I have done my last trip report completely in video.
It was quite the hit and got a lot of questions from people who seemed fascinated about it. So has the treads piled up I got a lot of tech questions. This is a cut and paste of a similar question. Because I didn't include the original question some stuff will seem out of place. Basically the question was what camera did you use because I want to get one for Christmas. Yours seems beter in low light than others I have seen. what do you use to edit and how to you tape under water.
To see the fully edited videos of each day the link is at the bottom of my signature.
Pasted from other post:
I will skip to the bottom and give you some info that will get you thinking.
I use a Sony DCR-96 as Sony makes a great camera. The 96 uses a different chip and a larger lens than all the other cameras in the DCR line. My only complaint about it is the mic. picks up the motor sound of the camera.
What I consider mandatory for anyone who is taping indoors, a wide angle conversion lens. It is useful for parades too. Before I bought one I had trouble tapping parades because the floats are so huge and the streets are narrow and it forced me to stand so close I could never get a good wide shot when the float was close.
The water shots are done with a Sony Sports Pack. It is a water tight acrylic case that the camera goes into. The camera is controlled with a set of buttons that connect to the camera via a cable designed for tripods with camera controls on them. It is rather large so it is a bit of a pain to pack but I got great results with it. This was the first trip that I used it.
For editing I use Magix Pro 11. I think they are from Germany. Like all editing programs it doesn't always run smooth when you first start working with it so you have to learn all the workarounds first. Support for this product is non-existent. That is my biggest complaint other than that, for the money Magix can't be beat! A lot of features for more advanced users but still simple enough for people who want to use a program more robust than the software that might have come with the computer like Windows Movie Maker or Sony Movie Shaker. I recommend it to people with this little disclaimer. Don't be mad at me if it doesn't work 100%. Most editing programs unless they came with the machine don't always NOT have some sort of compatibility issues with other media programs that might be installed on the hard drive. All programs that deal with rendering into a file format and have the ability to export it by burning a disc have to work with the drivers and each program tweaks it slightly so often one will effect the other.
Advice for camcorder buyers
This is something I can help you with. Don't take choosing a camcorder lightly they are expensive. I won't get into brands because each has their own pros and cons. Internet research will help you out there.
The first thing you need to do is choose a format. I will not consider price because it is relative to your situation. What I may consider expensive you may not agree. Please be-aware that some models will look the same and have a huge price difference. That is because manufactures are making high-def (HD) versions and non HD versions of the same model. The only thing that will look different is the LCD screen ratio. If you have a HD format TV than buy it. My feeling is that with all TVs going digital in 09 HD will be the standard for all camcorders in the near future. But if you think you may buy another camera in a few years consider the fact that HD camera prices are going to drop a lot in the coming years.
Formats:
HDD is the latest. It stores mpeg format on a built in hard disk. These are typically made to be shown on the newer wide screen TVs but still can be set to the old TV size.
Pros:
Small size and convenient because you don't need to carry recording media. Latest technology and formatted for wide screen TVs. Wont be as obsolete in the coming years as more and more people change over to the wide screen format.
Uninterrupted recording. you wont have to stop to change out full media.
Cons:
Quality suffers as MPEG is a compressed format. If you can adjust the quality you will lose HD capacity. Space may be an issue if you record a lot. This shouldn't be a problem as some will do several hours of video. Just so you can relate I shot 10 hours during this trip (that should also give you an idea of how much video I didn't use). Every time you use the camera you must download your video to store it and to clear the camera. Then you have to put it on some sort of media to archive it. This can be a huge pain in the butt. With a tape or DVD you just pull out the media put it on the desk and deal with it whenever. The unedited tape is your archived piece. Think about this, you just came back from vacation in May. Your camera has less than an hour of record time left on it. you unpack, and put the camera by the computer knowing you have to transfer the video to store it and put it on a disc. A week goes by and you have to go to a graduation party. Now your camera is still on the desk and it is full. Bummer
If you want to watch a video without taking the time to transfer it you must hook the camera up to the TV.
DVD format: These cameras record directly onto a mini DVD. These will fit in all DVD players despite the small size of the disk. All PCs, CD and DVD players have a smaller inner ring depressed into the tray. That is to accommodate mini-discs. The size of these cameras have come down but are still a little on the large size if compared to today's mini-DV and HD cameras. Disks can be bought almost anywhere. If you have no desire to ever use the computer to edit this is a good choice.
