Camcorder recommendation?

[Gladguy]

Hi DISers!
With our family's upcoming first trip to WDW, I'm thinking about all the "memory-catchers" I need to prepare. We have our 5.1 MP digital still camera, but our 8 year-old Digital-8 camcorder is no-longer working (plus it's HUGE by today's standards!), so it won't be making the trip.

I'm assuming the recommendation from folks here is to take a camcorder, so I'll just dispense with the "would you buy a new camera?" question.

Given the cost of this trip, I really don't have the $1200 I'd like to have to invest in a proper High-Definition camcorder, so I'm looking for something to bridge the gap until the HD cams come down in price. I can't decide between Mini-DV, DVD or SD. I don't want to spend more than $500-600 on the camera and the media to record our trip.

Given the main purpose of this camera is this trip... what are your recommendations?

 

[holcomb-mania]

I have a 60GB Sony hard drive camera that I love. It has a touch screen for watching recordings and settings, and we've got 2 WDW trips, Christmas, about 300 pics, and some other stuff on it, and I have used only about half of the hard drive.

It's a piece of cake to burn DVDs or just upload the video to a computer. On our June trip, I plugged it into the TV and we watched video from our December trip. And you don't have to worry about tapes or discs.

 

[Gladguy]

I have a 60GB Sony hard drive camera that I love. It has a touch screen for watching recordings and settings, and we've got 2 WDW trips, Christmas, about 300 pics, and some other stuff on it, and I have used only about half of the hard drive.

It's a piece of cake to burn DVDs or just upload the video to a computer. On our June trip, I plugged it into the TV and we watched video from our December trip. And you don't have to worry about tapes or discs.

What's the model number, holcomb-mania? I hadn't really thought too much about HDD cams, because I thought they'd be out of my budget range...

 

[Robo]

I'm assuming the recommendation from folks here is to take a camcorder, so I'll just dispense with the "would you buy a new camera?" question.

I've been a video professional in the TV industry for decades.

I recommend miniDV.

And that is specifically above choosing Hard Drive camcorders and DVD camcorders.

The quality is much better with the miniDV format (isn't that the most important thing, anyway?)
DVD is severely compressed, far more than DV.
And they must also compress the signal to fit more onto a Hard Drive.

DV format uses nearly 13GB per hour.
That would fill a 40GB hard drive very quickly.
So they compress the signal (and that can cause some visible artifacts and lower the overall quality of the recording.)
And for long-term storeage you don't need to "off-load" the footage like you do with Hard Drive units (just put the tape on the shelf.)


DVD is even worse!
A mini DVD can only hold under 1.5 GB of info.
The compression to fit say, 45 minutes of footage onto that tiny disc can be horrendous.


And, the COST-factor is very attractive for miniDV vs the other formats.

 

[holcomb-mania]

Mine is the SR80, IIRC. It is now the SR82, but it looks identical. Here's the list of what is available at Circuit City. JVC made the first ones, then Sony came out with some, and a lot of others after that. There are about 16 on the list, with some under $500 and some over $1000.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Camc...013063+4563/link/ref/rpem/ccd/categorylist.do

 

[idreamdisney]

I suggest the mini DV format as well. I recently bought the JVC GR-D770. It has wide screen features, 34x optical zoom, and still picture options. It's very small and compact and very user-friendly. I bought it from QVC and it came with everything I needed to get started--batteries, miniDV cassettes, and a carrying case. I just used it on a recent trip to San Diego and it worked great and was so easy to use. I also like that you can watch what you've recorded right from the camera...(with sound) so you don't have to wait til you get home and connect it to a tv to watch your footage. Also, I used it for 5 full days and recorded lots of footage and never re-charged...obviously has a long battery life.

good luck and have a great vacation!

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

The format really depends on what you plan to do after you take your movies. If you're going to do some editing, you might be better off with mini-DV because you're not going to lose resolution if you transfer it digitally to your PC via firewire. Both the DVD and hard drive cameras record in MPEG-2, which is already compressed and, depending on your mode of editing, could further reduce resolution when you go to recode and burn your finished, edited movie. If you don't plan to edit anything, DVD might be the best choice because you can take it out of the camera and pop it right into your DVD player.

