HD Camcorder

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
Im looking into getting a new camcorder. Ideally it needs to be HD ready and actually affordable lol

My knowledge on camcorders is limited :(
 

NeX

You're after my robot bee
Club Member
one of the best HD camcorders you can buy is actually the iPhone 4, there are full length music videos made only on the iphone
 
I got one of the JVC everio which im pretty happy with, apart it records in some silly format and its always 4:3 ratio and the program what makes it normal 16:9 runs only on windows. If you got windows I think these JVCs are cool and affordable
 
What are is intended use & budget?
I make very amateur wildlife videos & have a small collection of cams, mainly Sony & a couple of fully automatic camera traps.
your best buy will depend a lot on your intended usage. for wildlife best results I need low light capabilities & high manual zoom.
I note your a photographer so I assume you shoot in RAW? HD editing is also a high memory user so your 'puter will need to be high spec!
Although I am now Sony I have seen great results from Panasonic, Canon are fine But I have a durability worry there!

I'm also experimenting with a homemade inexpensive car rig for mounting a camcorder in various positions to a car which may be of interest to some.
 
OP
OP
hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
Mainly car stuff,i.e to make a video of my car. To capture stuff at car shows and car meets. Doesnt HAVE to be HD but fairly high qualify

I bought a 2nd hand JVC one which is good except i cant connect it to my laptop and its a cassette one haha.

Budget wise...about £150 max
 
I still think MiniDV is the way to go rather than internal memory or disc.
Take a look at places like Argos, Curries & the such at catalogue change times.
I have a little Sony HC23E which I bought from Argos, I paid £79 for it new from Argos in the sales the original price was about £225!
Things to watch for.
Zoom, forget digital zoom even using 1x digital will degrade the image if get up to the 500x Digital as listed by some manufacturers it is almost useless only good for that once in a lifetime moment where image quality is unimportant!
Go for the biggest CCD / CMOS available I doubt you will find a 3 CCD/CMOS in your price range But you never know.
I dislike touch screens, greasy fingers leave greasy marks.
Black & white viewfinders are better quality than colour.
Screens use more battery power than viewfinders.
For high speed transfer to the PC make sure it has a IEE1394 Firewire Port.
Warning Always connect & remove your camcorder via firewire with your PC & Camcorder switched off
I'll have a look around to see what I can find!
 
Mini DV, hmmm how quaint.

Susceptible to humidity, physical wear of the tape medium itself, digital dropout and, when recording HDV, recording at a bitrate too low for HD so as such a contradiction in terms.

Add to that, for every hour you record on dv is an hour you have to wait while it digitises into the edit suite.

Just in case you think i'm talking out of my arse....please take a look at my website
 
I might have come across as a bit shouty

Mini DV was excellent in it's day, the BBC even used and I know at least one ITV camerman that still uses it, but it is outdated, solid state has all but fully killed it especially with the higher data transfer rates required by high definition footage.

Today, as a low cost alternative it is still good but it does have it's issues as mentioned above.
 
Why do you feel you need a zoom?

For engine detail??
A view under the bonnet is just a view under the bonnet but if an owner has some special adaption that you would like to view better than you can zoom in on that item if you juist got close with the camera there are chances you'd block the light!

I'm rebuilding a 1928 drop head Chevrolet Ute & without the zooms of the engine & brake control rods & connections I'd be stuffed.

It will depend on exactly what detail Hoodedreeper intends to do with his cam, if just to record a day out at a show & individual cars then possibly a zoom is not required.
 
Zooms should, imho, be avoided like the plague, all they do is confuse the issue.

if you're looking to introduce detail into your video, compose a wide shot of the engine bay and shoot it. If you then want to concentrate on finer details move the camera closer, if you're worried about blocking the light, use a small tripod or gorrillapod, hit record and move away so that your body isn't blocking the light, if you're still worried about blocking the light, try using a torch, it will help you to emphasise the particular engine part you're trying to display.

Have a look at the website of a company I sometimes work for, we've even filmed at JAE
 
I'm more than happy to give way to the skills & knowledge of the professional. As I said in my first post I'm only an amateur.

But If not careful it is very easy to get carried away & soon a large arsenal of extra equipment is added to the simple camcorder.
Now along with the simple cam that Hoodedreerer was looking for he now needs a tripod & a torch as well as the means to carry it all.
What was once a fun day out to look at cars is quickly becoming a video shoot.

Gorillapod? I'm not so sure an owner would take kindly to you inserting & fixing a Gorillapod into his prized & expensive possesion!
 
It comes down to the quality of what you want over the effort you're prepared to invest.

For very minimal effort you can achieve videography of a considerably higher quality than uncle johns 'you've been framed' zoomy, shaky, out of focus rubbish

A gorrillapod, flip camera and mini maglite will fit in a jacket pocket with ease, gorrillapod feet are a nice soft rubber and as i've found out this year, most car shower's are quite voyeuristic and actually want you to letch over their metalwork, a quick chat almost always results in very cooperative car owners.
 
ah....well, with the exception of the video about the fast micra, i'm afraid to say you're beyond the realms of what is realistically possible with £150's worth of handycam.

Have a look at the current range of Sanyo Xactis, they come in many flavours including full hd, waterproof and with optical zoom, Nappa is correct when he says digital zoom is to be avoided, many of these can be had for well under £150.

If you really want to step up your game...have a look at Canon DSLRs, i know this is way over your budget but the 550D is the baby brother of the 5Dmk2, a camera that has just been accepted by the BBC as of sufficient quality to shoot broadcast material, no mean feat i can tell you, it's the sort of thing generally reserved for cameras whose lens alone can cost £15000

As for short films about cars, this makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!!!
 

Ed

Fusion Motorsport
MSC Founder
Official MSC Trader
one of the best HD camcorders you can buy is actually the iPhone 4, there are full length music videos made only on the iphone

I think this must be a joke. Your not actually serious are you?:p
 
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OP
hoodedreeper

hoodedreeper

Ex. Club Member
i dont need just needs to be decent quality. Ive got a handycam here but the quality is pants. Great for capturing 'spur of the moment' events but for the stuff i wanna use it for,its useless
 
i'd discounted the GoPro on cost basis, they are AMAZING and can go anywhere, literally, did a video for a truck racing team a few weeks ago, they wanted shots of their front suspension to see how it was behaving, the GoPro obliged.
 
Huh! I just got the moderator needs to approve my post!

Lets try without a link.

Monday 15th November, next week, the gadget show is doing a camcorder special.
Take a look at their webiste & "Camcorder Best Buys" may help you. (I think it's the web link that causes the moderator problem)
 
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