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judd · Jun 19, 2002, 07:39 PM

Hi there
I am looking to buy a mini dv camcorder (in canada-so must be NTSC) with the following requirements:
1) Must be small, like the upright ones.
2) DVin and DVout
3) Video in or SVideo in (so that I can connect it to a VCR and convert my VHS tapes onto miniDV tapes
4) OPTIONAL - Video in or SVideo out (so I can reconvert back to VHS tape)
5) Ability to have still photos (resolution is not a major issue for me)

Any suggestions of which Camcorder to buy? Last year I saw Sony DCR-PC9, that seemed interesting but I think it has been discontinued. BTW I am not interested in the new blue tooth networking capabilities of some camcorders. Any suggestions appreciated.
Thanks Judd

crazycylon · Jun 19, 2002, 09:38 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by judd:
Hi there
I am looking to buy a mini dv camcorder (in canada-so must be NTSC) with the following requirements:
1) Must be small, like the upright ones.
2) DVin and DVout
3) Video in or SVideo in (so that I can connect it to a VCR and convert my VHS tapes onto miniDV tapes
4) OPTIONAL - Video in or SVideo out (so I can reconvert back to VHS tape)
5) Ability to have still photos (resolution is not a major issue for me)

Thanks Judd<hr /></blockquote>Most of the mini DV have a connection for Video out and SVideo out but I don't believe there are many models that allow SVideo in. I suspect there will be some but expect it would be on the higher end models.

I have a JVC GR -DVL100U. It is a lower end model. Comes with AV, DV IN/out(iLink aka firewire) and S Video which is out only not two way. Image quality is not as good as some of the more expensive models. The only recommendation I could give is figure out how much you are willing to spend. I have seen the images from a $1600 camera which are much better than my sub $800 DV mini .

This is a useful resource of DV related questions <a href="http://www.digitalmediacreators.net/discuss/" target="_blank">DV Creators</a>

Dr. Dennis · Jun 19, 2002, 10:33 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by judd:
Hi there
I am looking to buy a mini dv camcorder (in canada-so must be NTSC) with the following requirements:
1) Must be small, like the upright ones.
2) DVin and DVout
3) Video in or SVideo in (so that I can connect it to a VCR and convert my VHS tapes onto miniDV tapes
4) OPTIONAL - Video in or SVideo out (so I can reconvert back to VHS tape)
5) Ability to have still photos (resolution is not a major issue for me)

Any suggestions of which Camcorder to buy? Last year I saw Sony DCR-PC9, that seemed interesting but I think it has been discontinued. BTW I am not interested in the new blue tooth networking capabilities of some camcorders. Any suggestions appreciated.
Thanks Judd<hr /></blockquote>Judd,

Check out the Sony DCR-PC101. It looks like the replacement to the DCR-PC9 (similar form factor, increased pixel count on CCD for video and still). I believe it meets most of your requirements. I've ordered that model and am waiting for it. It retails for around $1300 USD. Check out this link <a href="http://www.sonystyle.com/digitalimaging/P_Feature_PC101.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.sonystyle.com/digitalimaging/P_Feature_PC101.shtml</a> for more info.

judd · Jun 20, 2002, 02:11 PM

Thanks for your suggestions. The sony DCR PC101 does look pretty neat. Not only do I want to get a camcorder to shoot movies but also, I was thinking of using it to digitise my old vhs tapes (I plan to hook it up to my vcr and digitise VHS tapes through the camcorder and into my mac. Once I've edited my movie, I'll do the reverse and save a copy on to my vhs tape. Does anyone think that this method will work well, or am I better off buying a digitiser such as formac studio and a normal camcorder without Svideo in or out?

Judd

Dr. Dennis · Jun 20, 2002, 03:15 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by judd:
Thanks for your suggestions. The sony DCR PC101 does look pretty neat. Not only do I want to get a camcorder to shoot movies but also, I was thinking of using it to digitise my old vhs tapes (I plan to hook it up to my vcr and digitise VHS tapes through the camcorder and into my mac. Once I've edited my movie, I'll do the reverse and save a copy on to my vhs tape. Does anyone think that this method will work well, or am I better off buying a digitiser such as formac studio and a normal camcorder without Svideo in or out?

Judd<hr /></blockquote>I also plan to use the Sony DCR-PC101 both for shooting new video and converting old VHS footage. The Sonys are nice because they have the Analog-to-Digital passthrough so that you don't have to record onto tape b4 the DV stream is sent to the computer. I don't think you'll have any problems doing what you want with just the DCR-PC101. Personally, I'd buy a camcorder with the passthrough and forget about the Formac Studio. I should say that I'm just about to start video editing (still waiting for the Sony DCR-PC101) and have no experience with the Formac Studio.