There are pros and cons to each. With hard drive cameras, you're limited by the amount of disk space, so you might need to dump your movies down to a laptop every night, but it's easy to transfer from camera to PC. And no DVD's or miniDV tapes to carry around. With DVD cameras, you're limited to about 28 minutes of video per disc at highest quality. But, you can always pop in another DVD. And no need to transfer to PC so you can burn them to a DVD because they're already on DVD. With MiniDV, you've got a bunch of tapes to lug around and if you don't have a firewire port on your PC, transferring the videos to your PC can be a challenge. Although, I do believe the new Sony miniDV cameras come with a dock that allows you to transfer via USB 1.1, but USB 1.1 is SLOW.

A very good miniDV camera can be had for under $400. Hard drive cameras start at about $500. DVD cameras start at around $350 now, but a decent one will run you about $500.

My suggestion - if you have a Costco near you, buy one there. Their no hassle return policy is the best in the business. If you don't like it, take it back and try another one. No restocking fee ever! And if it should break, even 2 or 3 years down the road, odds are Costco will replace it or give you your money back. I've seen it done with 2 year old TV's and 3 year old microwaves.

 

[Jrabbit910]

Hi Gladguy,
I have a Cannon zr600 & I love it... Its compact & light but steardy enough to get a great video picture and I think its really affordable..I have seen it as low as $150. recently in Costco..It has a Wide-screen LCD, its very easy-to-use & has a 25X zoom(800x digital). The later version is the zr700. I bought this a few years ago and really enjoy taking videos. It also has a still shot camera but I dont like the way the pics come out compared to my camera.

 

[hismattjesty]

I use a Panasonic PV-GS320 and absolutely LOVE it! It has 3 CCD sensors, so colors and lighting are dead on, and the sound is excellent. It's Mini-DV format, so it takes the mini tapes, but the quality is outstanding! You can get them for $499 or less generally, and it comes with everything you need for camera, as well as the software for transfer and editing on your pc.

I was originally going to get the Sony DCR-SR42 (30gb Hard Drive model), but found out that Sony hard drive camcorders use proprietary coding technology. As only Sony is using this particular code format, I was given a lot of negative feedback about it. This is what influenced my decision.

On a side note, many Disney videographers use the same camera I do, simply for the 3 CCD sensors allowing for accurate color and lighting reproduction. The camera is the same size as a hard drive camcorder, so it will take up the same amount of space. Just my opinion and 2 cents.

 

[Gladguy]

The format really depends on what you plan to do after you take your movies. If you're going to do some editing, you might be better off with mini-DV because you're not going to lose resolution if you transfer it digitally to your PC via firewire. Both the DVD and hard drive cameras record in MPEG-2, which is already compressed and, depending on your mode of editing, could further reduce resolution when you go to recode and burn your finished, edited movie. If you don't plan to edit anything, DVD might be the best choice because you can take it out of the camera and pop it right into your DVD player.

There are pros and cons to each. With hard drive cameras, you're limited by the amount of disk space, so you might need to dump your movies down to a laptop every night, but it's easy to transfer from camera to PC. And no DVD's or miniDV tapes to carry around. With DVD cameras, you're limited to about 28 minutes of video per disc at highest quality. But, you can always pop in another DVD. And no need to transfer to PC so you can burn them to a DVD because they're already on DVD. With MiniDV, you've got a bunch of tapes to lug around and if you don't have a firewire port on your PC, transferring the videos to your PC can be a challenge. Although, I do believe the new Sony miniDV cameras come with a dock that allows you to transfer via USB 1.1, but USB 1.1 is SLOW.

A very good miniDV camera can be had for under $400. Hard drive cameras start at about $500. DVD cameras start at around $350 now, but a decent one will run you about $500.

My suggestion - if you have a Costco near you, buy one there. Their no hassle return policy is the best in the business. If you don't like it, take it back and try another one. No restocking fee ever! And if it should break, even 2 or 3 years down the road, odds are Costco will replace it or give you your money back. I've seen it done with 2 year old TV's and 3 year old microwaves.

Excellent comments, H.E. Pennypacker. Thank you.

