What camera??

[martinrmn]

I wonder if anyone can help. My wife has commission on her catalogue to spend. We plan on going to Disney again this year and are looking at updating our video camera. Now, the thing is which do we go for? We are looking at DVD or hard drive. Which do you think is better?

 

[buzz for boys]

We recently updated our video camera and we went for a sony dvd one !! We looked at the hard drive ones but I didnt see what happened if we ever didnt have the access to clear the memory.I also believe that you need a usb to charge them.
Now I can be a little bit dim sometimes so others may well be able to answer that simply !!
The dvd one we have is fantastic and the quality on playback is awesome like watching a proper movie lol
I can reccomend a straight to dvd one and ours still downloads via usb to the pc for editing so kind of best of both worlds x

Just my opinion and im surr others will add there thoughts x

 

[Netty]

we have always had a sony tape one, until recently when we bought a panasonic hard drive one! its fantastic as well loads of memory also takes a memory card, and takes brilliant photos! just plug it in to the mains to charge up.never looked back with this one.
I would recomend it to anyone
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produ...90/c_2/2|cat_12109590|Camcorders|12109641.htm

 

[Neoshoegal]

DO NOT go for the ones straight to DVD or hard drive!
Unless you are buying professional camera (costing upwards of £3K).
The consumer camcorders that record to DVD or hard drive use a rather bad compression system, meaning the quality get reduced enormously compared to tape.
STICK TO TAPE!
One of the best camcorders to buy at the moment is the Canon HV30 or Canon HV20. Best brands are Sony and Canon. Panasonic is OK, but stay clear of JVC.
(I'm a professional filmmaker, so if you need any help in choosing models, feel free to send me pm)

 

[islandmum]

we have a JVC hard drive camera, takes more than 30 hours of video, and once downloaded to our Multi Media hard drive or burned to DVD the quality is excellent, same as our tape one but without the hassle of tape.

dont need a USB to charge it - comes with a regular charger, USB is for the transfer of data between camera and MM Hard drive or computer for burning or storage.

the videos are pefectly clear, very watchable, we're very happy with it.

 

[Snowy-girls]

We also have a Sony Hard Drive camcorder,it is fantastic.You don't need a USB to charge it.
Personally i think the quality once transfered to a dvd is excellent-much better than the tape one we used to have.So a for a hard drive from me.x.

 

[paulh]

DSil got one of these and it was great
http://www.nextag.co.uk/waterproof-digital-video-camera/zzukzB1z0--search-html
You can use it anyware.it used sd cards i think
Paulh

 

[cliveywolves]

Hi.

My wife bought us a new one for christmas a Sony DVD Camcorder 115, it records onto DVD and Sony Memory Sticks also does still photo shots too, It is brilliant picture quality,easy to use and with Sony the quality is 2nd to none imo.

 

[martinrmn]

Thanks for the replies. Still unsure which one to get!!

 

[MacUK]

Don't get a DVD camcorder if you are a Mac user as they are a nightmare to use as the file format does not want to play ball with iMovie.

I have just bought the Sony TG3 mini Hi Def Memory Stick camcorder and it works a treat, quality is superb and the size of the camcorder is tiny and truly pocketable! You can then (if you have one) view the clips in HD on your PS3 (with card slots), just insert the Memory Stick and copy to the hard drive.

With these new breed of HD camcorders you will need lots of hard drive space though, so buy a big 250/500gb external drive and back up!!

Another tip is to record say a minute or two of ambient sounds from the parks, general chatter, background music etc and then use this to overlay on the clips you put together, whilst reducing the sounds on the actual clips. Sounds much more professional or use the tons on Disney music available.

 

[whitfields]

sorry but its another shout for the sony tdg 3 which we bought from the dreaded EBAY but we did save an absoulte fortune and we have found the pics are second to none in imho

heres a link from sony

Product MPN
MPN HDR TG3


Key Features
Camcorder Type Digital
Recording Format Flash Media
Memory Still Resolution 3.98 Megapixels
Optical Zoom 10x


CCD
CCD Size 1/5"
CCD Pixels 2360K pixels


LCD / Viewfinder
Display Type With LCD Panel
LCD Panel Size 2.7 in.


Lens
Optical Zoom 10x
Digital Zoom 120x
Lens Focal Length 3.2 - 32 mm


Video Modes
Recording Speed HQ, LP, SP
Image Stabilizer Digital Image Stabilizer
Low Lux 5 Lux
Night Shot Without Night Shot


Audio
Audio Format 5.1 Surround Sound


Memory Photography
Memory Card Type Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro
Digital Still Shot Mode With Still Shot Capability
Memory Still Resolution 3.98 Megapixels
Max Still Image Size 2304 x 1728
MPEG Movie Mode Resolution 1440 x 1080i, 1920 x 1080
MPEG Movie Mode With MPEG Movie Mode


Interfaces
Output Interfaces Audio (RCA), Component, Composite (Video), HDMI, S-Video, USB 2.0
Microphone Type Internal


Power Supply
Battery Life 1.4 Hours


Dimensions
Height 11.9 cm
Width 3.2 cm
Depth 6.3 cm
Weight 0.24 kg


Miscellaneous
Included Accessories A/V Cable, AC Power Adapter, Driver, Lithium Propriety Battery, Software, Strap, USB Cable
UPC 4905524501551


hope this helps