In The Future

[Pat Kelly]

So, In the future I may be in the market for a "video camera".
I know, I have no money and really want to replace my D70 also but....
If all works out, my first Grandchild will be arriving in June. So I am thinking a small unit would be nice to have. I used to video a lot in the day when mine were growing up. I am not going to make professional movies for cable tv....lol
My question is: There are a lot of types out there. I do not want to spend a fortune. Would you go DVD, Digital, Etc. I don't have the article in front of me but from what I read last night there are like 5 formats right now and none have a market share above 30%. I think I remember that right.

Where do you stand.

 

[maddog10]

4 years ago I bought a little Canon ZR200 Digital Video Camcorder. It uses Mini DV Cassettes and/or SD Memory card. Can connect the camera directly to a TV to view the movie or to a computer to view/download the movie. I was surprised at how good the image quality was. Has a 20x optical zoom and 400x digital zoom. Fits easily into the palm of your hand and is easy to operate one handed. Actually I have only used this camera on two trips. You made me go dig it out and the batteries are now charging :angel2: . I will try to download a video clip later today (have not tried it up to this point).

I am sure there are newer and better models out there, but I was and am very happy with this one.

 

[SubMariner]

Pat, I recently purchased the new JVC Everio G series GZ-MG330 Hard Disk Digital CamCorder. I think I payed $299 or something at Best Buy. My folks happened to take it on there South American Trip to Ecuador and they loved it. Since it has a 30Gig hard drive of it's own, my parents never had to worry about changing the cassettes or changing the memory card. I believe they must of recorded over 20 hours of digital quality film. Very user friendly too.

I highly recommend it and it's small and light weight as well. Google it and read the reviews on it, I'm sure it got high marks. It can easily be connected to any tv and it can be uploaded to any computer, if you have the hard disk space on your desk top to dump all your recordings.


Good Luck,


Richard

 

[maddog10]

Now I know why I never downloaded the movies to my computer, I do not have the right cable. I did watch them again though, they still look good! :lol:

 

[okimavich]

Nikon D90. Take pics AND video at 720p. Really, it's not too bad. It pretty much depends on your lens speed/quality and how much space you have on the SD card.

But if you go with a straight up video camera, I would suggest miniDV format. Straight to DVD is a pain. You can't pull it out and view it unless you finalize the DVD first. Which means you can't record more to the disc. Then there is the cost of having to keep buying the small DVDs. BTW, the smaller DVDs don't work in slot loading DVD players/drives. It must be tray loading. Hi8, DigiBeta, DV, HardDrive formats are going to be out of your range for the most part.

Additionally, my preference would be to have firewire out rather than the USB. But that's my own preferences. If you don't already have a firewire (1398) port on your computer, then it's not worth talking about.

Another thing. Stay away from the Sony models. They cost too much and then they'll try to force an expensive/slow format on you.