The reality is, as well intentioned as I may be, the chance of me ever editing any of this footage is pretty slim. I bought a firewire card and Pinnacle Studio with my last camcorder, and actually edited down maybe 2 movies in total! And I have editing experience, having done it in University!

I was leaning to DVD format, but robo's comments about the compression really concern me. I want my finished videos to look as great as they can. I also like the small size of the DVD-format cams, which would be easier to carry around WDW for a week.

Here's one you may not have seen before: I was looking at the Aiptek GO-HD cam because its HD (well, 720P) for less than $250! It obviously has it's disadvantages which are to be expected given the price, but I'm thinking the picture quality (and the price!) might suit my needs.

Gah! So many choices!!

 

[Robo]

Here's one you may not have seen before: I was looking at the Aiptek GO-HD cam because its HD (well, 720P) for less than $250! It obviously has it's disadvantages which are to be expected given the price, but I'm thinking the picture quality (and the price!) might suit my needs.

TRASH!

These are suitable for posting videos on YouTube.

 

[Jletendre]

Another vote for Mini-DV here .. I bought a Canon ZR600 for our last trip and it's simple to use, lightweight and did the job. Came home and it dumped right into the mac for editing with ilife. For less then $400 with extra batteries and tapes it's the right balance of features / performance.

 

[dpuck1998]

I have a Canon Optura MiniDV and Love it. Just something to check out for you - http://www.normancamera.com/ this store is in my area and has by far the BEST prices around. Very old company and they are Canon dealers. Something else to consider!

 

[DISNEY FIX]

I went with the Sony HD mini- tape version. Just planning for the future HD wave of DVD players and recorders from the tape to DVD's. It will be great to look back in 20-30 years and see everything in HD. My 2cents.
Chris

 

[Gladguy]

I went with the Sony HD mini- tape version. Just planning for the future HD wave of DVD players and recorders from the tape to DVD's. It will be great to look back in 20-30 years and see everything in HD. My 2cents.
Chris

Hi Chris,
I'm jealous! I would love to get an HD camcorder, but I just can't afford the early-adopter premium. I'm sure your videos look amazing!

 

[dcforbreakfast]

Robo, I'm in TV too and to the original poster, he is dead on with his advice. Mini-DV is still the way to go. The tapes last longer (yes, longer than dvds at this point!) and the quality of video is much better than the DVD cams. After a lot of research I just bought the Panasonic GS 320 (used to have a Sony TRV 11 that finally died).

I've been using my new camcorder for a few weeks and so far I like it a lot. Can't believe how small these things have gotten. Very easy to use. Has a couple drawbacks, but they're not things I would use anyway. Have not tried to download video from it yet.

For some more help in choosing, go to camcorderinfo.com and you can read reviews and see comparisons. Great help there. They also have a forum.

 

[MissMet]

I also have a Canon Optura 600 miniDV & I LOVE it! IT fits in the palm of my hand, takes great pictures as well as video & it's very easy to use! No need to bring a still camera, it does both, you just put a memory card in & done. You can also take photos from the video you've already recorded. It's great!

I love it!

I have a Canon Optura MiniDV and Love it. Just something to check out for you - http://www.normancamera.com/ this store is in my area and has by far the BEST prices around. Very old company and they are Canon dealers. Something else to consider!

 

[Gladguy]

I must say, I'm surprised at the number of recommendations for mini-DV here. I understand the format delivers the best video quality available now (for SD anyway), but I thought the format was dead or at least dying.

Then again, you TV folks are still using BETA, so what do you know, really?

I'll take a close look at the Panasonic GS 320. See what I can find price-wise out there...

Keep the conversation going!

 

[Rustysmom]

I have a Panasonic PV-GS39 mini-DV camcorder that I got really cheap last Black Friday and I really like it. At first I thought I didn't because dark indoor shots are a little grainy, but wow, the outdoor videos are amazing! It's very small and light and for the $150 I paid for it, I'm very happy. I use my standalone DVD burner and turn it into a DVD and it's wonderful. So much better than my old Sony Handycam that used 8mm video.

 

[dcforbreakfast]

Bump ~ Excuse me....