camcorders

[clori]

I am interested in purchasing a camcorder to use on the cruise and things like dd's dance recital rehearsal. I have a decent digital camera so that part is covered. We would like to try and keep the price to under $400 if possible. Does anyone have any recommendations or things to look for in a camcorder? Thanks. I figure people here know a lot of digital cameras they might know a lot about camcorders.

 

[mmorizio]

In the $400 range you'll find the Hi-8 camcorders - This format has been around for about 14 years, offers decent picture quality, and the cameras are reasonably small. At normal speed the cassettes record 2 hours. This is not a digital format.

If you will ever want to edit your video on a Mac or PC, you really need to go digital. Home digital camcorders come in two formats - Digital 8 (Sony only) and Mini-DV (everyone). The Mini-DV units are naturally more popular since everyone, including Sony makes them and the cameras are typically smaller. They record one hour on a cassette at normal speed.

Camcorders in both digital formats will connect to a computer via a firewire (IEEE 1394) port so you can edit your video without any loss in quality.

Digital Camcorders typically go for about $550 and up, though some lower-end models can be bought for around $400.

 

[Jackp0921]

Look for the Canon ZR cameras. The new ZR80 is right at 400.00.If you can till find the ZR60 or 65 you should be under 400.00. The only difference between the two is the zoom. You can also take digital still images(low resolution) on a SD card. Good Luck.

 

[Otimon]

For our 4/24 Western cruise, I purchased the Canon Optura 20 and have been delighted with it. Convenient to carry and easy to use.

I bought ours through the internet and saved about $250-300 over Best Buy.

Have a wonderful cruise.

 

[BethA]

Did anyone have trouble with the humidity affecting their camera, or isn't this an issue with the digita cameras. With our videocamera it would fog up and not take pictures so I was considering a digital videocamera for this cruise because of the size and hoping to avoid this problem.

 

[HooKooDooKu]

Did anyone have trouble with the humidity affecting their camera, or isn't this an issue with the digita cameras. With our videocamera it would fog up and not take pictures so I was considering a digital videocamera for this cruise because of the size and hoping to avoid this problem.

It's not the humidity, but the humidity with sudden tempurature changes. The ship is air-conditioned, but take a "cold" camera from the air-conditioned space and place it in the humidity and it will fog up everytime. You have to give the camera some time to "warm-up". As an example, if you are planning a shore excursion and have a verandah, place the camera on the verandah an hour ahead of time (leave it in the camera case, but open the case so the temperature can get to it). When you close the case to head on your excursion, close the bag to keep the air-conditioned tempurature from "cooling" the camera and you'll be ready to start taking pictures as soon as you step off the ship.

 

[ivanova]

Originally posted by HooKooDooKu
It's not the humidity, but the humidity with sudden tempurature changes. The ship is air-conditioned, but take a "cold" camera from the air-conditioned space and place it in the humidity and it will fog up everytime. You have to give the camera some time to "warm-up". As an example, if you are planning a shore excursion and have a verandah, place the camera on the verandah an hour ahead of time (leave it in the camera case, but open the case so the temperature can get to it). When you close the case to head on your excursion, close the bag to keep the air-conditioned tempurature from "cooling" the camera and you'll be ready to start taking pictures as soon as you step off the ship.

Great tip! Thanks!!

 

[XLT800]

I just bought the Sony DCR-HC30 digital Camcorder. It fits in the palm of my hand. It retails at Best Buy and Circuit City for $599. I paid $365 on the internet. You can do a search to compare prices. I got mine from I think Starlightcamera.com We leave tomorrow on 7 day eastern. We will see how it works.

 

[tvguy]

Unless you have to have the latest greatest camera, give some thought to something like a VHS-C model. You can get those at Wal-mart for less than $200.
Plus they come with an adaptor that allows you to play the tape in any VHS VCR.
As my log on name implies, I work in TV, and we get home video from time to time from folks are are often amazed at how good the video is in SP mode, and that's even compared to the $30k DVC Pro cameras we use.

 

[Minnie&Mickey]

Originally posted by Jackp0921
Look for the Canon ZR cameras. The new ZR80 is right at 400.00.

I have the ZR70 and just love it! My only problem is that I still haven't figured out how to get the video onto my computer. I guess I need a video capture card or something like Dazzle to do it, right? Any suggestions?

 

[avgeek]

Firewire card, cable, and capture software should have you up and running provided the thing has a firewire output on it. No quality loss going into the computer and the DV format (or codec) is quite nice in terms of quality.

One other thing, the person looking for a digital video camera might try finding a refurbished unit. Our local Fry's had a one day sale (while supplies lasted) where they had the Canon ZR60 refurbs for $179. Friend of mine bought a warranty with it and still came out ahead of getting a new unit.

-D

 

[Minnie&Mickey]

Originally posted by avgeek
Firewire card, cable, and capture software should have you up and running provided the thing has a firewire output on it.

Thanks for the info, AVGEEK. I don't think my computer has the output for a firewire. The computer is only about a year old (Dell 8250), and I have lots of USB ports, but I don't think I have anything to capture video. I guess I will probably have to call Dell and ask them what I need. I borrowed a Dazzle video creator from the school that I work at, but was kind of disappointed at the way the video looked and the amount of space it took up on my hard drive (a massive amount!!!!). I would really love to do something with the videos that we take on our upcoming cruise.

 

[avgeek]

You can buy a card that will add Firewire functionality pretty inexpensively. I got a firewire/USB 2 card on ebay for around $20. Look for cards that are bundled with video editing software for an even better deal.

Bear in mind that DV takes up quite a bit of space (approx 13 gigs per hour of video), so keep your hard drive neat and clean, or better yet, add a second hard drive. They're cheap nowadays and you can either install it yourself or have it done. You can also add a DVD burner for a little more and really open the doors on what is possible. 13 gigs per hour are big files, but the quality is worth it in my opinion. As new as your computer is, you should have the horsepower to pull it off. Windows XP even has built in video editing software, but I"ve never used it myself so I can't say firsthand how good it is.

Sorry for the epistle, but I hope this helps!
-D

 

[bobf320]

If you check replies today, check out QVC. They have a nice JVC as a "Today's Special Value." I think it said it was in the $400 range. They usually demo it, so see if that is something you are looking for.

Bob

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

Originally posted by HooKooDooKu
It's not the humidity, but the humidity with sudden tempurature changes. The ship is air-conditioned, but take a "cold" camera from the air-conditioned space and place it in the humidity and it will fog up everytime. You have to give the camera some time to "warm-up". As an example, if you are planning a shore excursion and have a verandah, place the camera on the verandah an hour ahead of time (leave it in the camera case, but open the case so the temperature can get to it). When you close the case to head on your excursion, close the bag to keep the air-conditioned tempurature from "cooling" the camera and you'll be ready to start taking pictures as soon as you step off the ship.

we leave our video camera on the veranda in a 1 gallon zip lock bag. keeps it warm and no fog ups.

 

[Minnie&Mickey]

Originally posted by avgeek
You can buy a card that will add Firewire functionality pretty inexpensively. I got a firewire/USB 2 card on ebay for around $20. Look for cards that are bundled with video editing software for an even better deal.

Thanks for the advice. That helps a lot!