camcorder itself. But i won't have access to a computer while i'm gone, so high storage or removable media of some sort will probably be a good idea. How many hours can a 'normal' camcorder hold, anyway?

What do you guys think?

Thanks much!

[Jump]

I was looking at a bunch as I looked around this Christmas. You can get mini disk recorders for under $400. I have no idea as far as the tech goes. I imagine it's cheaper than flash though.

[Larommi]

I use a Sony Handicam DCR-HC26. Payed about 250 or so for it. It covers your basic needs. Has touch screen control. Video is not bad and if i wreck it. Oh well.

[Jump]

I was just looking at Amazon and they have a ton in the $200 - $400 range. It's sale time everywhere.

[Tim]

God bless the sales. what does your handicam record on, larommi? Rumor has it that those dvd things are only good for like 30 min of airtime. hopefully, i have more to record than that

[Jump]

There is DVD, Mini DVD, Flash, hard drive and probably some I don't know of. So which does rumor refer to?

[netburnr]

Get a camcorder that uses tape or burnable media instead of a HD. Always better to have more media available then to have to find a computer.

I love my sony.

[Jump]

Do they even make tape units anymore? I haven't seen any. The DVD's are burnable media.

[SpiritOne]

If you are that far out of the loop on modern technology then I am going to go on the assumption you do not currently own a high definition television, therefor would not be interested in a high definition camcorder.

Call me old fashioned, but I like the ability to record onto something tangible, something I can hold in my hand. miniDV is a great medium, and I can't for the life of me understand why it's disappearing. I know the HD camcorder I want uses miniDV and the standard definition one I currently have uses it too. anyways... Deciding what method of recording is going to be one of your more important decisions when picking a camcorder.

I like the tapes because then you can always have the original in case anything happens. Most of the current generation of camcorders allow you to transfer the video to your computer and do some simple editing and/or add effects, title etc. I do this, but keep the original tape unless anything happens to my digital copies. Once its on the computer, you can do a ton with it. You can burn it DVD, rip it to a small .mov and post it to the net, whatever.

Your other storage options right now are, hard drive storage camcorders. They have a finite storage system. If you are in the middle of your vacation and your hard drive is full, then its full. DVD and miniDVD storage systems that write directly to discs playable in your set top DVD player. It makes camcorder to tv transition easier and faster, but you lose the ability to play with and edit your movie sometimes. Some camcorders even use flash media for storage, flash is cheap, but I don't know if thats cheap.

Also look at transfer device and your computer. Do you have a firewire port on your computer, its called IEEE1394. Most cameras use firewire for video, some will also use USB, make sure you buy a camera you can get the video off of.

Once you decide on what medium you want to write to, it really just comes down to what camera are your comfortable with. Buy it online to save the cash, but go to a store like best buy so you can finger them all up and get an idea of what feels good in your hands. Remember, unless your spending money on a tripod you have to hold this thing for a while. Look for a model with a generous OPTICAL zoom. Digital zoom is shit. Not the shit actual shit. 3X optical zoom with 10X digital zoom is going to look like crap when you zoom in. look for something in the 20-30X optical zoom range. That should give you enough range to sit in the back row at the kids dance recital and get quality close ups.

Also look for branded lenses, some cameras may come with a Carl Zeiss or other name branded lenses. I am not normally a "name brand" guy, but when it comes to camera lenses it can pay off.

Finally look at battery life, see if it comes with extra batteries, or extended life batteries. You don't want to be the dad tethered to the wall.

hope this helps...

[Larommi]

Originally Posted by Tim

God bless the sales. what does your handicam record on, larommi? Rumor has it that those dvd things are only good for like 30 min of airtime. hopefully, i have more to record than that

Mini DV tapes. 60 minutes a piece and smaller than a cell phone.

[Larommi]

Originally Posted by SpiritOne

If you are that far out of the loop on modern technology then I am going to go on the assumption you do not currently own a high definition television, therefor would not be interested in a high definition camcorder.

Call me old fashioned, but I like the ability to record onto something tangible, something I can hold in my hand. miniDV is a great medium, and I can't for the life of me understand why it's disappearing. I know the HD camcorder I want uses miniDV and the standard definition one I currently have uses it too. anyways... Deciding what method of recording is going to be one of your more important decisions when picking a camcorder.

I like the tapes because then you can always have the original in case anything happens. Most of the current generation of camcorders allow you to transfer the video to your computer and do some simple editing and/or add effects, title etc. I do this, but keep the original tape unless anything happens to my digital copies. Once its on the computer, you can do a ton with it. You can burn it DVD, rip it to a small .mov and post it to the net, whatever.

Your other storage options right now are, hard drive storage camcorders. They have a finite storage system. If you are in the middle of your vacation and your hard drive is full, then its full. DVD and miniDVD storage systems that write directly to discs playable in your set top DVD player. It makes camcorder to tv transition easier and faster, but you lose the ability to play with and edit your movie sometimes. Some camcorders even use flash media for storage, flash is cheap, but I don't know if thats cheap.

Also look at transfer device and your computer. Do you have a firewire port on your computer, its called IEEE1394. Most cameras use firewire for video, some will also use USB, make sure you buy a camera you can get the video off of.

Once you decide on what medium you want to write to, it really just comes down to what camera are your comfortable with. Buy it online to save the cash, but go to a store like best buy so you can finger them all up and get an idea of what feels good in your hands. Remember, unless your spending money on a tripod you have to hold this thing for a while. Look for a model with a generous OPTICAL zoom. Digital zoom is shit. Not the shit actual shit. 3X optical zoom with 10X digital zoom is going to look like crap when you zoom in. look for something in the 20-30X optical zoom range. That should give you enough range to sit in the back row at the kids dance recital and get quality close ups.

Also look for branded lenses, some cameras may come with a Carl Zeiss or other name branded lenses. I am not normally a "name brand" guy, but when it comes to camera lenses it can pay off.

Finally look at battery life, see if it comes with extra batteries, or extended life batteries. You don't want to be the dad tethered to the wall.

hope this helps...

Not going to try and sell my camcorder. I dont get paid by Sony. But alot of this post was something I considered when buying my cheapo camera and I chose MiniDV because you can buy tapes more readily. Carl Zeiss lens, ease of use.

[Tim]

Very nice, great information! 60 minutes seems like it'd be long enough.. they can be written over if we want, right? It looks like these mini-dvd things are good for only about 30 minutes of recording.. that seems a little light.

Also, what's a 'normal' run time for standard batteries? I can't seem to find any product information that will put a number down for me.

And thanks for the tip on the lens brand.. i hadn't even considered that. I knew I came to the right place