Pros:
the huge plus is that you can go strait from camera to TV with a DVD player. No computer needed. No changing format to VHS or burning to DVD. No need to hook the camera up to the TV.
Recorded video can easily be imported to computer without hooking the camera up to the computer. just pop in the DVD and start to drag and drop your footage.
Cons:
I said I wouldn't get into prices of cameras but as far as media goes min DVDs can be pricey. Look around for the best deals, always by in bulk and get a good quality disc.
This format also uses MPEG compression so quality suffers a bit. I should mention that for most people the quality isn't so bad that you would notice. I am just pointing out that side by side with DV-tape you will see a difference especial in low light.
Disks can only record continuously for 30 minutes and then you have to flip the disc over and you get 30 more minutes. (If this has improved somebody correct me. It has been a while since I have dealt with mini-DVD and I thought I had heard they were trying to increase the capacity of the disc).
Most of today's DVD players are cross compatible and will play both + and -R and RW discs. Older machines may only be able to play one format. If that is the case you would have to buy a new DVD player to get the best pro out of this format.
Next is my preference mini-DV. These cameras use small tapes.
Pros:
Great video quality even on a cheep cam!
Small. these are the most compact of the bunch. Just be aware that the smaller the lens the smaller the sensor the worse it will perform in low light.
My camera was the most expensive and largest in the DCR family but it has the best picture quality and out performs the others in the line-up in low light. Has you progressed from the cheapest to the model just under mine price was for added features not better video. Tapes are inexpensive if you look around.
60min uninterrupted recording time and up to 120 if you don't mind a lose of quality.
Don't need to have a DVD burner to watch edited videos. If you want you can upload your video into the computer, put a new tape in and then after you edit your master piece you can export it back to the blank tape in your camera. Now you can use the camera as a player and take it to grandma's house and hook it up to her TV. (that can be a con con if Grandmas TV only has hookups in the back)
Cons:
Must connect camera to a TV to watch direct from tape video.
Old technology. I don't know how long this format will be around. most manufactures are drifting away from this and making more DVD and HDD cameras. Unlike DVD and like the HD cameras they require a computer with the right card installed to import video to burn to a DVD.
Please note that once the mini-DV tape is loaded into the computer it is uncompressed and takes a massive amount of space. You need a huge hard drive for DV.
I kept telling you how great the quality is but if you plan on burning to DVD it may be worthless. your great video will be compressed to MPEG 2 when you burn it on DVD. You can make some adjustments but for the most part your great video will only remain great when it is on the tape.
Digital 8 and other 8 formats:
I don't know if hi8 is even available in most stores. I think discounters like Wal-mart may still carry 8mm Hi-8 and maybe one compact VHS model.
Pros: Can't ignore price when talking about this line of cameras, that is their market.
Cons: Old technology.
8mm tapes are larger than mini-DVs some of the cameras are quite large by today's standards.
8mm tapes can still be found but are becoming harder to find. Like mini-DVs you may only find 1 or 2 brands being offered for sale in a given store.
With the exception of Digital-8 quality is noticeably poor. the reason is less lines of resolution. Digital 8 is the best out of the bunch but still well below the newer formats.
If you are considering these it should be for price only. I would stay away from them at this time as these are really dated now. My last camera was a D-8 and it served me well. I can't believe it was over 400 bucs but it was the shizzal back in the day. (1997)
Before that hi-8 (1994) which at the time blew standard 8mm out of the water with more lines of resolution.
I have to say though that of all the cameras I have (yes I still have all of them even the old huge VHS camera I got from my mother that was bought in 1989) the Hi-8 does the best in low light. All the digital cameras stink in low light because of the way they record. Infrared assistance (Sony calls theirs Night Shot) gives the picture a green coloring that is not very desirable. My non digital, or analog, cameras can tape in candle light. i wish my digital could.
Anyway, I have typed way too much and I am going to leave now. If I am missing any info please ask, I will answer it if I can. Hope you get a camera just don't wait to close to your trip to get it. You will need to practice with it. Often times when I get a new camera I will inadvertently and unknowingly hit a button that will turn something on or off that will effect the picture and I will have to get out the book to help me figure out what is going on with it. You don't want that to happen to you as you are about to film your kids who got picked to do the Legend Of The Loin King over at AK. So practice tapping before you go, it is important.
. I had no idea that the miniDV had better quality. Thanks again
