New Camera?

Marc Peters · #1 (**permalink**) 12-31-2007, 04:42 PM

Bought or considered buying a camcorder recently? I've not filmed much over the last year, and having sold pretty much all my high end stuff to fund the boring things in life (food and mortgage) I'm now ready to enter the world of camcorder buying.

But my needs have changed. I'm definately a consumer in 2008, so I want a typical point and shoot, tapeless wonder. But what have you bought / considered buying? Is it HDV, AVCHD or DV or something else. Was it tape, miniDVD or HDD?

Mark W · #2 (**permalink**) 12-31-2007, 08:54 PM

I got a couple oif shagged vx9000e you can hve cheap Marc - I know - too kind.

LukeD · #3 (**permalink**) 01-01-2008, 01:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark W

I got a couple oif shagged vx9000e you can hve cheap Marc - I know - too kind.

Ah, Mark how much you want

?

Mark W · #4 (**permalink**) 01-01-2008, 10:45 AM

Hi luke - long time - you serious about the cameras ?

LukeD · #5 (**permalink**) 01-01-2008, 11:37 AM

Possibly- I'm extremely skint. So it would require alot of begging my end

But if you want to PM me a price, I shall ask. P.s- Nice to be back (:.

Mark W · #6 (**permalink**) 01-02-2008, 07:06 PM

Luke - pm soon.

Marc - and anyone looking for a new camera - call me boring but i vote DV.

HDV? - I remain unconvinced by the format, I dont think consumer grade optics and electronics are able to realise this extra performance. The video is a bitch to edit on anything less than a supercomputer. Oh - and the bit rate is less LESS than DV, that is just silly.

miniDVD - The bastard child of parents from different speices.

Hard Drive cameras - see mini DVD and the video is a bitch to edit.

But hey - what do I know - I also think vinyl sounds better than CD. I am off out to smash a few priniting presses with my made Ned Ludd.

Nikosony · #7 (**permalink**) 01-02-2008, 09:46 PM

Definitely Mini DV for all the reasons Mark W outlined, I wouldn't go near Mini DVD or HDD camcorders with a barge pole and then I'd need to be having some sort of mental breakdown. The horror stories I've read in the past 6 months on the forum about these two formats plus Sony and JVC camcorders would put anyone off them for life. The idea of HDD is great in principle but shooting your master in mpeg is not on. And welcome back Luke D, it's been far too long.

LukeD · #8 (**permalink**) 01-02-2008, 10:26 PM

Thanks Nikosony. I'm currently editing a hard drive camera recorded thing for my school. The fact is- Premier crashed the first time I tryed importing the files. So I had to use Vegas. So I now have the opinion that-Yes HDD recorded stuff is just unreliable.

Mark-Thanks(:

purejammy · #9 (**permalink**) 01-03-2008, 05:44 AM

Well I bought a Sony HDR-HC5E this year. Certainly a nice little HD camera using mini DV Tapes. Typical point and shoot comsumer camcorder. The footage is supberbe in good light, although I thought the autofocus had a tendancy to 'hunt' at times. As with all small point and shoot cameras, the small lens does not make for good footage in low light.

Overall though not bad at all, for around £500.

Nikosony · #10 (**permalink**) 01-03-2008, 12:55 PM

Glad to hear you found a camcorder for £500 (HD - high definition?) and it does all or most of what you are looking for. I can't remember the exact figure but I think it's either 10,000 lux or 100,000 lux of illumination is needed for a camcorder to record a decent image. So all this blurb about being able to shoot at night or it complete darkness is a load of old guff from the companies.