Recommend me a HDD Camcorder

[tosullivan]

I need to get a camcorder in the next week. Small handycam size with HDD. Do I need to splash out on a high def one or will the previous technology ones be ok?

I have an older Sony Digital8 camcorder and the quality is good enough for what I need it for.

There are some good deals out there at the moment. Which brand? I had no problems with the Sony up to now going strong after 10yrs.

Needs to take pictures and have a flash also with a decent zoom of about 40x

 

[sfag]

Last time I looked the mini dv cameras were rated higher than hd ones with regard to picture quality.
You wont get optical zoom of 40.
Picture with sony handy cam mini dv is pretty darn good. Stick with that.

 

[Mumha]

Last time I looked the mini dv cameras were rated higher than hd ones with regard to picture quality.
You wont get optical zoom of 40.
Picture with sony handy cam mini dv is pretty darn good. Stick with that.

The major negative though is that getting the recording off the mini dv and onto computer is a pain.

 

[Technologist]

I need to get a camcorder in the next week. Small handycam size with HDD. Do I need to splash out on a high def one or will the previous technology ones be ok?

Problem with the high-def and the hard-disc cameras is that they record in compresssed formats and are very poor with moving subjects. The main benefit is the speed of transfer to computer or disc. With DV, the capture straightforward and is via FireWire.It will take 30 minutes to capture 30 minutes of footage. Storage is about 12gb/hour.

The DV cams have the best quality (at SD) as it records 25 full frames per second and employs almost no compression. Very good for lifting still frames, if you want to. Also it's best format for editing as you're starting with better quality & you'll get less artifacts when re-rendering.

Even if you could find a 40x optical zoom, it would provide unwatchable pictures unless you use a tripod.

There's no perfect solution for you. Make a list of what you need and would like and put it into order of priority.

 

[spfeno]

Went to Harvey Norman in Swords two weeks ago to buy a mattress and came away with a video camera - JVC EVERIO 40GB Hybrid (hard drive and also its possible to record onto a mini CD card) - lovely job for €220

Very happy with it so far

 

[spfeno]

Went to Harvey Norman in Swords two weeks ago to buy a mattress and came away with a video camera - JVC EVERIO 40GB Hybrid (hard drive and also its possible to record onto a mini CD card) - lovely job for €220

Very happy with it so far

 

[michaelm]

I have a JVC Everio also (30GB, 34x Optical Zoom) and it's a grand little video/photo camera but it doesn't have a flash.

 

[tosullivan]

The DV cams have the best quality (at SD) as it records 25 full frames per second and employs almost no compression. Very good for lifting still frames, if you want to. Also it's best format for editing as you're starting with better quality & you'll get less artifacts when re-rendering.

Even if you could find a 40x optical zoom, it would provide unwatchable pictures unless you use a tripod.

Went to Harvey Norman in Swords two weeks ago to buy a mattress and came away with a video camera - JVC EVERIO 40GB Hybrid (hard drive and also its possible to record onto a mini CD card) - lovely job for €220

Very happy with it so far

I read a good few online reviews about the JVC but there were just as many negative comments about it as positive.


I decided on the Canon HG10 High Def HDD 40GB unit. Found one on Amazon last Wed for €495 inc shipping. I got it yesterday in the post which was very quick. Camera retails here for nearly €800. I had a look at many reviews online for this camera and it could not be faulted. It can record in 25fps and also has a Cine mode which makes the movies recorded look like what you see in the cinema. We'll see. Plus its High Def so much better quality than SD

It has a flash for pictures and a light for filming movies in low light
The only downside is that you need a min SD card for taking pictures. You can't direct them straight to the hard drive like the Sony SR12
The optical zoom is only x10, but they are all this low in the High Def units. Digital zoom up to x200