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tintub · Jun 8, 2003, 09:05 AM

I'm going abroad soon, and I am vaguely thinking of buying a digital camcorder, but I don't really know much about what I am looking for. I haven't ever had a camcorder before, but now it is so easy to hook it up straight to your mac etc. I think it is about time I got one, and this would be a good time to do it.

Any recommendations/things to look for/things to know about different formats? How much should I expect to pay for budget/midrange/professional? Does anyone know if it would be cheaper to buy in Australia or America? Are the duty-free prices pretty much equivalent? etc. etc.

Any advice gladly received! TIA

cjrivera · Jun 8, 2003, 09:33 AM

I recently bought a Sony DCR-VX2000.

This thing is awesome. Extraordinary image quality for video, even in very dark settings. Gives you a lot more settings for those who know how to use them. Very easy to use for those who don't know how to use all the settings. The size is bigger than most of the small palm-held camcorders, but depending on your use this may not be a big deal. It is a "pro-sumer" camcorder, so expect to pay more for it, but again it is well worth it. (Kinda like Mac products)

If it is too big, look at the SCR TRV-950. It is kind of the smaller brother that fits in the typical palm-held camcorder category. It's less expensive, but has similar qualities. I had read that low light conditions were not handled as well, but it does come with a built in light, so this may help. It does use Bluetooth, but I think this is was an unnecessary feature for me, so it wasn't worth it to me.

Both use MiniDV. Seems to be the standard right now. I think there is a MicrDV, but very few cameras use this. I think Digital 8 is another format, but I don't think this is as popular as Mini-DV. Both hook up through firewire and the VX2000 works great with iMovie.

Both can function as digital still cameras, but not very well (maybe 1 megapixel pix?). OK for web images or email. I wouldn't use it for photo quailty pictures.

Got mine from onecall.com. They treated me very well, and gave me a reasonable price on it.

Good luck.

Weezer · Jun 8, 2003, 09:34 AM

I just bought a Sony TRV-22, and so far am pretty pleased. The major point of differentiation in mini-dv cameras is 1 ccd vs 3ccd camcorders. For a 3 ccd cam, you are looking at 1,500 and up. Be careful getting a 400 cam though, as they have notoriously poor low light performance, as well as lack of mic jacks and other nice features. The TRV-22 has everything I could want, night vision, mic jack, firewire, analog->dv conversion.

DeathToWindows · Jun 8, 2003, 10:08 AM

I've got a canon ZR-20... not the greatest thing... but for $340 used it works well enough... just wish the damn battery lasted longer.

:XI: · Jun 8, 2003, 01:44 PM

I'm looking at the Sony DCR-PC120, the only thing I haven't been able to find out is if I can connect an analogue video to it and capture the analogue source into the mac. (AV->DV conversion?) I know it has DV-in/out and AV-in/out.

I don't think MicroMV works with macs.

Also the VX2000 is �2899.89 in the Dixons brochure I've got handy. The PC120 is �1199 (although this can be had for around �1000 now.

Price ranges seem to be:
entry level: anything upto around �1500-�2000 (that's a maximum)
Mid-range: �2000-4000
Pro: I've seen �10,000+ but then they're broadcast quality (and HUGE).

zigzag · Jun 8, 2003, 02:08 PM

Get MiniDV - MicroDV is still non-standard. I'm partial to the Canons - I have an Elura - but the Sonys are also excellent. I'm also partial to lightness and compactness, especially for travel, but you pay up for it.

Low-light performance is iffy in all consumer-level models - I wouldn't concern myself with it unless you'll be doing a lot of low-light work.

All DV cameras eat batteries - plan on getting an extra high-capacity battery.

I'm partial to TDK tapes, not because the tape is any different, but because the cases are a nice soft plastic and don't break apart like the others tend to do.

zigzag · Jun 8, 2003, 02:10 PM

Originally posted by :XI::
I'm looking at the Sony DCR-PC120, the only thing I haven't been able to find out is if I can connect an analogue video to it and capture the analogue source into the mac. (AV->DV conversion?) I know it has DV-in/out and AV-in/out.

The Sonys usually have analog-to-digital conversion on the fly, i.e. straight from the VCR through the camcorder to the Mac.

:XI: · Jun 8, 2003, 02:35 PM

Originally posted by zigzag:
The Sonys usually have analog-to-digital conversion on the fly, i.e. straight from the VCR through the camcorder to the Mac.

Good to know. I also plan on buying an external light and a high-cap battery and probably a larger memory stick.

zigzag · 07:10 PM

Originally posted by :XI::
Good to know. I also plan on buying an external light and a high-cap battery and probably a larger memory stick.

I'm pretty sure the Sony PC120 has on-the-fly conversion, but if it's important to you, make sure before you buy. Even if it doesn't, all you have to do is record the analog tape onto the DV tape, then download it to the Mac. Easy.

As for still photos, as someone else said, don't expect much from a camcorder unless it has a high-resolution still feature. My Elura has a still feature, but I never use it - instead, I concentrate on videotaping, and if I want a still, I just convert a video frame to a still, which is easy to do in iMovie. With my camcorder, the resulting resolution is about the same. Why interrupt videotaping to take a still when you can take equally good (or, I should say, equally bad) stills from the video? But it depends on the camera - your mileage may vary.

If I want a good-quality still, I use a still camera.

tintub · Jun 8, 2003, 07:01 PM

Originally posted by zigzag:
The Sonys usually have analog-to-digital conversion on the fly, i.e. straight from the VCR through the camcorder to the Mac.

Oooh - I hadn't even thought of that. That would be great! Looking at prices, I think I am looking at a budget model given the value of the Australian Peso.

Currently, the Sony DCR-TRV33 is what is looking best at the moment.

I could also get a higher capacity battery with this thing. I can see the NP-FM70 which I assume attaches to the TRV33, and there is also a smaller NP-FM50 (but I would probably go for the higher capacity one)

:XI: · Jun 8, 2003, 09:21 PM

Do you have to worry about a camera not having dv-in in Oz? I know some of the budget cams here don't have it. Due to the stupid import tax. A tax designed to stop the influx of foreign video recorders into the UK in an effort to get us to buy UK made machines. No-one makes electronics goods in the UK anymore. Not even Beardy Sir Clive.
Stupid Tax.