Hi, this is my first post..

I'm 20 and about to change my degree to Film Studies instead of Software engineering and Economics, so I bought a pretty cheap digital camcorder (£149.99), it uses cassettes.

The cassettes make a bit of noise when I'm filming. I'm just wondering (as I'm thinking on taking it back and changing it for one that uses DVDs instead) how well will noise reduction software on a computer do for quelling the cassette noise?

I haven't bought any video editing software yet, this is why I am asking.

Another thing to ask: The digital camcorder has a port for a seperate microphone to be put in, if i want it to; so if i go and buy an external mic, will that just solve the problem anyway of the cassette giving me noise I don't want?

DVD camcorders are the spawn of the devil. Avoid that route at all costs! I would certainly take back the camera and exchange for one that doesn't hve the noise problem.

Noise reduction software is extremely unlikely to solve the problem.

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Why are they the spawn of the devil?

My cam-corder doesn't really give too much tape sound, but there is a bit of a hum, i was just wondering how i can make a video with good audio and no hum.

Will an external mic help? (there is a port specifically for it, optional, on the camera)

How come sound noise reduction won't help the problem? The Hum is just a normal hum - just the sound of the camera reeling the tape.

Andy is right, avoid DVD cams because when you want to edit footage its a bitch. At the low end, miniDV cassettes are still the best for numerous reasons. I assume this is the format you have now.

About the noise, many cheaper camcorders suffer from tape noise im afraid but if you have an external mic socket this is good because using an external mic will get rid of the noise. Maplins do a cheap Condensor Zoom mic (£20). Ive got it, its ok for the money.

For the £150 you say you paid for the cam id keep it and get an external mic as most cams in this price range dont have that option and trust me, you will need it.

Do your reserach on here and other forums and you will understand why.

all the best

Matt

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Great!

Part of the reason I bought the camera was cos of the external mic option.
It doesn't have an accessory shoe on it, but I can improvise.

Thanks a lot, that was great advice. It is a cheap camcorder, so I probably should stick with it.

It's the Cannon MD101 btw.

Another question though; why wouldn't someone want to use a digital camera, instead of a digital camcorder (for a low budget) for recording movies, since a digital camera doesn't use noisy tapes?

Noise reduction is unlikely to help because in order to eliminate the hum, you'll inevitable remove anything else at that frequency too.

An external mic will certainly help, but do remember you get what you pay for .... as you've discovered with the actual camera.

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Because the quality is shocking.

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The quality of video on most digital cameras sucks; the physical dimensions of the video are usually somewhere between 320 by 240 pixels up to 640 by 480 pixels, whereas 'real' video is 720 by 576 pixels. Most digital cameras also shoot at 15 frames per second (more expensive models go up to 30fps) which is too jumpy for smooth playback. Also the video file format they record in can be awkward to edit in the popular video editors.

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Hey man,

Canons have very good image quality for the price and although Andy is correct, there are mics much better than the one i suggested, its still good enough to start on.

I made the film below with a digital 8 tape camera (old) and the external mic from Maplins and whilst its nowhere near pro!!!, its good enough for now till i get more experience.....

Bafta 60 Seconds - sixtysec - CONVO

You also might want to consider getting a book from amazon that covers the basics, like this one.....

Amazon.co.uk: Teach Yourself Film Making (Teach Yourself (McGraw-Hill)): Amazon.co.uk:: Tom Holden

Good luck

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The reason why I came down so hard on digital cameras is because of...

Originally Posted by essedarius
Another question though; why wouldn't someone want to use a digital camera, instead of a digital camcorder (for a low budget) for recording movies, since a digital camera doesn't use noisy tapes?

Where essedarius questions why 'why wouldn't someone want to use a digital camera, instead of a digital camcorder'.

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