MiniDV or DVD camcorder???

[BridetobeDisney]

Should I get a MiniDV or DVD camcorder? I'm leaning toward the DVD.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=product&tab=7&id=1196470790929&skuId=8661968&childSku=null&count=null#headerCustomerReviews

Does anyone have this camcorder or have any advice/suggestions on what to get?

My price range is $250 to 350. This is a present from my parents because I graduated with my BS in Elementary Ed. this week. But I still have to add money to get a DVD camcorder since they are more expensive. My parents are spending 250.

This will be for family videoing only so I just want to have a good picture and easy to use.

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Both MiniDV and Mini-DVD recorders exist for good reasons. They meet different needs. Which is appropriate for you is a question that only you can really answer.

The main advantage to MiniDV is that it records in the DV format, which is a great format for editing video. If you intend to edit your videos before you watch them, this is a better option than Mini-DVD.

Mini-DVD's advantage is that you can record your footage and then view it right away. Editing it, however, is more difficult and hurts the video quality more.

If you tend to just watch whatever you shoot however your shot it, you'll probably find a mini-DVD recorder fits your style better. If you want to cut out the mistakes, rearrange some footage, add narration or music, or otherwise modify your video before you show it, you'll probably be better off with mini-DV.

You might also want to consider hard disk and memory card recorders as well. They have their own advantages and disadvantages.

 

[BridetobeDisney]

Thank you! I would like to edit the footage and dub over music. I've never done this before but I want to try. I've been told that it is time consuming and difficult to put the minidv on the computer so that I could edit it. Is this true? I am not computer savvy but I also use the computer everyday so I wouldn't have too much trouble. I've been told it is easier with the dvd. But are you saying that once I put the dvd on the computer I cannot edit it with movie software?

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Getting from minidv to the computer is simple. Plug the video camera into the computer (you'll need a firewire port on your computer). Run your video editing software. Tell it to capture the video tape. It will play the tape at normal speed and record it all to your computer. It takes as long to transfer as it takes to play the video. You can let that run while you go do something else.

You can edit the DVD footage. The problem is that it's already fairly heavily compressed. It will have a noticeable loss in quality when you decompress it, edit it, and recompress it. The same is true for miniDV tapes, but it isn't so highly compressed the first time, so it doesn't hurt it as much.

 

[BridetobeDisney]

That helps me a lot. Thank you! Once I have edited the home movie using the minidv and computer software, how do I get the movie onto a dvd?

BTW sorry to ask so many questions but you are the first person to put this into words I understand!!

 

[ThurlFan]

Assuming you already have a DVD burner on your PC...

Your video editing software (e.g. Pinnacle Studio) will likely have the option to burn the finished movie to DVD. If your PC came with a DVD burner (or even if you bought one and added it), it probably had software preloaded for accomplishing this, like Sonic MyDVD (owned by Roxio now?) which probably has capture and editing utilities built in.

Very likely there will be some video editing software included with the purchase of your camcorder. My old Canon miniDV came with Pinnacle Studio quick start and it was more than adequate for a beginner/hobbyist.

In any case, I have done a lot of editing of movies from MiniDV and have found it to be easy to learn and ther results quite pleasing. It is time consuming to capture the raw video, but the process is simple.

Bottom line is neither type of camera requires more tech savvy for producing customized home movies, but as Mark says you will be pleased with the picture quality on the miniDV.

PS: I've had both a Canon and a Sony miniDV camcorder in the price range you mention and both delivered very nice video quality. The Canon did better in low light before it died at about 4 years old.

Hope that helps!

One final note: There's no such thing as too many questions!