Digital Camcorders

[oddmud]

I want a new camcorder, never owned one. Want one for our tours, and trips. Now MiniDV seems so much cheaper, but obviously not as convenient as a DVD recorder. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I have connections to get it cheaper than retail, but I want to choose the right one under $700.

[Revolver]

im a electronics salesguy....

the best option in your price range is without question is hitachis dzm730 dvd camcorder.

stay far far away from mini dv. atractive price point yes, but too much stress is put on tape heads with constant stop,play,ff,rr ect.

dvd is instant,less moving parts,and completely future proof.

i recomend the hitachi dzm730. hitachi invented the dvd camcorder. dvd cams are their baby.

sony has a good product but only cause of the zeiss lenses they use. other than that the menu system is a bugger and sony's only use a lcd touch panel wich drastically reduces the life of the lcd screen. plus the disc bay is side loading rather than top loading with the hitachi wich is more ergonomic.


http://www.hitachi.ca/Apps/hitachica...sp/hcl/hcl/en/

if you step up to your 700 budget....the model up(dzm750) has a strong ccd imager and computer conectivity. but with dvd cams....just put the disc direct into the computer. computer connections are redundant unless you config it for use as a webcam. with the dzm750 you also have the compatiblity with dvd-rw wich could be a plus for you if yuo want a re-writable disc that you can play in any dvd player right away.

hmm...in interested in this "below retail" price you can get....pm?

[beedub]

Panasonic has versions with 3 CCDs, start about $850. Gives better video. Until this, only pro camcorders had 3 CCDs. Consumer stuff has 1 CCD.

Look for the biggest CCD size spec affordable. Many camcorders have only 1/6" which is OK outside on a sunny day but no good indoors unless you have really bright lights. 1/4" or bigger if you can find one at the right price.

[bravo911]

I had just recently been looking for a new camcorder myself, as my trusty samsung SCD-23 packed it in... After alot of looking, I had decided on the SONY HDR-HC1... It's HI-Def 1080i man.

It's got a 1/3 CMOS sensor, and as mentioned above, the Sony's have the Zeiss lens which is gold when dealing with low light... There's quite a few filters and lenses available for it as well. As for the age old DV vs DVD, I personally would say go with the DV over mini DVD... I just dump my footage onto a DVD and then keep the original tapes in a safe place. It is an extra step, but I've seen alot of skipping during the recording on many of the DVD models, especially if u are going to be in a loud venue with lots of bass... or even jostling of the camera due to general use... They're great if u put it on a tripod and leave it there while recording, but physically moving the camera around while recording could be a problem. The fact that it records HiDef on a standard DV tape is sweet as well... Outside of the quasi-pro cameras, as in the <$1000 market, there is little difference from one model to the next... I'd suggest that you think about what features you'd need and base your decision on how closely u can match your needs. The recommended Hitachi above looks pretty good according to the specs, but keep in mind that u probably will be doing alot of low light filming, and many cameras look quite grainy... And make sure it has nightshot.

Make sure you have the ability to return it if you dont like it... Take a while to play with it in various conditions before you commit to anything.
I ended up forking over nearly $2000 for this baby new, but I dont regret a thing.

[nabs]

a lot of miniDV's are crap, so make sure you do your research. if you want a really nice one go for a high end sony.

the camcorders that i have are both sony. and they are very durable over the years. good quality and strong built.

[bravo911]

Originally Posted by nabs

a lot of miniDV's are crap, so make sure you do your research. if you want a really nice one go for a high end sony.

the camcorders that i have are both sony. and they are very durable over the years. good quality and strong built.

This is what I mean when I say "Think about how it's going to be used"... Filming Kick It Again was enough to kill my cheap samsung...

[Revolver]

Originally Posted by beedub

Panasonic has versions with 3 CCDs, start about $850. Gives better video. Until this, only pro camcorders had 3 CCDs. Consumer stuff has 1 CCD.

Look for the biggest CCD size spec affordable. Many camcorders have only 1/6" which is OK outside on a sunny day but no good indoors unless you have really bright lights. 1/4" or bigger if you can find one at the right price.

3ccd only found in minidv cams......panasonic dvd camcorders are purchased DIRECTLY from hitachi and are circut for circut identical only except for the name printed on it.

for what he has said his needs are minidv is a waste of money.

and why is there evan a mention of the hi-def sony? i dont think that really fits in his needs.

and as far as the dvd-skipping issues go, it was a problem 3 years ago. but not anymore. ive had absolutly ZERO complaints from my customers about skipping issues evan when used in motion heavy applications like skatboarding.

this is hitachis 5th gen model.

current price on the dzm730 in the industy right now is only $499. $499 for a high quality dvd camcorder from hitachi...thats insane!

[Leviathan]

If you want to quite a bit of editting then buy the mini dv. Then you can edit the raw data and save the movie as any type of format you want, mpeg 2, h.264 etc.

With a DVD cam it compresses it straight to mpeg2 so that if you want to do some editting your already working with a lower quality video which sucks.

[oddmud]

Originally Posted by Revolver

this is hitachis 5th gen model.

current price on the dzm730 in the industy right now is only $499. $499 for a high quality dvd camcorder from hitachi...thats insane!

I REALLY like the idea of $499! :) So you're telling me this is a really good product, for a really good price.

I am concerned about how it will perform in darker settings.

[narc]

beta-cam!!

[Neotribe]

I got the Sony DVD camera. I have had it for about two years and for the most part like it a lot.
Some complaints:
You can only use Sony DVDs. No others will work.

The software it comes with is horrible and for some reason tends to remove itself from the computer after I am finished using it. (Done that about 12 times)

You can't use other software to take the footage off the disc. You can only use their shitty one. Which is time consuming.

Big Pros

It's Super Night Shot gives you color even in almost pitch black. Perfect for dark parties, clubs, raves etc.

I think the Hitachi is the way to go.